Winter Sports Recap 2023

Colin Schlitt ’24

As we welcome March, EA athletes are back outside and ready for competition. But before we get moving into the spring sports season, let’s take a look back at our winter season.

Boys’ Squash

The boys squash team, coached by Lyall Patterson, dominated with a 12-3 record. The team capped off their season with a trip to nationals where they placed Sixth. Captain Albert Chen ’23 led the team to many electrifying wins, the most notable win being over their longtime rival and the nationally ranked Haverford School. Winston Tang ’24 comments on his team’s success, saying, “We are not a group of individuals but a team. We played for ourselves, for each other, and conducted ourselves well.” The varsity team is spread out from top to bottom with both upper and underclassmen, so the future is even brighter for the already dominant boys’ squash program.
Girls’ Squash

The girls’ squash program stormed through the Inter-Ac with several first and second league all Inter-ac selections. Riya Shankaran ’26 received First Team all Inter-Ac and captains Clare Collins ’23, Anika Kakarla ’23, and Eshika Tangri ’23 all received Second Team All-Inter-Ac Following the conclusion of the regular season, the team punched a ticket to nationals where they finished 5th place. Tangri comments, “I think as a team we showed sportsmanship and camaraderie and the team support is what I think truly landed us Fifth in the country. I’m proud of our girls for pulling together under pressure.”

Boys’ Basketball

The boys basketball team, coached by Taylor Wright, finished the regular season 8-15, 1-9 in the Inter-Ac. Co-captains Eddie Jones ’23 and TJ Lamb ’23 demonstrated their leadership and helped the team get a key win over Springside Chestnut Hill. Despite some disappointing and close losses throughout the season, the Churchmen rebounded in the postseason with dominating victories against Abington Friends and Germantown Academy, winning the Commonwealth Cup. Kevin McCarthy ’24 eclipsed 1000 points, becoming the 13th player in EA basketball history to reach the mark. He also finished first team all Inter-Ac and averaged over 18 points per game.

Girls’ Basketball

Led by captains Gaeli Keffer-Scharpf ’23 and Riley Thibodeau ’23, the girls’ basketball team was able to bounce back after losing several competitive non-league games with key players injured. Finishing 6-6 in the Inter-Ac, the team demonstrated how well they can play when they are at full strength. Keffer-Scharpf comments on her team’s determination, saying, “We worked hard all season to make up for our rocky start and I’m really proud of how we all improved as a team and individually.” Their hard work was shown off late in the season when the team played Villa Maria, a defending state champion, and narrowly lost in a tight matchup.

Boys’ Winter Track

Not even the cold weather could stop the winter track team from dominating this season. Captained by Dakin Ebmeyer ’23, Kian Ali ’23, and Aidan McHugh ’23, the team broke several indoor school records at very competitive meets. The team competed and won the state championship meet at Penn State University. Michael Woolery ’24 (800m), the distance medley relay team, the 4×800 team, and the 4×200 team all medaled. This is the first state championship for the winter track team, and it definitely won’t be the last. They are also the first Inter-Ac team to win states. Many of the winter runners will stick around for the spring track season, as the team looks to repeat as Inter-Ac and PAISAA championships.

Girls’ Winter Track

The girls’ winter track team impressed both on the track and in the field. The team had runners qualify for the state championship, where Saige Forbes ’24 took bronze in the 60m dash, 5th in the long jump, and the 4×200 relay team placed 5th. London Pettibone, one of the captains remarks, “Overall we had a really great season with some great performances. It was also a very great experience to be in States, and it was really exciting to see some of our runners, like Sage, place in a lot of different events.”

Boys ‘Wrestling

Captained by Will Hohn ’23 and Victor Coleman ’23, the wrestling team finished the season 2-3 in the Inter-Ac, with a 12-13 overall record. With a tough out-of-league schedule, the team had some very competitive duels, including a comeback win against Lawrenceville. The team featured five wrestlers who placed at states and three national qualifiers. Head coach Damon Kuzemka states, “I am proud of the number of first and second year wrestlers who trained hard, improved daily, and competed.”

Boys’ Swimming

Alec Tsaturyan ’23, Henry Haupt ’23, and Owen McCabe ’23 led the boys’ swimming and diving team to a 3-3 overall with a 1-3 record in the Inter-Ac. Additionally, many swimmers qualified for Eastern Championships. There, Haupt finished third in the 200-yard individual medley and sixth in the 100 yard breaststroke while Chase Bearley ’24 placed 6th in 50 yard freestyle. Joseph Xu ’24 states, “Easterns was my favorite moment this year because it demonstrated how great the team connection is. I am so grateful for this group.”
Girls Swimming

The Girls Swimming team finished the season 5-2 (3-2 in the Inter-Ac) due to great leadership by captains Mia Filopovski ’23, Emma Lunn ’23, and Ashley Kim ’23. The team had an appearance at Easterns as well where they took 8th place in the girls division. Izzy Rozes ’24 was happy to spend time with the team this year. She says, “Although I’ll miss this team’s enthusiastic team spirit, I am looking forward to fun meets, fast swims, and making new great memories with the team next year.”

Ice Hockey

The Ice Hockey team finished the regular season 8-5-1 and won the IHL Championship after a statement win in the final game against Haverford. Led by Derek Boyd Volz ’23 and Charlie Kraftson ’23, the team had its most successful season in the past 10 years. Head coach Steven Schuh applauded the team’s perseverance throughout the season saying, “We had kids in and out the course of the year with covid and injuries but it didn’t seem to matter. We just played right through it. As a result, we were ultimately able to win the whole thing.”