Athletic News

Women's Track 2nd, Men 4th at MAPL Championships

Lena Finucane ’09 (right) swept the 800, 1600, and 3200-meter runs to pace Mercersburg at the 2008 Mid-Atlantic Prep League Track & Field Championships May 10 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

Women’s MAPL event champions included Finucane (800m, 1600m, 3200m), Paige Summers ’11 (discus), and the 4x800m relay team of Hannah Miller ’10, Joy Mullins ’10, Soso Buggisch ’10, and Annie Spencer ’08.

On the men’s side, James Finucane ’08 took first in the 1600m and 3200m, David Strider ’08 grabbed top honors in high jump, and Fleet White ’08 set a new school record with his MAPL-winning 56.08 effort in the 400m hurdles.

The Blue Storm women placed second out of six teams with 130.5 total points (in 2007, the team was fourth with just 67 points). The Mercersburg men were fourth with 77 points. Lawrenceville captured both the men’s and women’s team titles with 196 and 209 points, respectively.

Additionally, five athletes (L. Finucane, 4th/3200m; Sarah Kolanowski ’10, 5th/400m hurdles and 10th/100m hurdles; Spencer, 5th/pole vault; Emily Weiss, 6th/400m hurdles; Summers, 9th/javelin) posted times that rank in the top-ten all time among Mercersburg performances.

Mile Mark Falls at Penn Relays

On one of the grandest stages in American prep track & field, James Finucane ’08 set a new Mercersburg record in the mile run April 25.

Finucane's 4:18.59 effort at the Penn Relays was the best-ever for a Mercersburg athlete in the mile, and broke a school record that had stood since 1984. His time was good for eighth overall in a talented field, and came in front of an estimated 30,000 people at Philadelphia's Franklin Field. (The event is the largest annual meet in North America.)

“James showed a lot of guts running that mile, but he's been preparing for it since well before last summer,” said Matthew Kearney, who coaches Mercersburg’s distance runners. “This isn't something you accomplish overnight, but through long, deliberate training. He is so focused and in control of his running right now because he has been working so diligently all year long.”

Finucane, the two-time defending Mid-Atlantic Prep League individual champion in cross country, earned a state championships medal by taking fifth place in the mile at the Pennsylvania Independent Schools State Indoor Track Championships in March. He will attempt to break the school record in the 3200-meter run this weekend at the Altoona Invitational.

Also at the Penn Relays, Finucane joined Pat Morgan ’08, David Strider ’08, and Fleet White ’08 on the Blue Storm's 4x400-meter relay team for a fourth-place finish in the Prep Boys category (3:35.68); the women's 4x400 team of Deborah Adjibaba ’11, Lena Finucane ’09, Whitney Matthew ’08, and Asia Walker ’09 finished 11th in the Girls Prep School division (4:13.45).

Click here to see a video of Finucane’s race.

Baseball, Women's Lacrosse Off to Fast Starts

How's this for starting off with a bang? A no-hitter and a record-breaking win over a Mid-Atlantic Prep League rival have highlighted Mercersburg's spring athletics season to date.

The defending Pennsylvania Independent Schools state-champion Blue Storm baseball team is 4–2, following a doubleheader sweep of Lawrenceville and a no-hitter by Christian Binford ’11 (left) in a 3–0 shutout of Martinsburg April 9. Chris Sintetos ’08 homered in the victory.

Binford, of Hagerstown, Maryland, is the first Blue Storm pitcher since Josh Edgin '06 to toss a no-no. (Edgin now pitches at Ohio State.)

Binford has yet to surrender a run and allowed just two hits in his first 12 innings of varsity work; the Mercersburg staff as a whole took an 18-inning scoreless streak into an April 12 doubleheader at Hill, which the Storm split with the Rams. (Tom Timoney ’09 fanned 12 Lawrenceville hitters in an 11–0 blanking April 6; Chris Freeland ’08 hit a grand slam in the first inning of a 17–4 win over Hill.)

"Christian pitched a beautiful game [against Martinsburg]," Head Coach Karl Reisner said. "He was composed and in charge. It was a truly amazing performance for anyone, but for a ninth grader to pitch that well against a quality team in his first start ever is simply mind-boggling."

The team's next home game is an April 22 contest against Notre Dame Academy (4:30 p.m.).

Not to be outdone, the Blue Storm women's lacrosse team is 4–1 on the year. Included among the victories is an April 5 win over Lawrenceville, which is the first win over the Big Red in the program's history. The team scored 18 or more goals in three of its first four contests, and returns home to face Central Dauphin April 17 (4:15 p.m.).

Keep up with all of Mercersburg's spring sports action.

Finucane, Swim Teams Shine in Wintertime

At the Pennsylvania State Indoor Track & Field Championships March 1 at Penn State University, James Finucane ’08 placed fifth in the mile in a time of 4:20.58, earning him a state championships medal.

The time was a lifetime best in the mile for Finucane and the second fastest ever run by a Mercersburg athlete (indoor or outdoor) in the more than 100-year history of the school’s track and field program. This was also the highest state-championship finish for a Mercersburg winter track and field athlete.

James’ sister, Lena Finucane ’09 (a first-time qualifier for the meet), placed 13th in the mile (5:22.92).

The men’s swimming team captured the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Prep League championship February 9. Individual MAPL champions include Marshall Daniels ’08 in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly, Nick Thomson ’10 in the 100 free, and the 400 free relay team of Thomson, Daniels, Pat Holmes ’08, and Mike Weinstein ’09.

The women’s team’s top finishers included two individual MAPL champions—Kiersten Bell ’09 in the 500 free and Nikki Hyrkas ’11 in the 200-yard individual medley.

At the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming Championships at LaSalle University February 22–23, the 200 IM relay team of Thomson, Holmes, Tom McCarthy ’08, and Nikolai Paloni ’10 finished second.

Punching Tickets for March Madness

Alex Tyler '06, a starting forward for Cornell, helped lead the Big Red men's basketball team to its first Ivy League championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 20 years.

Nearly 100,000 results appear when Googling "Alex Tyler Cornell." USA Today, the New York Times, and ESPN have chronicled his prowess on the court.

The March 1 victory over Harvard gave Cornell an automatic bid to the NCAAs; the Big Red fell to Stanford, 77–53, March 20 in a first-round game in Anaheim, California. Tyler scored 10 points and added two rebounds and two steals in the contest. Cornell finished the season 22–6 overall and a perfect 14–0 in the Ivy League.

For more on Tyler's team, visit Cornell's site, where you can also view Tyler's bio.

Tyler (above), of Clear Spring, Maryland, is the youngest of seven children—and he isn't the only Mercersburg graduate participating in the Division I version of March Madness this season; Romone Penny '03 is a guard at American, the Patriot League champion. The Eagles (21–11) defeated Colgate March 14 to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament, and gave No. 2-seeded Tennessee a run for its money in a first-round game March 21, but dropped a 72–57 decision in the contest, which was played in Birmingham, Alabama. (Penny saw action, but did not score; read more about him from his hometown Minneapolis StarTribune.)

A third former Blue Storm standout, James Craft '05, fell just short of the Big Dance; his Tennessee State team lost to Austin Peay March 8 in the finals of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

At the Division III level, Rochester (which features Colin Cubit '06) won two games to advance to the Sweet 16, but the Yellow Jackets were eliminated by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in a round-of-16 matchup March 14.

Coach Mo's Near Dozen

Tall, intelligent, and charismatic, Coach Monique Liddell (pictured with captains Jenn Dillon ’09 and Lauren Dobish ’08 at Mercersburg's Winter Sports Banquet) speaks fondly of her small team of eleven girls. It’s tough, she notes, to accommodate everybody on a team with all skill levels.

“How do you make them happy? How do you make them all feel wanted? How do you make them all feel needed?” These are questions that the new head women’s basketball coach confronted every day during the season.

New to Mercersburg this year from Seton Keough High School in Baltimore, Liddell faced the unique challenge posed by the lack of distinct junior varisty and varsity squads. Instead, she had one team with players ranging from near beginners to four-year varsity players like Dobish. “I hope,” Liddell said early in the season, “to get them to understand that it’s not about wins and losses. It’s about giving 100 percent every time you step on the floor.”

Liddell was lucky to have a motivated group this year. She described the team's work ethic as “something I haven’t experienced in some time.” After a hard-fought game against Hedgesville early in the season, Liddell noted that “a couple of parents [from the other team] came over to me, and they said ‘if only if you had a few more numbers... but your girls worked hard every minute of the game’.” Clearly other people saw their determination as well. Liddell knew early on that “it was going to be a season of ups and downs, but this is a challenge that they were ready for and its something they were willing to work toward.”

She should know. Liddell got a late start playing basketball, joining her first team in high school. Making up for lost time, she devoted herself to the sport, earning a scholarship to Morgan State University where she was a three-time all-conference selection. Remaining behind two years after graduation as an assistant coach, Liddell found her true calling--only she didn’t know it yet. She played professional ball in Luxembourg before realizing that she really preferred coaching, so she returned to the U.S. Liddell knew she wanted to coach at the high school level, where more teaching is involved. Fast forward a couple of years, and here she is as head coach.

Asked about her coaching philosophy, she quickly responds, “Basketball is a game of fundamentals. It’s about teaching the game... the more you know about the game the easier the game will be. Otherwise it’s just a competition of speed and strength.” As a result, practices are intense, move quickly, push defense, and are physically demanding. Her goal was to make practices ten times harder than games. And the girls did it. Their determination and will was constantly tested with wall sits and sprints, but it never faltered.

Dobish, a captain and four-year varsity player, didn’t know what to expect from the new coach. Early on, she admits, fear was a clear motivator for the team. “Coach Mo [Liddell’s acquired nickname] is clearly passionate about basketball, and we were a bit intimidated at first. But once the season started, things began falling into place.” Dobish was impressed by Liddell’s planning and sense of urgency. “Every minute of practice was planned out. There was no wasted time. There were even instances during games when Coach Mo yelled at us because we took too much time walking to the bench after a called timeout. We needed that.”

And the season did have its ups and downs. The Blue Storm beat Mid-Atlantic Prep League rival Lawrenceville twice after having endured a couple of devastating overtime losses to the Big Red in recent years. But Mercersburg also lost to Hill in overtime and was routed twice by Peddie. The Storm beat Blair and finished tied for third in the MAPL.

Given the outlook at the season’s start, it was a good year for this team of 11. “Coach Mo had a way of making us want to be at every practice and really improve each other’s game,” Dobish said. And that bodes well for the future of this program.

-- by Remy Wheat ’08
-- photos by Sandie Cubit

At 62-5, They're Still 1-2-3

Josh Rosenblat '08 had never played squash before arriving at Mercersburg three and a half years ago. In fact, he had never seen the game played in his native Hamburg, Germany, though the sport does enjoy a fair degree of popularity there. He was impressed by the pristine courts at the Davenport Squash Center and intrigued by the game itself, so he borrowed on his years of tennis training and gave the game a shot.

Despite breaking an ankle that first year at Mercersburg, Rosenblat (above, right) did earn a varsity letter in squash. He continued playing each winter and now, near the end of his Mercersburg squash career, he is the team’s #2 ranked player. He is 21–2 on the season after winning both of his matches at the Mid-Atlantic Prep League Championship, which Mercersburg hosted February 16.

Both Valentin Quan Miranda ’08 (above, left) and Clayton Young ’08 (center), the team’s #1 and #3 players respectively, describe Josh as a player who can run forever. “Josh likes running and that’s really his strategy on the court. He likes to elongate rallies to tire his opponent. He plays safe and avoids hitting tins [the ‘out-of bounds’ tin board at the base of the front wall]. If he can take a match into the fourth or fifth game of the best-of-five, his chances are great.”

Quan Miranda came to Mercersburg last year from San Salvador and has held the top step on the squash ladder ever since. Squash is not a popular game in El Salvador--but Valentin has been playing for seven years. His father introduced him to squash, and soon Valentin was working three times per week with a squash trainer at the Maya Country Club. He also played two hours each day with El Salvador’s junior national team, where he worked his way to the top spot before coming to Mercersburg. Quan Miranda also won both of his matches at the MAPL Championship, moving his record to a perfect 21–0.

Valentin’s style is basically the opposite of Rosenblat. Whereas Josh runs, Valentin likes to control the ‘T,’ the critical back-center area of the court, where the half-court line meets the ‘short line.’ Controlling the ‘T,’ though, requires exceptional shooting skill. Young and Rosenblat noted that “Valentin likes to remain stable and make his opponent do most of the running. He can do that because he’s so good at hitting the right shots.”

When asked what he liked most about squash, Valentin became somewhat philosophical. “A professional player once said that squash is like chess at 100 miles per hour. Squash is a game that requires fitness, technique, agility, intelligence and, maybe most importantly, mental control.”

Young, a Chicago native, has only been playing squash for a couple of years. He grew up wrestling and boxing, and squash is Young’s first non-contact sport, though Young does employ a more ‘physical’ style. “He’s like a bull inside the court,” joke Quan Miranda and Rosenblat. “His style of play is ‘intense.’ It’s more of a ‘power play.’ Clay has been known to simply run through players at times, and it’s surprisingly effective!”

As a senior at his Chicago-area high school, Clayton began playing squash with his father. After school, he would jump on the ‘L’ and head to the Lake Shore Athletic Club. He quickly developed a passion for the game and began working with a squash pro on a regular basis. This is Clayton’s first year of real team competition, which makes his No. 3 ranking on the team all the more impressive. As with Quan Miranda and Rosenblat, Young also won both matches on Saturday, boosting his season record to 20–3.

All three players have cherished their time on the school’s top-notch courts. “These are the best courts we have ever seen, certainly at the high school level,” they note. “The lighting, the quality of the courts and the fact that there are ten courts... it’s great.”

Though the men’s squash team came close, it did not win the MAPL championship, and that is the most important statistic of all. But on an individual level, all three players had another great weekend, going 6–0 against their respective opponents.

All three plan to play at the college level. Valentin will be joining Middlebury’s team next year, while Clayton looks to compete at the Naval Academy and Josh is still waiting to hear from his colleges. Before their college careers begin, however, these three teammates and friends hope to spend one extra week this spring playing the game they have come to love. For their senior project at the end of the school year, they hope to work with inner-city kids in either New York City or Chicago as part of urban enrichment programs that combine squash and academic tutoring.

--story by Phil Kantaros; action photos by Renee Hicks

Women’s Squash Claims Title at National Championships

Mercersburg's women's squash team won the 2008 National High School Division V Squash Championships Feb 8–10 in New Haven, Connecticut. It's the first championship for the Blue Storm in the four-year history of the national event.

Mercersburg defeated Bronxville (7–0), Bryn Mawr (4–3), and Episcopal (4–3) to take the title. Rachel Greenberg ’08, Mary Lancaster ’08, and Lucia Rowe ’09 all compiled perfect 3-0 marks during the event. In the final, Greenberg, Lancaster, Rowe, and Emily Carl '08 all posted victories to give the Storm the title.

"All our players played beyond themselves in [the final] match," said Wells Gray, the team's head coach. "This victory is truly deserved."

The team's top-ranked player is Ana Kelly '11, who is an alumna of New York's CitySquash program.

On the men's side, the Blue Storm dropped its opening match to St. Mark's, but rallied with wins over Rye Country Day (4–3) and Potomac (4–3) to capture the consolation bracket of the Division IV championship. The team's top three players—Valentin Quan Miranda '08, Josh Rosenblat '08, and Clayton Young '08—went undefeated for the weekend. The trio is a combined 50-5 on the season, with Quan Miranda's perfect 17–0 mark leading the way.

The Mercersburg men and women will host the 2008 Mid-Atlantic Prep League Championships Saturday, February 16, at the Davenport Squash Center.

Pool Party: Storm Tops Peddie

On Friday, February 1, Mercersburg’s men’s swim team defeated long-standing rival Peddie School in front of a large and boisterous crowd that included fans, parents, and former Mercersburg swimmers. The Mercersburg-Peddie rivalry stretches nearly half a century, and the two swimming powerhouses entered the meet determined to lay claim to being the best.

An incredibly close meet unfolded as both teams turned in fast times and strong performances; eventually, the Blue Storm was able to edge out the competition. “I thought we looked really good with our depth going in to the meet,” says longtime Mercersburg head coach and former Olympian Pete Williams, “and that’s exactly how we beat Peddie. This is always a particularly sweet win for our swimmers.”

Mercersburg sealed its success with the 500-yard freestyle, the 50 free, the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay with strong performances by Marshall Daniels ’08, Nick Thomson ’10, Nikolai Paloni ’10, and new standout Collin Greene ’11 (the son of former Mercersburg swimmer Chris Greene ’80, who was in the stands cheering him on).

What’s ahead for the mermen? The Mid-Atlantic Prep League meet February 9, followed by the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming Championships February 23 where Williams’ swimmers will compete against 70 other schools. “In swimming, it all comes down to the championship meets,” Williams said.

Storm Can't Catch Hawks

4:30pm

Wednesday January 23, 2008

Nolde Gymnasium

In their first game back from a two game road streak, the Mercersburg Blue Storm men's basketball squad dropped a difficult contest Wednesday afternoon to the Kamet Institute Hawks of Washington D.C. The first series of plays at either end saw two vastly different basketball teams. Mercersburg had a patient style of play, working the ball around the perimeter, possessing the ball and picking their shots. Kamet displayed a more up-tempo offense, filled with constant drives and swift post-play. Students, parents and teachers alike knew they would be in for an exciting clash of talent on the hardwood.

The first quarter was dominated by back-and-forth baskets between Mercersburg and Kamet. The Hawks took an early lead, but the Boys in Blue kept hitting right back with baskets from Brett Burrier ‘08 and Ben Eaton ‘08. Nearing the end of the first quarter of play, Kamet opened the lead up to 15-8. With seconds counting down, the young and dynamic Ajaye Dean ‘11 hit an unbelievably long fading jumper at the buzzer to end the quarter 10-15.

The second quarter saw the Hawks outscore the Storm 22-6. A flurry of turnovers, lack of boxing out and bad shot selection plagued the Storm from trimming down the expanding Kamet lead. To make matters worse, Hawks forwards Justin Grenway and Geran Pope combined for 20 points in the second quarter alone. Grenway, the Kamet’s clear-cut sharp shooter, hit from beyond the arc four times on the afternoon. Turnovers were a key component to giving Kamet the fast breaks they tactically thrive off of. The masked giant Gabe Martin ’08 explains: “What really messed us up [this afternoon] were our turnovers, right now I think that’s our only weakness – I think we’re pretty sound offensively and defensively – our turnovers are how we get behind in games.”

Athletic Director Ron Simar’s perennial classic rock hits on the loud speaker provided some enjoyment during time outs. Such hits this game included: “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer, “Tempted by the Fruit of Another” by Squeeze and “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell. After a short exchange of baskets, the halftime buzzer finally rang, bringing an end to the onslaught of Hawks’ three pointers and fast break lay-ups.

A fresher and more relaxed Mercersburg squad took to the floor in the second half. Ben Eaton made two quick free throws to cut the lead down to 19. Despite some touch calls from the officiating crew, the Storm players continued to perform at a much improved level, nailing jumpers and efficient scores in the low post. Brett Burrier’s emphatic tomahawk dunk provided for a rare flash of dominance and somewhat of a momentum changer at 2:56 into the third quarter. The end of the quarter saw the resurgence of the Blue Storm. Instead of repetitive passing around the outside, the crowd was treated to some spectacular drives and drawn fouls from Mercersburg. The even better news was that the Dean was heating up.

In the final quarter, Ajaye Dean showed some surprising control and maturity of play for a ninth-grader. The 'junior' (in Mercersburg parlance) from Harrisburg racked up 12 of the Storm’s 21 fourth quarter points. Dean made two close range baskets and drew fouls both times to keep the Storm’s momentum going. The rest of the quarter had Burrier hooking up from three-point territory and solid play from the Mercersburg reserves. Unfortunately, the hot streak Mercersburg ignited towards the end of the game wasn’t enough to eclipse Kamet’s massive lead.

This 67-50 loss drops the Blue Storm to 3-9 on the season. They continue their three-game home streak Saturday January 26, 2008 at 4:15pm with a classic MAPL match-up against the Hun School of Princeton Raiders.

--by student reporter Ben Axelrod '08