Thursday, September 13, 2018
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Traversing today’s college admissions landscape by Brian Walter, Director, Of fice of College Counseling Springside Chestnut Hill Academy
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colleges, even if they don’t have the flashiest academic profiles. These folks are doing everything they can to provide accurate information to applicants, reduce the hype surrounding the college process, and establish an application reading system that ensures all students are read fairly. However, the reality is that more students are applying to more colleges than ever before. Admissions professionals at the most selective schools in the country see thousands of students in their applicant pools with eye-popping academic credentials, compelling stories, and genuine leadership. Ultimately, even the nicest and kindest of admissions professionals do occasionally need to lean on metrics (GPAs, test scores) to help them make these difficult decisions. While there are always exceptions, for the most part, if a student applies to a highly selective school in the current admissions climate and doesn’t meet or exceed the academic metrics desired by those institutions (GPA, rigor of courses, standardized testing ranges), that student has almost no chance for admission. In fact, most students who do meet or exceed these academic metrics still aren’t admitted to these institutions. In 2018, there is little forgiveness for students who are just off the mark at these types of hyper-selective colleges.
his past June, I spent three days with 18 of the most talented leaders currently working in the world of college admissions. I was invited to attend the Southern Consortium School Summit in Amelia Island, Florida. Along with 14 other college counselors from the independent, public, and charter school world, deans of admission from some of America’s most well-known institutions — including Davidson College, Emory University, Rice University, University of Richmond, Tulane University, Vanderbilt University, Washington & Lee University and Wake Forest University (to name just a few) — shared with us the biggest challenges they grapple with in their positions. I pass these on to you, readers, to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the world of college admissions today. What keeps top college and university leaders up at night: • pressure from college presidents to increase their institution’s standing in such publications as the US News and World Report • the impossible task of managing and “holistically” reading up to 35,000 applications with limited staff (and limited financial aid budgets) • trying to genuinely increase 2. The Money Matters. While many students and paraccess for low-income and underents understand the need to create represented students a college list that includes at least a My colleagues and I on the sec- few “likely” options in terms of ondary school side of the desk were admission, it is critical for students also able to express our concerns to to also have schools included in these deans. Most prominent their list that are “financial likely” options as well. Ideally, parents and among these were: • the seemingly never-ending students need to have an honest increase in applications at just conversation about their family’s about every selective college in the financial situation as it relates to financing higher education before United States • the continued focus on Early the student starts applying to colleges. Is there a specific amount of Decision at many institutions • the creeping feeling that our money that the family feels they students are just pawns in a larger can spend for college? How much game of yield management, analyt- debt would a student be comfortable taking on and how much ics, and “box checking” would he/she have to clear in salary While there were no magic solu- a month to pay back the loan taken tions established during those 72 out? Are all of a student’s top hours, I did come away with six key choice schools going to be the points that I think students and more expensive options? Having a parents about to enter the college few colleges on your list that are likely in terms of admissions means process will find helpful: nothing if these institutions are not 1, Real People Actually Make financially realistic for your family. Admissions Decisions. The large majority of admissions 3. More Applications Does Not professionals I have encountered in Equal More Options! It is almost impossible to apply my 22 years working in admissions and college counseling are good well to dozens of highly selective people who truly care about kids. colleges. I have worked with many These admissions professionals— students over the years who with long and fancy titles such as embrace the “throw the mud and vice president for enrollment man- hope some will stick” philosophy to agement, executive director of this process, and rarely does it turn enrollment services, and the more out the way they hope. Because of how incredibly selectraditional dean of admissions—are also parents of current teenagers tive many of the most popular unientering the college process and versities in the United States have young adults who have recently become (at least 40 institutions been through the process. They admitted applicants at a rate of want to admit deserving students (Continued on page 12) with compelling stories to their
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CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL
Thursday, September 13, 2018 Special Advertising Section
Traversing today’s college admissions landscape (Continued from page 11)
20% or lower for the Class of 2022, and 15 of these schools had below a 10% admit rate), admissions offices are scrutinizing an applicant’s “fit” for their institution more now than ever before. Therefore, in addition to having the academic profile desired and flashing some sort of non-academic “punch,” successful applicants must also be able to answer institutionspecific essays with authenticity if they have any chance for admission. The majority of the most selective colleges and universities in the country require an applicant to complete one or more short, institution-specific essays (also known as supplemental essays) in addition to the general Common Application personal statement. Admissions officers are looking to see if a student can clearly articulate why he/she is excited about a college, is a good academic match for that college, and actually understands the culture of that school. I have yet to meet a student who was able to write more than eight or nine supplemental essays that
were truly impactful and genuine. Busy students don’t have (and probably shouldn’t have) enough time to craft 16 different and welldone school-specific essays. And remember: seasoned admissions officers have read thousands of essays; they can tell when an applicant is mailing it in. The copy-andpaste strategy with supplements (How different can Wake Forest and Tulane really be??? A lot!!) does not work in 2018. 4. Be Careful Applying to a School-Within-a-School. Have you ever dreamed of dancing for a major ballet company? Being a titan of industry? Designing and building the next industrial robot as an engineer? If so, guess what? So have thousands of other high school students! It is critical to understand that at some institutions, the specific major or program/school-within-a-school (business, engineering, performing arts) a student applies to can greatly impact their chances for admission. Students need to do their research on the colleges they are most excited about, and think
Selectivity at U.S. universities is on the rise, making it more and more difficult for students to get into the school of their choice.
about how they fit in academically at that school. If their fit is centered on a highly selective program or school within that school, they need to understand that their actual chances for admission are probably even lower than the overall admit rate published by the university. A lot lower! Typically, students applying to engineering or business programs—or to some sort of performing arts major—face tougher odds than those applying to other programs within an institution. Many of these programs and majors cap their admissions offers, and competition is fierce for these spots. There are some scenarios in which applying to a school-within- a-school could actually improve an applicant’s chances for admissions (a strong male applicant to a nursing program for example), but it is difficult year to year to know which programs might be more favorable to an applicant. 5. Early Birds Get Their (First Choice) Worm. When looking at the national landscape, it is clear that highly selective private institutions are filling an ever-growing proportion of their incoming classes with binding Early Decision (ED) applicants (at many places 50% or more of the total class may be filled by ED applicants!). Students applying to one of these “ED happy” schools in the Regular Decision (RD) cycle are therefore finding their chances for admission to those schools are greatly diminished. In many cases, a student’s real chance for admission in Regular Decision at these types of schools is closer to 1-2%, no matter their academic record. The harsh reality is that students who not only want a highly selective college with an ED program, but are also highly qualified for such an institution, cannot afford not to apply via Early Decision. That is, despite impressive qualifications, students who do not apply in ED are unlikely to be admitted in RD. Perhaps even more troubling for students and their families is the number of institutions that have recently added an ED process. Popular schools like Tulane, Villanova, Drexel, and Northeastern (just to name a few) have added an ED cycle in the last few years. Students and their parents need to get (Continued on page 14)
Thursday, September 13, 2018
CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL
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Special Advertising Section
Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach breaks record for school backpack drive
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n all-time record was reached with 7,151 backpacks collected by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (BHHS) Fox & Roach, REALTORS® and The Trident Group during their annual backpack drive. "We shattered our goal and are so proud of our sales associates, employees and executives for this year's record-breaking results," said Kassie Erb, Fox & Roach/Trident Charities president, "and making it possible for more than 7,000 children to start their school with the supplies and confidence they need to succeed. " This was a 34 percent increase in backpacks collected last year and represents more than $105,000 in contributions. All collected backpacks and supplies were distributed by Cradles to Crayons to more than 175 organizations throughout Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Since 2006, BHHS Fox & Roach has have collected 32,000 backpacks and supplies for homeless and foster care children in the tristate. “We are so proud to say that Pictured here gathered with a group of students from Hardy Williams Elementary-Mastery Charter School, are Kassie Erb, Fox & Roach Charities president, Joan Docktor, president of BHHS Fox & Roach; Michal Smith, Cradles to Crayons executive director; Courtney Straka, partner relations associate, Cradles to Crayons, again, this year, we broke last year’s Andrea Elliott, operations manager, Cradles to Crayons, Bruce Glendinning, BHHS Fox & Roach Sr. VP & regional manager. record,” said Gerard Griesser, BHHS Fox & Roach Vice Chairman, “which is a testament to the generosity and caring of our BHHS Fox & Roach/Trident sales associates, employees executives, families, friends and clients.” President of Fox & Roach/Trident Charities, Kassie Erb, adds, “With so many families living below the poverty level, our annual backpack drive is an important and gratifying project for our company. This year we helped more than 7,100 students attend their first day of school with pride and confidence as they carry their new backpacks.” Fox & Roach Charities, a charitable foundation sponsored by BHHS Fox & Roach, REALTORS®, is coordinating this project with the company’s sales associates and employees and partnering with Cradles to Crayons. Cradles to Crayons is a non-profit organization that provides, free of charge, the basic necessities to children living in low-income and homeless situations. These backpacks, collected and distributed by Cradles to Crayons, were distributed to children in need throughout the Tri-State area. If you would like more information on this year’s backpack challenge, please visit foxandroachcharities.com.
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Thursday, September 13, 2018 Special Advertising Section
From the classroom to center stage - Brian Adamczyk shares his musical experience and talents with GFS students
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hen Brian Adamczyk is not busy accompanying John Legend, Idina Menzel or Josh Groban in concert on one of 14 instruments he masterfully plays, he's teaching music lessons at Germantown Friends School. As both a teacher and a performer, Adamczyk offers unique insights into the challenges of performing and the discipline required for the music business. And he is excited to share his summer performances with his students this fall: Adamczyk played on stage with violinist Lindsey Stirling and the band Evanescence in Camden, New Jersey, and accompanied Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who in two shows highlight-
ing songs from the musical “Tommy” in upstate New York. Trained on the saxophone, clarinet, flute, ethnic flutes, oboe, and others, his nimble talents make him particularly appealing to travelling shows, which often require accompanists that can play more than one instrument. “Sometimes, in the pit of a show, I sit with two or three instruments. As the songs change, I quickly put one down and immediately pick up another to fill the needs of each song,” Adamczyk said. Adamczyk started playing the saxophone in the fourth grade and continued to learn new instruments his whole life, even as an adult. He developed an interest in
jazz in high school and went on to study Saxophone Jazz Performance and Musical Education at the University of the Arts. A father of two small children, one of Adamczyk’s favorite parts of his work is helping young students explore different instruments and discover the joy of music. In the Lower School at GFS, he brings a dozen instruments into the classroom and offers demos, allowing students to hear the sounds, feel the keys, and learn about orchestra and jazz ensembles. “I love performing and teaching, and bringing the two together to help students gain the skills and confidence to share their talents.” Nina Patel, a rising eighth grader
Brian Adamczyk
at GFS, has been taking saxophone lessons with Adamczyk since fourth grade. "Having Brian as a teacher is super inspiring,” she said. “He has not only helped me become a better sax player and improviser, but he has also given me the courage to stand up and take solos on stage. One year ago, even the thought of
improvising a solo was terrifying to me, but now I am totally comfortable with it.” Where can you see Adamczyk perform? He is playing alto sax, clarinet, and flute for the show Holiday Inn at the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia until October 21, 2018.
College admissions landscape (Continued from page 12)
all of their ducks in a row before making the big decision to submit a binding Early Decision application. But, if your top choice school offers an ED round (it could be ED 1 or ED 2) and you pass it up, the odds are stacked against you in Regular Decision. 6. USA, The Land of Opportunity. Take a deep breath and remember: the United States has the most options for higher education in the world. Big, small, STEM-focused, near a beach, affordable, greek-life-
a-plenty, urban—you name it, and there is probably a college or university in America that offers it or does it well. And the exciting news is that many of these colleges admit students at a very high rate. That’s right, a high rate! According to the National Center for Education Statistics, as of 2015 there are 3,011 four-year colleges in the United States. At least 1,168 of these colleges admitted applicants at a 51% or higher rate in 2018. We strongly encourage students and parents to stop looking at the rankings and admit rates to determine if a school is right for you and consider the hundreds of amazing hidden gems! Just because one institution is more selective than another does not mean that the more selective school is better for you. There are phenomenally talented and caring faculty at thousands of colleges across the United States. Ever heard of Juniata College? The College of Wooster? Centre College? Were Dayton University, Clark University, or Willamette University on your radar? Maybe not, but perhaps they should be. These are just six examples of institutions that aren’t the most selective or highly ranked, but all offer world-class educations, great facilities, and a life-changing four years for students. The college application process can be challenging to navigate for students and their parents, and yes, there will likely be some stress involved. But when students genuinely take ownership of the process and are realistic about where they stand academically in any given application pool, and when parents serve as supportive sounding boards and encourage their child to “drive the college train,” the odds for a great college match occurring at the end of the road are excellent.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
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STEM TO NFA NFA STEM teacher, Ally Monteiro, takes a selfie at STEM camp with a friend while learning about various coding and circuitry programs. Ally spent the week in dynamic breakout sessions and design challenges to enhance NFA’s Signature Stem curriculum. “I loved this experience because it was so hands on,” stated Monteiro. “I’m going to bring many of the ideas directly to the classroom at NFA.” Monteiro plans to have a green screen wall painted in her STEM area to be used for various assignments.
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L OCAL S PORTS
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SCH football rides strong of fense to season-opening victories “These guys really enjoy being around each other, and they're really tight-knit.” “That's what makes me the happiest,” Knox said.
by Jonathan Vander Lugt
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fter two weeks and 101 points scored, it's safe to say that the talent-laden offense of Springside Chestnut Hill is going to be coach Rick Knox's calling card in 2018. With 56-46 and 45-18 wins over Father Judge and Central High School, respectively, the only question is whether or not the Blue Devils can get their defense shored up. “We have a lot of different weapons,” Knox said. “We have two good receivers, two good backs and an experienced quarterback. We're a tough offense to get wraps on.” Running back Rob Gentile has 241 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in just two games. Backfield mate Aaron Rascoe added another 62 yards on just six carries against Central, and receivers Pat Elliott and Ke'Shawn Williams have combined for 339 yards and seven offensive touchdowns (Elliott added another on an interception return against Judge). Helming the offense is senior Aaron Angelos, who is off to a terrific start as well. In two games, he's completed two-thirds of his passes for 426 yards and five touchdowns, to go along with another two scores on the ground. “Our offense is definitely meshing,” Angelos said. “When we have so many skill guys with a great oline around us, we expect to put up a lot of points.” The rub, though, is consistency. After an interception on the first play Friday – though calling it an interception isn't fair to Angelos, as the Central defender made a terrific play to rip the ball from Williams' hands – the SCH defense let Central march down the field and score. “Every single play in a game can be a big one,” Knox said. “You have to be consistent all the time and ready to execute every play.”
Around the League:
Senior quarterback Aaron Angelos weaves his way through Central's defense Friday. Angelos threw for 165 yards and a score on 10-of-16 passing, while adding another touchdown on the ground. (Photo by Jonathan Vander Lugt)
SCH keyed in to notch five unanswered touchdowns: a oneyard sneak by Angelos, a 10-yard Williams score, a 34-yard Rascoe trot, a 40-yard Williams TD catch and a five-yard Gentile run. Meanwhile, the defense registered two sacks, forced five punts and recovered a fumble by the end of the first half. “We have good defensive players,” Knox said. “It's just that we've got a few new pieces there, so they've got to grow.” Up big heading into the second half, the Blue Devils relaxed again. Central took the kick and marched 77 yards to score, capped by a 27yard touchdown pass on fourth down. Two drives later, Central
was backed up to third-and-26 from its own 16 yard-line, only to reel off a 72 yard pass that set up a score four plays later. “It's about focus. You have to execute what we practice during the week,” Knox said. “On the majority of plays, we've played strong defense – we've just got to stop the mental mistakes that lead to big plays.” The malaise even befell Knox from time to time. In his first week back teaching (and the team's first week back in school), the added workload and hot week contributed to sluggish direction at times. “I messed up a couple times – it really is an adjustment coming
back to school for the first week,” Knox said. “But in whatever sport you're doing, you've got to learn how to overcome those obstacles.” Next week against Roman Catholic, he'll have a potent offense and tight-knit team to help him. Against Central, the aforementioned Rascoe played in his first game since mid-season last year, and though the junior will have some growing pains on each side of the ball, he figures to add a dimension to an offense that might be SCH's best since its 8-2 season in 2014. “Early in the season, it's about building repetitions so you have the muscle memory late when the stakes are higher,” Knox said.
It was a mixed bag for Northwest Philadelphia’s other squads, as Germantown Academy rolled to a win while La Salle and Penn Charter each lost. The Patriots, in their week-two tilt against Frankford High School, dominated the Yellow Jackets. Trae Vance ran for 103 yards a score on 15 carries, while sophomore quarterback Jordan Longino accounted for four touchdowns (two through the air, two on the ground), while tallying 130 yards on 9-of-15 passing. GA plays at Father Judge next week. La Salle, against the defending Inter-Ac champ Malvern Prep, lost 35-23. Senior running back Manny Quiles, in his first game of 2018, ran for 78 yards on 11 carries. Quiles, typically overshadowed by other backs in his sophomore and junior seasons, figures to play a large role in the Explorer offense provided he remains healthy. Elsewhere, Kahlil Ashley-Diarrah caught two passes for 118 yards and a score. The Explorers will look for their first win against the Haverford School next week. Penn Charter struggled against Conwell-Egan Catholic in a 41-14 loss. Eagle running back Patrick Garwo ran wild, torching the PC defense for 213 yards and three scores on 18 carries. Quaker quarterback Kyle Jones struggled in his second game, throwing three interceptions among 48 yards on 7-of20 passing. The lone bright spot heading into next week’s tilt at Central High School was the play of Temple-bound running back Edward Saydee, who ran for 169 yards on just 15 carries. Thanks to TedSilary.com for information used in this article.
Mount cross countr y charts new course by Tom Utescher
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ount St. Joseph Academy is back on the cross country trail for the 2018 season, returning four of its seven scorers from last year’s Athletic Association of Catholic Academies championship meet. The Mount won the league in 2012 and 2013, placed second the next two seasons, and finished fourth in 2016 and 2017. Head coach Kitty McClernand has had to make some alterations to Mount St. Joe’s home course, since the school’s new artificial turf field has been laid down where the cross country runners used to make a downhill dash from the old starting line. There are three senior co-captains this year, Megan Ciasullo, Gabby Ford and Clara Marty. Ciasullo placed eighth at the 2017 AACA’s to become the Magic’s lone top-10 finisher, and she was a strong performer in track and field in the spring. The other two seniors on the team are Lily Howard and Laney Volpe. Five juniors are in the varsity mix for the team this fall, Lauren Ehnow, Maeve Gallagher, Kylie McGovern, Erin Shea Mirabella and Bridget Orr. After an 18th-
place showing at the league meet as a freshman in 2016, Ehnow was not 100 percent physically for last year’s race, finishing 34th. At the 2017 AACA championships the Mount’s varsity seven also included freshmen Annie Lemelin (24th) and Olivia Millevoi (26th). Lemelin emerged as the top sprinter for the Magic in spring track. In early cross country practices this fall, fellow sophomores Emily Carr and Lexi Weeks have shown progress. This fall a freshman sprinter will once again be doing some distance running; new arrival Kathleen Downs was the 200 and 400 meter dash champion at the Philadelphia CYO championships this spring. As Mount St. Joseph seeks to improve its standing in the AACA, it will face some serious challenges. In addition to Ciasullo, seven more of last year’s top 10 runners are returning for rival schools. The 2017 individual champion was Gwynedd Mercy freshman Kelly Murray, although as a team the Monarchs came in sixth. In addition to their regular-season league meets, the Magic will follow their usual practice of racing in a number of large multi-team invitationals.
Seniors Clara Marty (left), Megan Ciasullo, and Gabby Ford are the Mount cross country captains this fall. (Photo by Tom Utescher)
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Thursday, September 13, 2018
SCH X-Men open up with tri-meet victor y by Tom Utescher
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ushing through the heat and humidity last Thursday afternoon, the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy boys recorded their first wins of the 2018 season in a tri-meet at Phil-Mont Christian Academy. There was no official score for SCH and Phil-Mont head-to-head, since the host Falcons only had four varsity runners finish. The Blue Devils’ score against Exton’s Collegium Charter School was 19-40. The five SCH scorers all placed among the top seven overall, with one runner from host Phil-Mont and one from Collegium Charter also in that group. The Springside Chestnut Hill
team captains this fall are juniors Marco Goldberg and Matt Miles. They were the Blue Devils’ top two performers at the 2017 Inter-Ac League championships, finishing 14th and 17th overall. In last Thursday’s opener, Goldberg had about a seven-second lead over Collegium’s Manny Hernandez one mile into the contest. He widened the gap slightly over the remainder of the race, winning in 20 minutes, 27 seconds while Hernandez was runner-up in 20:37. Springside Chestnut Hill’s position grew stronger as third and fourth place went to Miles (20:44) and sophomore Isaac Becker (22:03). Becker won a finishing sprint against Phil-Mont sophomore Torin Eimer, who became the
Falcons’ first finisher in 22:04. The Blue Devils’ last two scorers, in sixth and seventh place overall, were junior Ben Tishgart (22:14) and sophomore Peter Humphreys (22:20). Humphreys ran in the Inter-Ac varsity meet as a freshman last year, while Tishgart has transferred in from Harriton High School, and is a lacrosse player as well as a distance runner. Falcons senior Aaron Krpata placed eighth in 23:07, and two Collegium runners rounded out the top 10. They were Albert Sommar and Austin James, both timed in 23:31. Another Phil-Mont senior, Kirsten Howland, was 11th in 23:54. SCH senior Bill Cao, who ran at the Inter-Ac’s a year ago, took 12th
The 2018 boys’ cross country captains for 2018 are (from left) juniors Marco Goldberg and Matt Miles. (Photo by Tom Utescher)
place in 24:04, and two of his teammates secured the next two spots, junior Trevor Meyer (24:10) and senior Simon Kioko (24:51). Kioko is also a seasoned varsity wrestler for Springside Chestnut Hill, as is Goldberg. SCH junior Gyre Jaeger placed 16th overall last Thursday (in 25:20), and also in the top 25 were juniors Tyler Southworth (24th;
32:29) and Marvin Liu (25th; 33:29). All of Springside Chestnut Hill’s freshmen were away on a class trip at the time of last week’s X-C opener. Longtime head coach Paul Hines said that among the ninth graders already showing potential are Sammy Meyer (brother of Trevor), Jack Stephenson and Aidan Villasis.
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Thursday, September 13, 2018
GA field hockey players eager to continue their climb
by Tom Utescher
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by Tom Utescher
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ermantown Academy’s field hockey players reassembled for the 2018 season after reaching a milestone near the end of their 2017 campaign. After losing to longtime Inter-Ac power Episcopal Academy in their home/away league series (1-4 and 2-3), the Patriots chalked up their first win over EA in 10 years in the semifinal round of the Pa. Independent Schools tournament. That 2-1 victory moved GA into the PAIS championship game for the first time, where the Pats fell to defending champ Academy of Notre Dame, 10-2. The first goal-scorer for GA in the win over Episcopal was Colleen Carrigan, one of five seniors on last year’s squad. She is now at Wesleyan University, and the 2017 team’s stand-out in goal, Hannah Santos, is playing hockey out at Stanford. The game-winner against EA, fired after a penalty corner insertion, came from one of just two seniors on the team this fall, Sammy Popper. The wonderfullyskilled Popper had already made a verbal commitment to Princeton University as a GA freshman. At that age, she was already making appearances on the United States Under-19 team, and she has excelled in both indoor and outdoor international competition. Late last March she went on a week-long playing tour to Ireland with the U-19 Team, which also included 2018 Mount St. Joseph Academy graduate Grace Wallis (now playing at the University of
Virginia). Popper is a 2018 GA team cocaptain along with classmate Maddie O’Hara. O’Hara’s older sister Kelsey (GA ’18) was an impact performer for the Patriots’ cross country and track teams, and her younger sister Bri, new to GA, has made the varsity hockey roster as a freshman. Popper is a midfielder and O’Hara is a forward, while much of the defense this fall will come from the junior class. Back from last year’s team are Annabel Brewer, Ella Henry, Grace Pacitti and Jordan Roche. In goal will be 11thgrader Olivia McMichael, who has experience as a varsity starter from sharing time in the cage with Santos during the 2016 season. Catherine McFadden is a returning varsity player for Germantown, and her junior classmate and fellow midfielder Nadja Velis is back on the pitch after being sidelined with an injury last fall. Two sophomores, mid Sophie Towne and forward Katie Shapiro, both earned a place on the varsity roster as freshmen in 2017. Joining the pool of varsity players this season are juniors Lilyana Ernst (mid) and Madison Kurtz (defense), sophomore Ella Brant (forward), the younger O’Hara (a forward) and freshman classmate Sydney Cameron (mid). GA’s field hockey resurgence in recent years has been led by head coach Jackie Connard (GA ’06), who is now in her fourth season. Longtime assistant Brooke Watson has been joined this season by former Patriot Catherine Perlmutter (’13), who went on to play college hockey at Dickinson.
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Mount tennis taking pleasure cruise through AACA hile many area teams have just gotten started with non-league contests, Mount St. Joseph Academy’s tennis team is about to begin its second round of league matches. A bout with visiting Gwynedd Mercy last Thursday was the last of the Magic’s originally-scheduled matches in the first run through the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies. A win over the Gwynedd Monarchs gave the Mounties a record of 6-0 in the league, with a September 4 encounter with Nazareth Academy getting postponed to a later date. Mount St. Joe
Maddie O’Hara (left) and Sammy Popper are the senior co-captains of the 2018 GA field hockey team. (Photo by Tom Utescher)
CHESTNUT HILL LOCAL
has also won a non-league match against Abington High School. The team’s first singles player, senior and NCAA Division I recruit Stow Weiss, has not lost a match in the top spot. Gwynedd, which came into last Thursday’s bout with a 3-0 record in the AACA, had senior Kelsie Van Thuyne playing number one, and she bowed to Weiss in a pair of 6-0 sets. Another senior, MSJ’s Elizabeth Christine, was a 6-0, 6-3 winner at second singles over visitor Isabella Kellmen. Christine and Weiss have been playing varsity singles for four years, but it’s a new experience for the team’s number three, Grace Walker.
The sophomore has met the challenge and has performed well; on Thursday she turned in a 6-0, 6-3 victory against GMA’s Tess Flanigan. After a 6-1 win in their opening set at first doubles, MSJ senior Liz Meister and sophomore Rachel Zilligen seemed like they’d coast to the match victory. Visitors Jordan White and Audrey Keen had other ideas, extending the second set before the Magic twosome finally prevailed, 7-5. The Magic were in command all the way through the second doubles contest, as senior Lily Doyle and sophomore Alexis Tran breezed by Gianna Troilo and Lillian Newbitt of the Monarchs, 6-0, 6-0.