Welcome back Park faithful! Let me first apologize for the delay in rejuvenating the blog. Thus far this year, it's often proven difficult to simply locate my laptop (much less sit and write upon it) through the preseason paperwork and calamitous crowds occupying my office. More on that later. Suffice it to say, professional visits to the ATR have far outnumbered the social calls during the early course of the season. Still, the weather is beautiful, the fields are green and whistles are blowing. Cleats are kicking and balls are bouncing, rackets swiping and runners... well, running. Spread the word; the Bruins are back.
The fall is officially gaining its stride with scrimmages giving way to conference games and early morning sessions having progressed to their more customary late afternoon slots, but before delving into a team-by-team address of what's to come, let's take a closer look at the highlights of what has passed. Over the summer, a handful of Park athletes were showered with accolades the likes of which we haven't seen in at least the decade I've been here, and certainly deserving of celebration among our community and elsewhere.
Departing senior Anja Fries ('09) and rising senior Lucie Weinberg ('10) were named High School Academic All-America honorees. Dawn Lee ('09) earned the Towson/Owings Mills Times Female Athlete of the Year award. And last, but certainly not least, Adrienne Tarver ('10) was recognized as a 1st Team High School All-America member and mentioned by Inside Lacrosse as a rising senior to watch this year. Oh, and she also verbally committed to Yale. To further satiate your appetite for all things AT, check the article from The Towson/Owings Mills Times. These girls are walking (running, playing, studying...) examples of the ideals set forth by Park Athletics; that while sports are certainly our passion, they do not define all that we are. Congratulations all!
Lucie ('09 All-Conference) and Adrienne join forces again this fall, leading the varsity girls' soccer squad along with fellow captain "Georgi" McCauley. They are 3 of only 4 seniors on the team of 23. The group that plays with "energy and enthusiasm," according to Coaches Piper and Jennings, is dominated by freshmen - 10 in all - and carries all the advantages and disadvantages of that sort of lineup. Limiting errors may prove the key in besting strong foes from St. Paul's, RPCS and Friends. In their first scrimmage, the girls took on Pikesville in a lopsided 5-0 victory. Their next test came against CHEN last Thursday (9/3); a game that, though tighter in goals, once again exhibited some of the potential of this year's team ending 4-1 in the Bruins' favor. This week, the "B" team takes on the Quakers at home on Wednesday. Mt. Carmel is next on Friday, the 11th, also at home.
Girls' field hockey will field 5 seniors, including captains Emily Breiter, Julia Meyerhoff and Maria Schwartz. Just like their counterparts on the soccer pitch, they've seen early success... supremecy, some might say. Their scrimmages - against Key, IND and Catholic - all saw first half shutouts that lead to premature resetting of the score. Coach Hickok hopes to burn out the scoreboard lights as conference play begins in earnest, but the team's path will be bumpy to say the least. Powerhouse B-Conference rival McDonogh is mentioned in The Sun's preseason top 15, and the schedule's first week provides little time to get comfortable with 2 games on the road; Wednesday at Seton Keough and Friday at Friends. Start strong girls.
Boys' Soccer has begun the year as a bit of an enigma. With 17 (count 'em!) seniors among the 27 athletes, you'd expect a disciplined, well-oiled machine, right? Early signs, however, lead Coach Mallonee, not to mention yours truly, to dread the repair bill rather than relish the performance of this experienced engine. A hefty portion of the Bruins found themselves sidelined by one malady or another during the early fall causing captains Jon Hettleman, Nick Ryugo and lone returning MIAA All-Star, Andrew Duberg to rethink their leadership strategy. Following a 4-0 blowout of Lutheran, a 3-3 wake up call against Key further increased the team's anxiety. It took a 0-4 loss against talented Gilman to expose what might be the first light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, I said a "0-4 loss." In that game, specifically the second half, the boys appeared to turn things around a bit and refocus themselves. Many players are in unfamiliar roles and/or positions and lack consistency. Several must step up, drawing on the Bruins' classic intelligence, toughness and hustle, if the team is to make a splash in November. Wednesday brings us Pallotti at home followed by a game at Severn on Friday.
Girls' Tennis rolls out a small army of 22 players (8 seniors) this fall. Captained by Sofia Macht and Jen Swirnow, the girls have only a month and a half to work out the kinks and find the apex of their game before the regular season closes in mid October. The abbreviated schedule certainly doesn't leave much room for error, but Coach Betty Medalie assures me that there are contenders among this bunch. Competition begins at Chestnut Ridge Tuesday (9/8) as the girls face Baltimore Lutheran. Make this early match if you can; finals are around the corner!
Lone senior and captain, Kyle Long, hopes to lead the boys' cross country runners to another top 10 team finish in the A-Conference. The past 3 years have witnessed Coach Hulleberg's "upstarts" string together consecutive 5th place awards in the Oregon Ridge final. Youth and inexperience may tilt the course slightly uphill against the Bruins this fall, but the boys' hard work in the off- and early-season is already paying dividends as the crew remains healthy, motivated and having fun. The gun goes off Tuesday at home against Gilman. Come cheer the boys through the woods from Kelly Field.
Girls' cross country fields its largest squad in the last 5 years with 13 members, only 3 of whom are seniors (Maggie Casey, Alix Gresov and Susie Yaster). This group, too, is young with 5 freshmen and 2 sophomores, but Coach Walker promises a "speedy" bunch with potential. Tuesday the girls travel to Lutheran to begin to ascertain both the quantity and balance of those 2 attributes. Work hard and have fun girls.
More info to come. Welcome to the new year! Always check the website to confirm dates and venues and don't hesitate to contact me to correct my errors!
GO BRUINS!
Showing posts with label Alumni. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alumni. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Week of May 4...
Last week produced both stunning upset victories and playoff-eliminating defeats. Several teams poised themselves at or near the pinnacle of their respective conferences while others contended for pride alone. An assortment of uncomfortable but "playable" weather conditions permitted most teams to battle their way out of bottlenecked schedules and into a more routine work week as they readied themselves for playoffs. As a result, your opportunities to see the Bruins in action are dwindling even as the pressure and importance of the remaining contests is elevated to new fingernail-chewing and hair-graying levels.
A tough season for the golf team saunters on, highlighted last week by a 15-6 win against the Warriors of Beth Tfiloh, a club that had amintained a winning record prior to their matchup with the Bruins. Unfortunately, the Wednesday triumph was closely followed by Thursday's 14-7 loss to the theretofore winless Indian Creek squad, dropping Park to 2-7 on the year. The regular schedule concludes this week as another Wednesday-Thursday double looms with the team facing middle-of-the-pack Glenelg Country and 7-3 Friends School on the 6th and 7th respectively.
Boys' tennis began last week by slipping in an overdue set against the Quakers, completing the match begun almost a week prior. The Bruins two-doubles team came from behind, winning four straight games, to defeat Friends and earn the match victory. With a jumbled lineup due to injury and illness, the squad then fell to BT 3-2 on Wednesday and was shutout by Loyola on Friday to end the regular season. The loss helped to eliminate Park from the team tournament but did nothing to lessen the fervor of Bruins vying for individual titles. Those finals are scheduled to start Monday, May 11th at McDonogh. Stay tuned for the pairings and results.
Coming off a huge win over John Carroll the week prior, the boys' lax team was feeling confident going into their second of three key games against top opponents when they took Boys' Varsity Field against AACS last Tuesday. Mere seconds after the opening 
faceoff, the Bruins had lost a star defenseman to a turned ankle. A quarter or so later, another left the contest with a shoulder injury. Character may have been the word of the day, however, as Park held onto an early lead for an 11-9 surprise (at least for the 
Eagles) win. The theme continued Thursday against Pallotti when Park took a third quarter lead that they would not relinquish, beating the Panthers 9-7. The three best records in the B-Conference had been knocked off one by one during the Bruins' 
sweep that began the week before! Friday's guest, Sts. Peter and Paul, could do no better playing David to Park's sudden Goliath, losing 11-5. This week, the boys round out their schedule against three more conference foes: 
Key at home on Monday (5/4), a grudge match at AACS on Tuesday (5/5) and home again against Chapelgate on Friday (5/7). Another successful stretch could very well result in a three-way tie among the 
conference leaders. Impressive crowds have cheered the boys' latest inspiring efforts, perhaps without much of the background knowledge to complete the story. "What's Bruin" readers recognize the remarkable nature of this run. Spread the word among the fans!
Another spring feature, perhaps without all the drama of the boys' season (for now!), the girls' lacrosse team remains among the very best in the B-Conference, breezing through last week's competition while tinkering with strategy and honing the details of their attack along the way. Monday witnessed the Bruins defeat Baltimore Lutheran 18-3. An imperfect first half on Tuesday failed to impede the girls on their way to a 18-7 win over Glenelg Country. Scheduled for Friday was Pallotti, who'd narrowly lost a previous clash between the two by only three goals. This time, Park cruised 18-11. With only one conference game remaining, Tuesday's (5/5) contest at AACS, the Bruins have settled into second place with a record of 9-2 (10-2 overall) behind the Quakers mark of 12-0 (12-2). Mercersburg Academy of Pennsylvania will be the final tuneup before the playoffs on Wednesday (5/6) at 4:30.
The title of "Regular Season Champ," were it based upon wins and losses alone, would be the sole possession of the softball team. They captured first place in the C-conference by thumping then leader St. John's last Monday by a score of 17-3. The thrilling accomplishment was quickly eclipsed, however, when on Tuesday the girls won a pitcher's duel 3-1 against RPCS, paced by the 100th (as well as 101st through 105th) strikeout tossed by Park's own Chelsea Burwasser, a feat worthy of a mention on Digital Sports as well as our very first name drop here on the blog. That's 105 strikeouts versus 7 walks in 52 innings. For those unfamiliar with the world of softball statistics, those numbers are relatively, um... ridiculous. The victory clinched the top seed and a first round bye in the playoffs set to begin this Friday. The girls will have nearly a two week rest prior to the start of their post-season run towards the final.
Not yet at the top of their conference, baseball can do much to shuffle the standings this week. Sweeping the season series against Boys' Latin with a 6-4 victory last Thursday reestablished the Bruins as sole owners of second place before losing 13-3 to the first place Baltimore Lutheran Saints on Friday. The loss left the boys (now 7-5 in conference) percentage points behind the Saints and Lakers for the Red Division lead. This Tuesday (5/5) Park takes on 10-1 (15-8 overall) Pallotti, the Black Division leader. Cross-division play continues on Wednesday (5/7) at second place and 9-2 (11-6 overall) Friends School. Pending those results, Thursday's challenge against Severn could wind up either an opportunity to seize first or a battle for third in the division. The Admirals thrashed the Bruins in mid-April 22-12. Those potential ramifications qualify the contest as our GAME OF THE WEEK, so please mark your calendars and head to Sugar Field for the 4:15 start.
See you there!
GO BRUINS!
An alumni note: Maggie Sachs ('07) helped the Stanford women's lacrosse team (ranked 13th in the country) to its fifth consecutive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship, and followed it up by shocking Penn (#3 nationally) in an 8-6 upset. Maggie and her Stanford teammates await the announcement of the NCAA tournament field to ascertain whether or not they've made the Division I playoffs. Keep sending all of your alumni sports news!
A tough season for the golf team saunters on, highlighted last week by a 15-6 win against the Warriors of Beth Tfiloh, a club that had amintained a winning record prior to their matchup with the Bruins. Unfortunately, the Wednesday triumph was closely followed by Thursday's 14-7 loss to the theretofore winless Indian Creek squad, dropping Park to 2-7 on the year. The regular schedule concludes this week as another Wednesday-Thursday double looms with the team facing middle-of-the-pack Glenelg Country and 7-3 Friends School on the 6th and 7th respectively.
Boys' tennis began last week by slipping in an overdue set against the Quakers, completing the match begun almost a week prior. The Bruins two-doubles team came from behind, winning four straight games, to defeat Friends and earn the match victory. With a jumbled lineup due to injury and illness, the squad then fell to BT 3-2 on Wednesday and was shutout by Loyola on Friday to end the regular season. The loss helped to eliminate Park from the team tournament but did nothing to lessen the fervor of Bruins vying for individual titles. Those finals are scheduled to start Monday, May 11th at McDonogh. Stay tuned for the pairings and results.
Coming off a huge win over John Carroll the week prior, the boys' lax team was feeling confident going into their second of three key games against top opponents when they took Boys' Varsity Field against AACS last Tuesday. Mere seconds after the opening 
faceoff, the Bruins had lost a star defenseman to a turned ankle. A quarter or so later, another left the contest with a shoulder injury. Character may have been the word of the day, however, as Park held onto an early lead for an 11-9 surprise (at least for the 
Eagles) win. The theme continued Thursday against Pallotti when Park took a third quarter lead that they would not relinquish, beating the Panthers 9-7. The three best records in the B-Conference had been knocked off one by one during the Bruins' 
sweep that began the week before! Friday's guest, Sts. Peter and Paul, could do no better playing David to Park's sudden Goliath, losing 11-5. This week, the boys round out their schedule against three more conference foes: 
Key at home on Monday (5/4), a grudge match at AACS on Tuesday (5/5) and home again against Chapelgate on Friday (5/7). Another successful stretch could very well result in a three-way tie among the 
conference leaders. Impressive crowds have cheered the boys' latest inspiring efforts, perhaps without much of the background knowledge to complete the story. "What's Bruin" readers recognize the remarkable nature of this run. Spread the word among the fans!Another spring feature, perhaps without all the drama of the boys' season (for now!), the girls' lacrosse team remains among the very best in the B-Conference, breezing through last week's competition while tinkering with strategy and honing the details of their attack along the way. Monday witnessed the Bruins defeat Baltimore Lutheran 18-3. An imperfect first half on Tuesday failed to impede the girls on their way to a 18-7 win over Glenelg Country. Scheduled for Friday was Pallotti, who'd narrowly lost a previous clash between the two by only three goals. This time, Park cruised 18-11. With only one conference game remaining, Tuesday's (5/5) contest at AACS, the Bruins have settled into second place with a record of 9-2 (10-2 overall) behind the Quakers mark of 12-0 (12-2). Mercersburg Academy of Pennsylvania will be the final tuneup before the playoffs on Wednesday (5/6) at 4:30.
The title of "Regular Season Champ," were it based upon wins and losses alone, would be the sole possession of the softball team. They captured first place in the C-conference by thumping then leader St. John's last Monday by a score of 17-3. The thrilling accomplishment was quickly eclipsed, however, when on Tuesday the girls won a pitcher's duel 3-1 against RPCS, paced by the 100th (as well as 101st through 105th) strikeout tossed by Park's own Chelsea Burwasser, a feat worthy of a mention on Digital Sports as well as our very first name drop here on the blog. That's 105 strikeouts versus 7 walks in 52 innings. For those unfamiliar with the world of softball statistics, those numbers are relatively, um... ridiculous. The victory clinched the top seed and a first round bye in the playoffs set to begin this Friday. The girls will have nearly a two week rest prior to the start of their post-season run towards the final.
Not yet at the top of their conference, baseball can do much to shuffle the standings this week. Sweeping the season series against Boys' Latin with a 6-4 victory last Thursday reestablished the Bruins as sole owners of second place before losing 13-3 to the first place Baltimore Lutheran Saints on Friday. The loss left the boys (now 7-5 in conference) percentage points behind the Saints and Lakers for the Red Division lead. This Tuesday (5/5) Park takes on 10-1 (15-8 overall) Pallotti, the Black Division leader. Cross-division play continues on Wednesday (5/7) at second place and 9-2 (11-6 overall) Friends School. Pending those results, Thursday's challenge against Severn could wind up either an opportunity to seize first or a battle for third in the division. The Admirals thrashed the Bruins in mid-April 22-12. Those potential ramifications qualify the contest as our GAME OF THE WEEK, so please mark your calendars and head to Sugar Field for the 4:15 start.
See you there!
GO BRUINS!
An alumni note: Maggie Sachs ('07) helped the Stanford women's lacrosse team (ranked 13th in the country) to its fifth consecutive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship, and followed it up by shocking Penn (#3 nationally) in an 8-6 upset. Maggie and her Stanford teammates await the announcement of the NCAA tournament field to ascertain whether or not they've made the Division I playoffs. Keep sending all of your alumni sports news!
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