Cross Country Team
Coaches: Coach Steph, Coach John
Captain: Ella Brown, 12th Grade
How Many Years: Since 7th Grade
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: Criminal Minds
Favorite Snack Food: Tortilla Chips
A small yet mighty team, cross country has been pushing each other forward all season. Their main team goal is to “challenge each other and challenge themselves,” said Brown. “We’ve all been really relying on each other.” Brown defines a good leader as someone who “creates a good environment for their team and is supportive. I try to be there for my teammates and try to make sure everyone has the best time they can.” The team’s biggest accomplishment so far has been trailing EA by a mere three points when they ran against them- hoping for some good juju going into EA day. The overall improvement for the team has focused on being positive when running together and bonding as a team!
Field Hockey Team
Coaches: Coach Nicole, Coach Carlan, Coach Rosie
Record: 4-3
Captain: Blake Stefan, 12th Grade, #31
How Many Years: Since 1st Grade
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: The Empress
Favorite Snack Food: Apples and Peanut Butter
Captain: KK Lerch, 12th Grade, #8
How Many Years: Since 1st Grade
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: New Girl
Favorite Snack Food: Cheetos
Captain: Lauren DeRose, 12th Grade, #40
How Many Years: Since 2nd Grade
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: Grey’s Anatomy
Favorite Snack Food: Honey Wheat Pretzel Twists
Exciting, determined, and focused are the three words the captains used to describe the 2022 field hockey season. They have been zoning in on being aggressive as a team; DeRose notes, “it is something different to be able to go out there and score and to win games by scoring goals rather than playing defense the whole time.” Their biggest goal has been working up to beating EA (Update: the team certainly has potential: they tied EA for a portion of their last game against them before losing by one goal in the last five minutes.) They also hope to prove their skills to other Inter-Ac teams but have also come off some big wins against Cardinal O’Hara and Merion Mercy as opposed to losing to these teams three years ago. The captains define good leadership as, “setting a good example to the team, knowing that everyone is looking up to you no matter their age, and coming up with a positive attitude.” They strive to build a unified team through bonding activities, but also make sure everyone stays very focused during team practices. Through strengthening friendships, they desire to create a more positive, connected team.
Tennis Team
Coach: Coach Olson
Captain: Kathryn Chang, 12th Grade
How Many Years: Since 4 years old
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: Gilmore Girls
Favorite Snack Food: Mom’s Organic Market Acaí Sorbet
Captain: Lily Halpert, 12th Grade
How Many Years: Since 5 years old
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: Gossip Girl
Favorite Snack Food: Cheez Its Extra Toasted
Captain: Nina Kirkpatrick, 12th Grade
How Many Years: Since 5 years old
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: One Tree Hill
Favorite Snack Food: Caramel Rice Cakes
The tennis team has been building each other up over the past season to strengthen their team and the season has been filled with encouragement. The captains describe it as “fun, energetic, and exciting”. Their main goal is to beat EA, but they are all focusing on individual improvement, especially in the serving game. Chang describes being a good leader as “being in contact with everyone–communication is a big factor.” The captains really want to be a good voice for their teammates and maintain a good relationship with their coach to create a solid foundation for the team as a whole. Their biggest success so far was beating Germantown Academy 6-1 after losing to them in previous years. They continue to focus on improving consistency and strategy, for both singles and doubles, as well as keeping a good plan when going into the matches, but also making sure to still have fun!
Soccer Team
Coaches: Coach Mike, Coach Hurford
Record: 4-2
Favorite Team Snack: Soft Pretzels with Cinnamon Sugar Dip
Captain: Kennedy Kelleher, 12th Grade, #44
How Many Years: Since 5 years old
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: The Bachelorette
Captain: Maya Johnson, 12th Grade, #5
How Many Years: Since 3 years old
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: Grey’s Anatomy
The soccer team has maintained their winning record with some great victories along the way, including a 6-0 blowout against Friends Central with six goal scorers! They aspire to beat EA on EA day and have a goal to tie the really good teams (Update- they tied Springside Chestnut Hill 1-1!) Kelleher believes a good leader “makes unbiased decisions for the team and will always be there to listen and be a spokesperson between the team and the coaches.” The captains also want to create a positive attitude for the team and continue to make sure everyone is putting in 110%. They believe being positive and keeping their heads up will help them on the field. During one game, they went into overtime against Lawrenceville and ended up scoring a golden goal (For the non-soccer players, a golden goal means whoever scores first in OT) to win the game!
Volleyball Team:
Coaches: Coach Night, Coach Lawrence, Coach Sherbo
Record: 4-5
Captain: Ava Heavenrich, 12th Grade, #5
How Many Years: Since 6th Grade
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: Friends
Favorite Snack Food: Chobani Drinkable Yogurts
Captain: Nahla Thomas, 12th Grade, #27
How Many Years: Since 6th Grade
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: Dance Moms
Favorite Snack Food: GoGo Squeezes
Captain: Reagan Pagano, 12th Grade, #3
How Many Years: Since 6th Grade
Current Binge-Watch/Comfort Show: Jersey Shore
Favorite Snack Food: Fruit Roll-Ups
Volleyball started off their season with a bang with a big win against Notre Dame, hopefully a good omen that they will achieve their goal of winning the Inter-Ac Championship for the second year in a row. “A rebuilding year” are the three words Heavenrich uses to define the 2022 season. They also continue to promote having fun and enjoying their time on the court. Pagano defines leadership as “being very easy to talk to and [being] someone people can open up to,” and Thomas says that leadership is “being that person to light the spark and keep things going”. They have truly grown as a team both on and off the court and have boosted their confidence during games. Thomas describes putting in the work as “focusing on the little things, and [which has] been really beneficial to the team as a whole.” The captains encourage their teammates to do their best, but at the end of the day, getting out there and having a fun time as a close, bonded team is what it’s all about.
