Libby Flaisher ’25 | Lilly Smolenski ’27 | Arudra Venugopalan ’24
Girls’ Soccer
Varsity Head Coach Andy Fraggos sums up the season in one sentence: “This team put together what will go down as arguably the greatest season an Episcopal girls soccer team has ever had.” The team’s statistics and accolades indicate their tremendous success with an overall record of 19-2-1, 15 total shutouts, and obtaining the treble consisting of the Inter-Ac Championship, PAISAA Championship, and AIS Day victory. Coach Fraggos speaks to the character of his players, saying, “They stuck together, trusted each other, and put their egos aside for the team’s success. If you want to win, that’s what needs to happen. Players may win games, but teams win championships.” He greatly appreciates the leadership and efforts demonstrated by the five members of the senior class, especially Co-captain and MVP winner Natalie Magnotta. Coach Fraggos has high hopes for next season: “It’s challenging for any team to repeat a season like the one we had this year, but with a large amount of contributing varsity returners, that is our goal. The confidence will be there, but getting there again will take preparation over the summer and focus during the season.”
Girls’ Field Hockey
The Varsity Girls’ Field Hockey team, led by Head Coach Paul Zelenak, exemplified grit and determination throughout the season despite facing the adversity caused by multiple injuries among the players. Co-captain Grace Murphy ’24 comments, “The underclassmen having to step up due to all the injuries showed how strong the team was.” The team battled with an intense desire to defeat their opponents for an overall winning record of 13-10. Murphy explains, “Many games we played were very close and intense, which made for even more emotions.” The team hopes to return stronger next year to regain their 2022-2023 season Inter-Ac Champion title and fight their way to the PAISAA Championship.
Girls’ Tennis
Head Coach Whittaker Powell led the Varsity Girls’ Tennis team to achieve the most wins in the program’s history with an undefeated Inter-Ac season and an overall record of 19-1. Additionally, they were victorious in both the Inter-Ac Championship and the PAISAA Championship. Co-captain Shelby Pasternack ’24 says, “Our team is filled with so much talent and all different age ranges, which really brings us together. We started off amazing, and towards the end, it was all about defending our incredible record. It became challenging because they were definitely playing their hardest against us when we played teams a second time.” She continues, “Each individual match mattered for every opponent we played, and each person on the team had an important job to complete. Although tennis is an individual sport, it did not feel like one because of our bonds and the importance of each player’s role.”
Girls’ Cross Country
The Girls’ Varsity Cross Country team had an incredibly strong season this year, coming in 3rd place for both the Inter-Ac and PAISAA Championships. They were just two points behind the second-place teams in both of these competitions. Led by Captains Gracie O’Neill ’24 and Joy Ying ’25, the runners finished their fantastic season with a 37-22 victory over the Agnes Irwin School. O’Neill notes, “We have a small team, which makes us super tight-knit, so I think our team dynamic was crucial to our success.” Overall, Kendra Williamson ’27, Hannah Todd ’28, and Joy Ying ’25 all earned 1st Team All Inter-Ac Honors, with Williamson also achieving 1st Team All-State and All-Delco Recognition. Furthermore, Todd achieved 2nd Team All-State Honors, and Ying medaled in the PAISAA race. Head Coach Lauren Finnical states, “Our runners worked hard to improve, and our captains helped to set a very positive and encouraging tone. We will miss our seniors Gracie O’Neill and Hannah Neilly very much next year.”
Girls’ Water Polo
Head Coach Max Kelly believes this season highlighted his team’s development and progress, as they demonstrated significant strides since the previous year, individually and collectively. He states, “The squad’s record of 7-12 doesn’t fully capture the spirit and resolve they brought to each game under the steadfast leadership of co-captains Taylor Hammond ’24 and Lily Hendrickson ’24. Their resolve was most evident in close games, where they clinched victories that showcased their true capabilities.” In terms of offense, Talia Thomas ’25 led the team with an astonishing 114 total goals, which “established her as one of the premier forwards in the league,” according to Coach Kelly. Additionally, Bridget Murphy ’25 finished as the team’s second-leading scorer. On the defensive end, Emie Enakhimion ’24, Delaney Oswald ’25, and Lia Mandeville ’24 provided “depth to the defense, complementing the team’s strategy and contributing to the overall success.”
Boys’ Soccer
Having an overall record of 7-9-1 and finishing 3rd in the Inter-Ac, the Boys Soccer Team’s record does not reflect their talent, determination, or work ethic. Guided by co-captains Alex Barrist ’24, Ryan Sewell ’24, and Dylan Unruh ’24, they had some victories amidst the seemingly disappointing season. Sewell explains, “With many seniors from our starting lineup from last year having graduated, this year was a huge change for us, and we had very large shoes to fill.” On the defensive end, Evan MacFarland ’25 and Unruh held down the back, while Barrist and Mikey McGonagle ’27 aggressively led the offense. The team had a couple of key wins, specifically against Malvern to kick off the Inter-Ac season and a home win against Haverford to give them a mid-season push.
Boys’ Football
With an overall record of 5-5, the Football team had ups and downs. Led by captains Micheal Cadden ’24, NaRome Rayborn ’24, and Conor Gaul ’24, they powered through adversity and ended the season by achieving their ultimate goal: beating Haverford on EA/AIS/Haverford Weekend. I’jaaz Abdul-Malik ’24 comments, “AJ Koukou and Raheem Orr led the defense, and Rome led the offense, so we had a solid season. Although we faced a lot of adversity, it was a very good feeling for all seniors to win on EA/Haverford Day.” Looking to the future, the football team is in good hands, as they have a lot of young talent and players to develop.
Boys’ Golf
With an overall record of 23-7, the EA Boys Golf team finished 3rd in the Inter-Ac. They had an eventful season, led by tri-captains Hunter Stetson ’24, Jack Yearly ’24, and Jack Logan ’24. They earned two wins at League Events, and Hunter Stetson ‘24 and Liam Crowley ‘27 marked some individual wins. When asked about the season, Stetson remarks, “Overall it was a great year. I was very proud of how hard our guys worked. We were dedicated and had a lot of young guys who learned as they went on throughout the season…We put up great numbers as the season went on and we made some great memories.” As the Golf Team looks back on the season, they have a large void to fill with four seniors in their varsity line-up graduating. However, they look forward confidently as their young talent leads them.
Boys’ Cross-Country
With a continued three-year undefeated record and another Inter-Ac and PAISAA win, the Boys’ Cross Country team had yet another fantastic season. Led by Captains Nicky Criville ’24, Micheal Woolery ’24, and Dawson French ’24, they again established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. When asked about the season, French commented, “We struggled with several injuries and intense pressure to meet the high expectations from making it to Nike Cross Nationals 2022 last year. Despite the several obstacles, we stayed resilient and persevered in the face of much adversity.” He continues, “After having three of our top runners injured early on throughout our season, varsity runners Ethan Zhou ’25, Curtis Connor ’26, and Johnny Ricketts ’27 played an integral part in our team’s success. These boys had to pick up the slack caused by the injuries, and they did a great job of it, too.” Although they faced much adversity, they came out on top, and although they are said to have lost their amazing senior captains, they are hungry for another undefeated season next year.
Boys’ Water Polo
Led by captains Khoa Tran ’24 and Chase Bearly ’24, the Varsity Boys’ Water Polo team had an overall losing season with a record of 6-19 and a last-place finish in the Inter-Ac. However, this does not represent the talent and work ethic of the team because it was a challenging year laden with many injured players, including Aiden Taturayn ’25 and Aru Venugopalan ’24. Bearly comments, “We lost many seniors last year, which left us with a big void, and on top of this, we only have one junior player. This leaves us with a very young team, which is difficult when you’re playing against teams with an entire senior starting lineup.” However, despite this season, the team looks forward with hope as they develop their young team.
