Julia Baggini ’25
Libby Flaisher ’25
As Episcopal Academy kicks off the spring sports season, we reflect on the success of the teams throughout the winter season. All of our athletes this year have represented Episcopal well and the community is proud of all their accomplishments.
Girls Sports:
The EA Dance Team worked efficiently in preparation for their yearly dance concert. Their dance concert performance reflected their dedication to the team and their craft. Dance Coach Marie McVeigh is very proud of the leadership roles Captains Alaina Guo ‘22 and Jasmine Williams ‘22 took on during the stress of the concert. McVeigh was most proud of all the dances, especially the ones that incorporated all the dancers, feeling that every dancer had a unique part, beautiful costume, and the dance continued to progress.
The Varsity Girls Squash Team finished their season with a 4-2 record; Co-Captains Anika Kakarla ‘23 and Maya Gambhir ‘22 always made sure to communicate and attend to any needs or worries their teammates had. With their balanced personalities the team received both love, and criticism improving the team. The team collectively played well, especially against Lawrenceville, with the determining match being played by Gambhir to win the overall match 5-4. She reflects, “It was really nice, I could hear everyone cheering after every point cheering and I just felt the whole team behind me and that was a really good moment for me.” When Gambhir graduates she hopes the team continues to be a close dynamic. She says, “Hopefully they really feel included and feel the same kind of love and family vibe that I did.”
The Girls Varsity Winter Track Team was prosperous with the help of Brianna Bellinghieri ‘22, Lauren Gage ‘22, and Kathryn Lynn ‘22. The team competed in around 5 meets including the Meet of Champions, which Sage Forbes ‘24 won and Delcos. Lynn says, “I really liked being captain this year because we had a really great team and I really liked getting to know everyone.” The upperclassmen inspire the rest of the team to always try their absolute hardest. Next year, Lynn comments on the track team’s future saying, “I hope my team continues to improve and by the time they graduate be the best they can be.”
After an incredible season, the Varsity Girls Swim Team ended with a fantastic 5-1 record led by captains Maisy Montgomery ‘22, Madeleine Ott ‘22, and Ashley Tang ‘22. Coach Brian Kline reflects on the team, specifically the leadership of the seniors, saying, “I actually would prefer saying that all of my seniors were captains on the team, because I do look at them as leaders not only of the Upper School and the school in general but I look at them as leaders on the team.” The team hopes to build on the success of this year and keep performing to the best of their abilities in the future.
The Girls Varsity Basketball team finished their successful season with a 17-7 overall and a 7-5 record in the Inter-Ac. Even through the difficulties of Covid including restrictions as well as masking policies, the team prospered through it all and ended victorious. Captains Riley Cassidy ‘22, Bella Piselli ‘22, and Amanda Purcell ‘22 used leadership tactics to bring the team together to form a connected and powerful team. Next year the team will continue to impress and represent EA.
Boys Sports:
The Boys Varsity Wrestling Team ended their season with a 13-12 record. They were led by skilled captains, Flynn Kearney ‘22, Charlie Maier ‘22, and Will Vandiver ‘22 alongside Coach Damon Kuzemka. The team’s hard work was shown through a meet against Roman Catholic, which Kuzemka says,“it showed how much they have learned and progressed over the season.” The upperclassmen influenced the freshman and sophomores to use wrestling as an enjoyable and fun opportunity to display their talents. Kuzemka comments, “Wrestling has a reputation of being really hard and it is about finding the fun in the hard work. The kids at Episcopal, they all know what hard work is and although sometimes they will tell you they want the easy way, they really do value that hard work and the accomplishment that comes with it.”
The Boys Varsity Squash Team, Coached by Lyall Patterson, had a very successful season, ending with a 7-2 record. Captain Bobby Albani ‘22 has given the team much encouragement and leadership which has helped them become so successful. Patterson is excited for next season saying, “Because we are so young as well, I think the legacy that this team and Bobby will have is a really exciting thing to build on”. With the team’s progression alone this season, the future of Boys Squash is bright.
The Ice Hockey Team finished their season with a 4-6 record in their league and a 4-8 record overall. Through the difficulties with Covid and quarantine, the team continued to represent Episcopal well and persevere all season long. Even with the complexity of the season, the hockey team was victorious against our rivals, Haverford, winning 7-3. Head Coach Steven Schuh states, “This group was really resilient, we haven’t had a full roster all year and at each game we were missing key players but we got a lot of significant contributions from some kids we have not expected to get contributions from so, looking forward to those kids progressing and becoming more of a factor next year.”
The Boys Varsity Swim Team finished their season with a 1-4 record. Coach Brian Kline comments on the team’s record saying, “our record isn’t really reflective of our talent, our talent is pretty amazing, so we are in a conference/league that has exceptional talent”. The boys have been competing at a very high level of difficulty all year and have continued to show off their extraordinary talent. Kline comments, “We have been through a lot as a school, as a team in regards to some of the things we have experienced throughout the years with pandemic life and what not and to be able to step on the deck day one and have the team with us that was good enough for me.”
EA Diving is an integral part of the swimming and diving experience. The mindset in diving is known to be as difficult as the sport itself and the coaches push them to the next level, encouraging them when they are struggling. Diving focuses on the mind, body and spirit and Owen McCabe ‘23 states, “It is important that I am able to stay optimistic and hopefully influence the team to be optimistic as well by being happy.” McCabe also says that, “Once you develop that mental block it is hard to come out of it so by being very supportive and being generally happy it creates an environment that is very important when it comes to success in diving” The optimistic view of the diving team has helped them have a progressive season.
The Varsity Boys Basketball Team finished their season with a 10-16 record along with reaching the playoffs in the Inter-Acs. Both Sam Malloy ‘22 and Jake Jaszcz ‘22 have been a part of the varsity team for three years and have been an asset to the team from the beginning. At the last league game against Haverford, the team was victorious by 20 points. Their leadership throughout the season helped the team advance and grow.
The Boys Varsity Winter Track, led by captain Bryce Cooper ‘22, has been very successful, qualifying in the league of champions and the state meet. Head Coach Zachary Richards’ favorite meets of the season was a meet he was not there for, where he describes, “The team stepped up and represented themselves without their head coach present.” To highlight the successes of the season, the team broke 8 new school records, including 4 relays, which were the 4 by 200 relay, 4 by 400 relay, 4 by 800 relay, and the distance medley which are ranked #5 in the state of Pennsylvania. Richards states, “The team has really helped our track program to a whole nother level and has gotten a lot of people to appreciate the benefits of track.”
