Jan 15, 2019 | Athletics
By Josie Jahng ’19
Led by captain Matthew Keller (VI) and assistant captains Daniel Schnack (VI) and Michael Vessa (VI), the boys’ varsity ice hockey team is ready for another great season. Coming off a solid 14-5-1 record last year, the team is “expecting big things to happen during this season,” Head Coach Scott Garrow noted.
19 players are returning from last year’s lineup, including a strong senior class and leading scorers Eric Bush (IV) and Jared Kordonsky (IV). The only factor that remains unknown heading into the season is the goalie situation: after losing the starting goalkeeper, Kevin Parnham (IV) and Jake Friedman (IV) will vie for the starting spot between the pipes. However, Coach Garrow has “no doubt that they will step up in the net and play well.”
The team has already shown strong potential after opening the season with a 4-1 win against Watchung Hills. However, the hardest is yet to come, with the team soon playing against conference rival Ridge. Of the five games that the team lost last season, three were to Ridge, including a tough loss in the conference championship. The team looks to start this season strong, avenge their losses to Ridge, and prepare for the conference and state tournaments that start later in the year.
Jan 13, 2019 | Athletics
By Brian Li ’22
Last year’s boys’ squash team had a successful season with a 10-3 record, finishing 15th in the country. With captain Krish Bhavnani ‘18, the team achieved their goals and realized their next steps.
Mr. Ramsay Vehslage has been coaching the boys’ squash team since its inception in 2003. However, since the Bugliari Athletic Center opened in 2017, the team has experienced a surge in squash players. Previously, the team had to travel to Drew University to practice on two courts. However, with the new athletic center, the squash program has grown tremendously in the Middle and Upper School and has also created interest in the Lower School. Coach Vehslage elaborates, “Having a facility here has opened up a whole bunch of new doors for us and the team.” The eight squash courts allow many more students to play, creating a new atmosphere for the squash players. Unlike previous years, full Varsity and Junior Varsity teams will be created, allowing students of any experience to join the team. Ms. Olivia Tandon will be coaching Boys’ JV.
With captains Jeffrey Xiao (VI) and Chris Zachary (VI) leading the team this year, the squash program at Pingry has come a long way from “[Eleven] people, and, of those eleven, five had actually played squash before,” according to Mr. Vehslage. The team is excited to see how they perform throughout the season.
Jan 13, 2019 | Athletics
By Justin Li ’21
As they head into their season, the girls’ swim team is working hard to continue the last year’s success. Led by Head Coach Deirdre O’Mara, the team is coming off of a 6-2 season full of school- and state-record breaking. Captains Grace O’Mara (VI) and Darlene Fung (VI) know that living up to the name they’ve made for themselves will be a tough, but hopefully achievable task.
In regards to this year’s team, Grace O’Mara said, “We have a very young team so we are really hoping to have a strong season. We graduated a very high scoring senior class so we are all going to need to push ourselves this year.”
They were the Non-Public “A” and NJSIAA Prep champions last season, but placed second in the Skyland Conference Championship. The team hopes to defend their titles and bring home a third championship this season.
Key swimmer Teodora Kolarov (IV) noted, “We have a promising lineup this year, and with our new leadership, we have great chances of success.”
Jan 13, 2019 | Athletics
By Avidan Shah ’21
The swim season has just kicked into full gear, and the Pingry boys’ swim team is ready for another promising season. Although some fast swimmers graduated last year, the team is still very strong and has a lot of potential. Both captains Leighton Mayers (VI) and Kevin Ma (VI) are ambitious in their goals for the 2018-19 season, looking for the team “to be ranked first in the state as we were last year and continue our undefeated record,” Ma says. Last year was one of the best seasons for Pingry swimming in all of Pingry history, going completely undefeated throughout the season and even placing 3rd in the country in our school division. The team hopes to once again defeat their rivals, Bridgewater Raritan High School, another formidable team. One event to anticipate will be their specialty 200 medley relay, which is an event divided among 4 swimmers, each swimming 50 meters. The event starts with backstroke, then breaststroke and butterfly, and finishes with an explosive freestyle sprint. They hope to have a victorious season no matter what, and most importantly to have fun!
Jan 13, 2019 | Athletics, Brynn Weisholtz
Brynn Weisholtz ’20
With last year’s record of 8-9, the girls’ ice hockey team is ready to begin another exciting season led by Captains Clare Hall (VI) and Sophia Smith (VI).
Starting goalie Emma Barrison (V) said, “I think the season will be really good because we have improved a lot since last year. We have a slightly smaller team this year, so we have to rely on each other to become stronger and that has put a lot of pressure on us to become better as a team.” This growth is evident: in their first game against Chatham they lost only by one point as opposed to last year’s nine.
The team looks promising, but the hardest is yet to come: some of their toughest competitors (Princeton Day School, Immaculate Heart, and Morristown Beard) are scheduled to play the girls soon. Pingry supporters are looking forward to cheering the on the girls throughout the season.
Jan 13, 2019 | Andrew Wong, Athletics, Uncategorized
By Andrew Wong ’22
The boys’ winter track team has now been renamed to the boys’ indoor track team. Despite losing many seniors after a strong season last year, the team is back, being led by Captain Nick Robinson (VI). This year, although comprising a small roster, the boys are determined to push through the harsh winter weather and build a strong core of runners over the course of the season.
With training sessions every day in the cold weather, Head Coach Chris Shilts said, “Despite the weather not being in our favor, we are going to work hard so we can to improve as much as we can.” With new freshmen to fill in the gaps left by the seniors, Robinson said, “My hope is to be able to put together at least a couple of very competitive relay teams with our small roster, and win big at our State Championship on February 16th.”
Jan 3, 2019 | Andrew Wong, Athletics
By Andrew Wong ’22
The girls’ winter track team, now the girls’ indoor track team, led by captain Cathleen Parker (VI), is excited for the season. This year, new freshmen talent rounds out a strong team to help replace Avery Schiffman ‘18 and jumper Sophia Weldon ‘18, who graduated last year.
Head Coach Chris Shilts, while discussing the team’s goals, said, “We want everyone to individually work their hardest and improve as much as they can.”
With intensive outdoor practices and a focus on personal health after an injury-ridden cross country season, Parker hopes that “our girls can set new personal bests and contribute to a few county, conference, state, and even national titles for themselves and the team. We have a lot of girls that can compete in multiple events, so I am excited to see them contributing points in a diverse set of events as well.”
After finishing second last year, the team hopes to win the Skyland Conference and beat Lawrenceville for the preps title. In February, they will compete for the Non-Public A state title against their rival Union Catholic. With lots of strong talent, the girls’ indoor track team is ready for a successful season. Their first meet will be the Bishop Loughlin Games.
Nov 22, 2018 | Athletics, Noah Bergam
By Noah Bergam ’21
The Pingry boys’ soccer team is aiming high this season. With expectations to win the county championship and make a run at the Non-Public “A” title, the team has maintained an impressive record so far.
Captain Drew Beckmen (VI) recognizes that “alhough we lost our goalkeeper and two all-county defenders to graduation, we have an extremely talented junior class and strong senior leadership leading the way this year. Hopefully, we can combine our strong defense and dynamic attack to be one of the strongest teams in the state.”
The team looks promising, but the hardest is yet to come. Hunterdon Central, a big Group 4 school, and Peddie, which Pingry has not beaten in two years, will provide some serious competition in coming weeks. Recently, the boys defeated Staten Island Academy with a score of 6-0 during Homecoming, on the 90th anniversary of the program’s inception.
Beckmen added that in regards to the Non-Public “A” championships, “We have come up short to Delbarton two years in a row in States, so we are determined to beat them this year. Though Non-Public “A” features the best soccer talent in the state, including the boys attending Seton Hall Prep, Christian Brothers Academy, and Delbarton, we are confident that we can compete with these teams. Hopefully, our good play will continue, and we can continue to show the state that we are a team to be reckoned with.”
Nov 22, 2018 | Athletics
By Ryan Geller ’20
The Pingry football team is heading into its second year in the Metropolitan Independent League with a new sense of confidence and excitement. Coming off the team’s first winning season since 2003, head coach Mr. Christopher Shilts looks to continue his recent success alongside senior captains Nate Hefner (VI) and Zach Dobson (VI) as well as co-captains Jack Baulig (VI) and Joe Shilts (VI). The team replaces the position of Obi Nnaeto ‘18, who rushed for 1,526 yards and 18 touchdowns, with a new group of running backs led by Hefner and Brian Benson (VI). “It’s nice to have a different kind of mindset, not hoping to win anymore, but expecting to win. Our goal is to be the best Pingry team ever,” said Mr. Shilts. He means business.
The team has started the season 2-2 after beating Newark Academy and Morristown-Beard. Pingry lost 43-42 to Pennington in a hard-fought battle at Homecoming. Next, the team will face Montclair-Kimberley Academy at Friday Night Lights. However, Mr. Shilts’ philosophy remains the same, which is to always focus on “the next one.”
Nov 22, 2018 | Athletics
By Josie Jahng ’19
The girls’ varsity field hockey team is off to a solid start. Led by captains Avery Didden (VI), Josie Jahng (VI), and Margot Present (VI), the team has held an even record as they head into county games later this month. Despite graduating a strong senior class, many players are stepping up and taking advantage of the newly-open opportunities. Didden addressed this development by saying, “this first month, we have been getting back into the swing of our play and re-bonding as a team again after the summer.” By focusing on fundamentals during each practice, “such as stick skills, as well as game-like positioning,” everyone on the team has greatly improved their play in recent games. This growth was clearly highlighted in a recent Homecoming game against Pennington; the team won 7-0 and six different players scored. The players are optimistic about the rest of the season, with important games against Basking Ridge High School, Bridgewater-Raritan High School and Hunterdon Central High School coming up. Didden noted that “everyone on the team this year is very committed, and we know this intensity is going to take us far, especially during those big games and tournament time!”
