Theo Vadot ‘19:
The boys’ spring sports teams at EA are preparing for their upcoming season of competition and hopeful success.
The track team could potentially have a difficult season this year, as Chris Zimmerman ‘19 explains, “The season may be difficult, but I think that we have a lot of runners that have the ability to place so that we can win.” Zimmerman explains that the goal for the team is “to have all our runners lower their times and improve as the season goes on.” In the Inter-Ac, Episcopal’s top competitors will be Haverford, Malvern, and Germantown Academy. However, as Zimmerman stated, the high number of runners on the team could lead to victories throughout the season.
Episcopal’s baseball program is equipped with an abundance of young players for the upcoming season. EA baseball player and Notre Dame commit Jack O’Reilly ‘19 explains, “We’re younger this year than in years past, but if we can come together, I think we have a good chance to be successful in our competitive schedule.” The baseball team aims to win both the Inter-Ac and PAISAA championships. Commenting on the rest of the league, O’Reilly states, “Penn Charter is coming off a sweep of the Inter-Ac last year, so they’re going to be competitive, and Malvern is also always a competitive team in our league.”
Harry Pusey ‘19, junior co-captain of the crew team, explains that the team’s main goal for the upcoming season, is to “build a good base this year to build off of in the future. Hopefully, with the experience we gain this season we will be able to really strive the following spring.” Pusey adds, “We have great coaches, and Schuyler [Kresge] who is a very talented coxswain. In order to win, we will really have to focus and train hard to be competitive against larger teams and more experienced rowers.” EA’s competition varies between eight-person shells and four-person shells. The eight races have bigger programs like LaSalle and Saint Joseph’s Prep, while the four races tend to have smaller programs, like EA, as well as Haverford.
EA’s lacrosse team is planning to use previously established team chemistry to earn success during the upcoming season. Carter Strid ‘19 comments, “We had a very strong team chemistry last year, and we hope to build on that this year.” Strid added, “We are all looking forward to the season just as a team.” With a strong chemistry, Strid explains that their goal as a team is “to be the best we can possible be and max out our potential. To us, we are very confident, and that means winning an Inter-Ac championship.” The top competitors that EA’s lacrosse team will face in the Inter-Ac are Haverford and Malvern. Strid adds, “Out of league, we play Culver Military Academy from Indiana and Landon from Maryland, who are both top teams in the country, so we have our eyes on those two for sure.
EA’s tennis program was in a good position to win the Inter-Ac last year. Senior Sebastian Garrubo ‘18 states, “This year is looking even brighter.” Although the tennis team’s main goal is to win the Inter-Ac, they would also like to excel in their other tournaments. Garrubo explains, “We’re looking to go far in the yearly tournaments like the Newark Academy Invitational and the George Shafer Doubles Invitational, which we won last year.” According to Garrubo, “Haverford and Penn Charter have historically been the toughest teams to face,” but other schools such as Great Valley, Lawrenceville, and Newark Academy are potential threats as well.