NMHS Athletic Hall of Fame

Julie Reynolds, Class of 2005, was a Green Wave soccer player with few equals, superbly skilled, strong and fiercely competitive, and a quick sprinter who dashed to all-South-West Conference indoor track laurels, a student-athlete well worthy of induction into the New Milford High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

Julie distinguished herself on the soccer pitch through four seasons as a closely marked standout for the NMHS side. League coaches recognized her excellence with four straight, first-team South-West Conference selections, a rare feat in any sport. She also was twice voted first-team all-state, noteworthy especially given the Green Wave’s relative lack of won-lost success.

 

Julie’s teammates readily acknowledged her leadership and her skills by selecting her as the team’s MVP each season. She also was the team’s captain as a junior and as a senior.

 

Her impact was felt from end line to end line, as a defender, midfielder and, when the occasion called for it, as a distributor and scorer. Even as a freshman, Julie was a consequential player, generating offense when she could, yet spending much of her time resisting rivals’ offensive attacks.

 

Coach Rich Reynolds, Julie’s father, had limited resources in terms of talent and experience on the squad, resulting in a 3-13 campaign. A highlight was an early-season, 2-1 victory over Notre Dame of Fairfield, to which Julie contributed a goal… it marked the Green Wave’s first triumph since the 1999 season.

 

Julie upgraded her offensive exploits as a sophomore, scoring eight goals and adding seven assists. The Green Wave still struggled, posting a 3-12 record, but Julie earned enough recognition that she was voted first-team class ‘LL’ all-state.

 

That latter honor perhaps accounted for the reality Julie received even more defensive attention from opponents during the 2003 season. Even so, the Green Wave made progress, if only marginally to 4-10-1 in its won-lost record. Throughout, as the losses mounted up, it was apparent she was an extraordinary player.

 

Finally, surrounded by more experienced teammates in her senior season, Julie & Co. began to reap rewards. The Green Wave side got off to a fast start and, in its third outing, Julie headed in the match’s only goal for a 1-0 win over Joel Barlow. The victory bolstered the NMHS side hopes of finally attaining state tournament qualification.

 

The Green Wave played its way to an 8-5-3 regular season, easily making the grade for the state class ‘LL’ tournament as Julie scored 12 goals and assisted eight more. The post-season experience didn’t last long as Stamford Westhill edged the Green Wave, 2-1, in the first round. However, Julie and her teammates had achieved much more than had seemed possible during preceding seasons.

 

Once again, Julie was honored as first-team class ‘LL’ all-state, and also was chosen to play in the annual state Senior Soccer Bowl. Julie not only participated in the game, but excelled to the extent she was chosen as a co-MVP as her side won the match.

 

As the curtain lowered on Julie’s Green Wave soccer career, she could look back on her 29 goals, 19 assists, four years as team MVP and first-team all-SWC, and twice class ‘LL’ all-state. As one of her school’s better students, Julie also was accorded all-SWC academic team honors all four years.

 

Julie was a soccer player, pure and simple, but she also was a fast runner who wished to stay in shape for future soccer challenges. The logical thing to do was to compete in indoor track & field for the Green Wave. For four winters, that decision served her team well and also earned Julie plenty of further honors.

 

As a freshman, she helped her 4 x 200-meter and spring medley relay teammates qualify for the state class ‘LL’ championship meet. For the next three seasons, Julie was one of the SWC’s best sprinters, and she complemented her on-track efforts by serving as a team captain for two seasons.

 

She earned respective third-, second- and fourth-place finishes in the SWC championship meet’s 45-meter races and keyed her spring medley relay teammates to SWC silver medals as a sophomore and senior. Those performances brought Julie three consecutive, second-team all-SWC laurels.

 

As a sophomore, her Green Wave 4 x 200 quartet claimed fifth in state ‘LL,’ and Julie capped her indoor track career as a senior by qualifying for the state ‘L’ meet in the 45 meters.

 

Honors continued to come in for Julie, who was selected as the Class of ‘05’s ‘best girl athlete’ and the school’s CIAC female Scholar-Athlete.

 

Soon after taking her bows as an NMHS graduate, Julie headed to Annapolis, Maryland and life as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, where she flourished again as a member of Navy’s women’s soccer team, en route to gaining a degree in mathematics.