Lilly Shaner ’17, Jacqueline Dzwonczyk ’17: The Episcopal Academy spring sports teams are gearing up for the spring season. As they do so, we are previewing their season and main competitors.
Boys’ Tennis
After losing many of its leaders from last season, the boys’ tennis team is ready to move forward using their youth and coachability to generate another successful year. When asked who will be the team’s biggest competition, Coach Powell replies, “Haverford. It starts and ends with Haverford-almost any other team is irrelevant.”
Boys’ Track
The boys’ track team will face tough competition this year in meets against Haverford, Malvern and Penn Charter, all of which have strong returning athletes. Captain Dee Barley, ‘16 has faith in his team, claiming, “Our strength is the amount of people that are interested in running track and who are excited about being on the team.”
Girls’ Track
After winning the Inter-Ac Championship last year, Coach John Goens, is confident in the depth of Episcopal’s team and strives to help every runner improve. “Every team in the league has improved, but our main goal, aside from having a successful season, is to develop our players. We have so much talent on this team, we want our runners competing and thinking as one unit. This sport is about more than the individual.”
Girls’ Softball
Under the leadership of eight seniors, the girls’ softball team ended last season with its second Inter-Ac title in a row. Coach Kelly Edwards says of the team’s future, “People assume that our powerhouses have left, but a lot of these younger kids are really good and they are ready to prove themselves.”
Girls’ Golf
After coming in second place in the Inter-Ac last season, the girls’ golf team plans to keep improving and overcome the reigning champs, Notre Dame. Captain, Maddie Bacskai, ‘16 remarks, “I think we have a very mentally tough team and that’s the key to success in any sport, especially golf.”
Boys’ Crew
The boys’ crew team has been training hard through the fall and winter in preparation for races against St. Joe’s Prep and LaSalle, their biggest competition. Coach Molly Konopka comments, “We are now the reigning champs in the boys’ varsity four, who won both the City Championship and the Stotesbury Regatta. Our goal is to keep it that way.”
Girls’ Crew
The girls’ crew team had a successful season last year, but Coach Molly Konopka, hopes to build on their success last year this season. She says, ”Our girls won the [City Championship] last year so we would love to repeat that, but at [the Stotesbury Regatta] we came in third. If we could win a silver or gold medal this year, that’d be awesome.”
Girls’ Lacrosse
After a successful but tough season end to the Inter-Ac and PAISSA competition last year, the girls’ lacrosse team is looking for redemption. Agnes Irwin will definitely be its biggest competitor, according to Co-captain, Julia Hondros, ‘16. “It’ll definitely be a close game no matter what because of how much energy and passion there is on both teams, so it will come down to the day of the game and who wants it more.”
READY FOR THE SEASON: The Episcopal Academy Boys’ Lacrosse team has been working during the off-season to prepare for the spring season.
Photo courtesy of Michael Leslie
Boys’ Lacrosse
The boys’ lacrosse team is looking forward to a successful season and hopes to win an Inter-Ac championship. Co-captain, Matt Blommer, ‘16 states, “The entire Inter-Ac lost a very good class, so I think this year we have a pretty good shot to step up and win the league. Our two biggest competitors, Malvern and Haverford, lost a lot of players so those should be good games.”
Baseball
According to pitcher Kyle Virbitsky ‘17, EA’s team will be their own toughest competition. Virbitsky says, “In the past couple of years we have been our own worst enemies, but this year we can overcome that as long as each player buys in and puts the team above themselves. When that happens, we’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”