Deetya Tandon ’29 < Back Golf wraps up season Deetya Tandon ’29 Nov 7, 2025 The Boys’ Varsity Golf team wrapped up their season with a final matchup against the Hill School, competing both home and away. One group represented Mercersburg in the Keystone Cup and PAISAA tournaments at Radley Run Country Club, while the other faced Hill’s JV team at Chambersburg Country Club. AJ Patel ’26 reflected, “Even though we didn’t win the Keystone Cup, playing Hill was a really good way to end the season. It gave everyone a great experience, especially the guys in the 7–12 ladder who played really well and gained a lot of confidence.” Nicholas Zhou ’29 added, “We’ll get them next year—it was a great season though.” Throughout the season, the team’s chemistry grew stronger, which proved valuable both on and off the course. “Team chemistry is super important,” said Kadien Woo ’28. Coach Smith agreed, adding, “We strived this season to keep the trajectory going upwards despite the roller coaster that is competitive golf.” Several moments stood out for players as they reflected on their season. “The final match was a really fun experience,” said Woo. “It was actually my first match on the team, so I was super excited. Though it resulted in some wins and losses, I’m overall happy that we ended by playing our rival.” Patel also highlighted his experience at Radley Run: “Playing at Radley Run for States was definitely a highlight. It was one of the toughest courses we’ve played all year, and competing against some of the best teams in Pennsylvania really pushed me to stay locked in and focused the whole round. He added, “This season taught me how much patience matters in golf. One bad hole doesn’t define the round—you just have to reset and keep going.” For some, certain courses carried personal meaning. “It has to be our home course, Chambersburg Country Club,” said Paxton Diana ’26. “I’ve grown up playing there and know it really well. “Every time we played there, I felt proud to represent Mercersburg. It’s where I’ve seen my game improve the most. ” Woo added, “While it may not be the most perfect, I’ve built so many memories there. I believe Great Cove will always have a special place in my heart.” As the season comes to a close, players are proud of their progress—both individually and as a team. Their dedication, mental toughness, and steady improvement throughout the season reflect their commitment and ambition. Patel said, “Coach Smith also switched up pairings a lot, which made it easier to get to know everyone and build that team bond,” Patel noted. The team ends the season as a close-knit group, proud of their growth and eager to return stronger for the upcoming spring season. Previous Next

Deetya Tandon '29 < Back String start at Holloway Deetya Tandon '29 Dec 12, 2025 Last weekend, the wrestling team competed in one of the biggest events of their season: the Holloway Tournament, held at Saint James School on Saturday and Abington Friends School on Sunday. The tournament offered early insight into the team’s progress, mindset, and growing confidence. “The goals for this season are to develop young, eager talent and help our juniors compete for a national place,” Assistant Coach Ogden said. “They need to get their mentality right and focus on themselves.” That mindset has guided Mercersburg’s early approach. “During the tournament, we were looking solid on takedowns, staying in our stance, and wrestling the whole period, our whole match,” Assistant Coach O’Mara said. “We just need a little bit of work on the finishing.” Head Coach Lorsen added, “Even though there are a lot of new wrestlers. The guys with experience are eager to teach the younger guys and are really patient with them.” O’Mara said, “A major priority is keeping their confidence up as they're getting some experience under their belts and wrestling against some tougher competition, even if you're not necessarily winning each time. It is all about focusing on the mat itself, and not the nerves that come with it.” That confidence has been strengthened by strong early chemistry. “They all get along,” Ogden said. “They’re excited. They joke when they need to, but they’re serious when they gotta be. They get in, they get their work done.” Louis Yamamoto ’28 echoed that feeling, saying, “I feel a real connection between the people. There’s something real to just experiencing that with other people when you’re trying to get to a common goal. These people weren’t family or close friends, but I still felt very proud of them.” For captain Jonny Nussdorfer ’26, the tournament held special meaning. “I feel like I need to have a really good record in my last year,” he said. “It was my first time placing in this tournament. I am a senior and the past three years I didn’t place, so I am really proud of myself.” He hopes the momentum carries through the rest of the season: “My goals are to place at states and do better than I did in previous years.” “ Personally, I got absolutely wrecked and didn’t perform too well, but it was a good learning opportunity,” Yamamoto said. “Being there with everyone and seeing my teammates doing their best made me feel proud to be part of the team.” Others are ready to step up as well. “My goal is to be the best wrestler I can and get points for my team,” Mark Swetland ‘27 said. “We are doing this together. I believe this is the hardest sport on campus, and we are powering through together as a team.” With growing confidence and chemistry, Mercersburg wrestling is ready for a strong season. O’Mara summed it up: “Everybody wrestled really toughly and strongly throughout the tournament. The most important thing is wrestling the full six minutes.” If this weekend is any indication, the Storm is ready for what comes next on the mats. Previous Next

Talia Curtler '23 < Back This is not a drill Talia Curtler '23 Dec 9, 2022 At 2:05 pm on December 5, 2022, the Mercersburg student body received an emergency text message urging every student currently located in Irvine Hall or the Burgin Center for the Arts to “evacuate immediately.” Students exited the buildings in orderly fashion and were directed to their rooms until further notice. Nathaniel Gotera ‘24 was in the middle of his Calculus III course on the fourth floor of Irvine Hall when received the text and soon evacuated. Nathaniel stated, “I was doubtful of the legitimacy of the threat. It was from TikTok, after all. Nevertheless, it was important to follow protocol.” Meanwhile, Khanh Nguyen ‘25 was in Lenfest when he was instructed to fill out the emergency check-in form mid-class. Since he didn’t see the alert notification until after class, he wasn’t aware of the threat until the aftermath and was quite shocked to hear the news. He shared that he was “impressed with how the school handled the tense situation and how the students remained calm.” Wild rumors flew, but as the frenzy died down, a common narrative emerged: someone had made a bomb threat. As students waited in their dorm rooms, correspondence from the administration began to arrive. “Approximately an hour ago, our communications office received a post on one of the school’s social accounts from a follower who referenced a bomb in the Burgin Center for the Arts and Irvine Hall buildings. The communications team immediately contacted Campus Safety who followed emergency protocols, including alerting state police and sheriff’s offices.” Head of School Quentin McDowell wrote in a school-wide email that was extended to parents as well. The social media post in question came as comment on Mercersburg Academy’s official TikTok account, stating “bomb in the burgin and irvine” from a TikTok user. “As the social media manager for the school, it is my responsibility to keep a close eye on all of Mercersburg’s social media accounts. My phone is set up to receive notifications whenever one of our accounts receives a comment. I noticed the comment on our TikTok account within eight minutes of it being posted. I immediately shared it with Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications, Amy Marathe, who immediately called Director of Campus Safety, Skip Sydnor. The school’s emergency protocols were then activated,” said Cody Parks, director of social media. Communications immediately alerted the campus security team, who followed Pennsylvania protocol. According to state law, “In the event that you receive a bomb threat at your work location, it is imperative for your safety and the safety of others that the police having jurisdiction for your area be contacted immediately.” Throughout the afternoon and evening, state troopers, a bomb squad, and K9 dogs could be seen on campus around the aforementioned buildings. In the meantime, students proceeded with their regular PGA scheduling until the all clear was given at 6:03 pm by Associate Head of School Jennifer Craig. Once the threat had been cleared, McDowell addressed parents in a letter, stating, "You should be proud of your children who remained calm and followed all directions. We are, as always, so impressed with our students.” At the time of this article’s writing, investigations remain underway, and more information will soon be available to the school community. Previous Previous Next Next

Sheily Ramirez ’28 < Back Storm at PAISSA duals Sheily Ramirez ’28 Jan 30, 2026 Confidence and determination defined the Storm wrestling team’s performance at the PAISAA Duals Tournament on Saturday, January 24, at Westtown School, as the team faced tough competition. The Storm finished sixth overall at the tournament, a result that reflected steady progress this season and provided both reassurance and motivation moving forward. “Overall, the team is doing pretty well this season. We placed second at Gilman Duals, which was a big contrast to last year,” said George Greer ’28. “We lost in the final against the number one team in Maryland, Gilman School.” That achievement set the tone for PAISAA, even as the competition intensified. “Going into my matches, I felt confident and that my hard work would pay off,” said Nick Rosenberry ’28, reflecting the team’s overall mindset heading into the duals. “In my matches, my neutral wrestling felt like it was working the best,” he said. While the duals presented challenges, wrestlers pushed through during difficult moments. “The toughest moment of my match was when I got taken down, but I handled it by not giving up and by continuing to try different moves to recover,” Rosenberry said. The team’s collective effort was highlighted by several standout matches. “Really, all of us won consecutive matches to bring the team together, but Ethan Shirk and Nick Rosenberry both had great performances against really hard opponents,” said Greer. “PAISAA was a tough environment, but we stayed focused match to match and didn’t let early losses affect how we competed.” Ethan Shirk ’27 added, “The team’s been doing alright so far this season. We’re a little weak compared to last year’s team after losing a few solid guys.” Still, he found success individually, noting, “My handfighting, fakes, and shots were working well for me, and my teammates wrestled hard at duals, so I am happy.” “Moving forward, we will start to focus on what the majority of the team struggled with, getting us prepared for this week,” Shirk said. Head coach Justin Lorson added, “The team has been trending all season, and everyone is getting more confident.” Assistant coach Benjamin Ogden added, “The wrestlers adjusted well throughout the duals, especially after setbacks. Their willingness to keep competing and support one another between matches is great. I was happy with their performance.” For Rosenberry, the tournament served as a reality check and a motivator. “From competing in this meet, I learned that there’s more work to be done and my potential seeding for states,” he said. “By my performance, I’m motivated to hone in on my skills and to get as many reps in at practice as I can to prepare for competition.” As the season continues, the PAISAA Duals marked another step forward for a team focused on growth, resilience, and preparation for what is next, which will be their next meet on Saturday, January 31. Previous Next

Michelle Zhang < Back Pumpkin Carving Michelle Zhang Oct 13, 2026 L ast Friday, Culbertson House hosted its annual pumpkin carving event, bringing the Mercersburg Academy community together for a fun night of Halloween festivities and delicious s’mores. What began as an outdoor activity during the COVID-19 pandemic has grown into a beloved school tradition, with students carving over 120 pumpkins each year. This year, the event introduced a new inter-dorm competition intended to encourage friendly rivalry. Culbertson House Prefect-in-Training Yoonu Park ’29 stated, “I think the competition made the event more interesting, as there were actually some stakes. So I think people took a lot more time in making and carving the pumpkins, as there was an intense atmosphere among people.” Fellow Prefect-in-Training Noah Park ’29 added, “It’s a friendly competition. It is not meant to pick the dorms apart, but to bring them together through having a fun time.” Behind the scenes, faculty and students worked together to organize the important event, making sure everything went smoothly. Dorm Dean Kristi Magalhães noted that Culbertson residents met with Director of Student Activities Andrea DeLuca to plan the logistics. Noah Park explained, “It took a lot more time than expected because there were a lot of aspects we had to take into account, such as the food truck and how many tables we had to bring over. There are a lot of details that I really overlooked last year, but [this year] we had to focus as the host.” Once the event began, students put their creativity on full display, bringing their unique ideas and artistic talents to their pumpkins. Charlie Higgins ’29 said, “My inspiration was Yoonu Park, a golfer. I saw a golf ball and was like, wait a minute. What if it looked like there was a meteor golf ball crashing into my pumpkin? And then I just tried to make it come to life as best as possible. It turned out pretty good.” For some, making their ideas a reality proved to be harder than it looked. Yoonu Park explained, “Because of safeguarding issues, the sharpness of the knives wasn’t really good. So we had to put a lot of pressure to actually carve the pumpkins. Otherwise, it would look kind of sketchy, and the lines would appear kind of messy instead of straight.” For many students, the event was more than just a Halloween tradition. It created many fun memories and strengthened the bond between students. Higgins said, “My favorite memories were drinking hot apple cider and just messing around with people and looking at their pumpkins. I really enjoyed the amount of people that came and how even the kids that didn’t submit were putting an effort into it.” Ultimately, the event brought the Mercersburg community together through a fun and festive tradition. The event received rave reviews. “I really enjoyed it,” said Angela Tang ’28. “It was nice taking a break and it was also, it was really nice weather and I liked the music.” As Yoonu Park summarized, “I think the Mercersburg community is all about bringing people together. Events like this help create community by fostering conversation and making people connect through enjoyable activities.” Previous Previous Next Next

It has been a terrific season for the Blue Storm boys soccer team... < Back Miracle on the pitch Dean Tae '24 Oct 8, 2022 It has been a terrific season for the Blue Storm boys soccer team. Although the team’s start was slow, the players have made remarkable progress, winning three consecutive Mid-Atlantic Prep League games over three weeks, guaranteeing the team a winning record in the league. The team is younger than in previous years, with tenth and even ninth graders seeing ample field time. The team has been working towards a mutual goal: playing as a team and bringing positive energy to the pitch. The coaches, summer programs director Peter Kallin and department teacher Skyler Clark, have been pushing their athletes to play for one another and trust one another on the field. The younger players, in particular, have been demonstrating hard work and great energy throughout the season. Miles Maggioncalda ’23 said, “ The young guys on the team have been terrific. They have come every day to training with a positive attitude and a desire to work hard and learn.” Chuks Ugori ‘23 agreed: “Personal shoutout to Simon, Grant, Gaven, Jaekwan, Max, Tahir, and Chris. These boys have all stepped up in their first year here, doing an amazing job. They show up to every training session working hard and playing hard in games too” (referring to Simon Brennan ’26, Grant Wilkinson ’26, Gaven McGuire ’26, Jaekwan Kim ’26, Max Zhang ‘26, Tahir Hasanov ‘26, and Chris Ametepe ‘25). The determination that players share is crucial to the team’s success. “Being young and on varsity makes me feel like I always need to live up to everyone's expectations, even if that is not true. Although it can be rough at times, I just try my best and be as open as possible to new information and critique,” said Gaven McGuire ’26. The captains and seniors on the team have worked to guide new teammates to become more confident and comfortable. “Early in the season I was intimidated by the speed and size of some players. But as the season has gone on, I have gotten more comfortable. Miles, Chuks, Ken, Dan, Kellian, Adam, Augie, Giacomo, and Francis a re great leaders and have made me a better, more confident player” Wilkinson said (referring to Maggioncalda, Ugori, Ken Akiyama ’23, Dan Zagorii ‘23, Kellian Sisovic ‘23, Adam Malmud ‘23, Augie Bennett ‘24, Giacomo Oliva ‘23, and Francis Betkowski ‘23). Also enhancing the boys’ performance has been their team chemistry. “I feel like the team spirit is a lot different from last season. Last season I felt like a lot of players were getting on with each other after a mistake, but this season I think that we have each other's back and are becoming more united. Also, I think that the movie Miracle put a spell on us,” said Akiyama, in reference to a movie the team watched during practice. The team has enjoyed a winning streak after this inspiration. “We all support each other and are friends outside the soccer field too. I also think we gained a little bit of hope and belief in ourselves that we didn't have last year when our coaches made the unorthodox decision of having us watch the movie Miracle instead of training one day,” said Ugori. “We have a tight-knit group and we all want to do our best. We push each other in positive ways and have worked extremely hard in every single training session,” agreed Maggioncalda. The team is optimistic about its upcoming games. The Storm has one more match against the Hill School this season, a game that will decide Mercersburg’s position in MAPL’s soccer standings. The team has also qualified to compete in the PAISAA playoffs, adding more games to their season. Blue Storm boys soccer plans to keep the momentum rolling as they compete against Hill. Previous Next

Ariel Xu '28 < Back Pour Mental Health Ariel Xu '28 May 9, 2025 At the start of the Spring term, the USC MIND Ice Bucket Challenge– SpeakYourMIND –swept across Mercersburg Academy. Originating with a University of South Carolina club promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention, the campaign encouraged participants to pour ice water over themselves as a symbolic gesture representing the daily struggles faced by those living with mental illness. Almost all Mercersburg students have taken part, filming videos, posting them on Instagram, and nominating their friends to continue the challenge. The movement gained further traction after journalist Jenna Bush Hager performed the challenge on NBC’s Today Show. “What I remember about the ice bucket challenge when I heard about it, it was big in 2014-2015. It was run by the ALS Association and shared some of the same conversations that we’re having now. I wondered if that was the most effective way to be raising money,” said Director of Library Services Alexandra Patterson. “But, they did actually manage to raise $220 million and ended up on the Today Show, so I think there’s precedent for doing this to raise awareness, but if I remember correctly, that version was run by the ALS Foundation itself, and they were asking celebrities to be a part of it.” The ALS Association supports research and care for people with progressive neurodegenerative diseases. One among the many Mercersburg students who have been involved, Frederick Wu ’26 said, “I participated because I’ve never done it before, and I think it’s pretty cool, though I didn’t even know it was for mental illness.” Another student, Serena Gibbs ’28, said, “I participated because I feel like everyone else participated, and it would be weird if you didn’t participate. I feel like more of the challenge was about how many people you know and could nominate, and how many people nominated you, rather than mental health. And I don’t think it promotes any awareness of mental health because more people are focused on nominating people and making a good video than on concerning themselves with doing the research.” Leah De Leon ’27 echoed a similar sentiment, saying: “It was definitely more like a trend. I just wanted to fit in the crowd, so I just did it. A lot of people don’t know why they are being nominated, so unless they know the reason, honestly, it is pointless.” Cecelia Wang’ 25, however, connected more deeply with the symbolism of the challenge,: “The important part of this campaign is the feeling after you pour the ice water, the feeling constantly comes to you. It makes my brain feel ill, and I just don’t like the feeling. And I think many people with mental health issues do feel similar things, like how they cannot control their minds and how their minds are always constantly struggling, and I think that was what the ice bucket challenge was supposed to evoke.” Wang further offered,“ I don’t think Instagram is the correct platform to raise this awareness. Even though I see good intentions, there are still other ways to do so.” Previous Previous Next Next

Ian Kim '27 < Back A light on the chapel Ian Kim '27 Nov 8, 2024 One of the staples of the Mercersburg campus is the magnificent lighting on the Irvine Memorial Chapel. The recent installation of new lights has become a topic of interest for both students and faculty members. With the 100th anniversary of the chapel’s construction approaching, it is an exciting change of scenery for the campus. The previous system relied on two large floodlights. “ They didn't do a great job aesthetically of lighting up the chapel. They were more like big bright flashlights and also caused a lot of light pollution. As those lights got old, we just wanted to change stuff up,” Will Willis, the Director of Environmental Initiatives, stated. “They used a lot of electricity as well, and all the light pollution was bad. It affects bird migration, but also with humans as well, with our sleep cycles and all that.” Last spring, the school started the installation of the new lights. The replacement lights accomplish several purposes, including improving the building’s aesthetic appeal. The light is now focused on specific areas of the chapel, such as the spire, to illuminate them. “But they are also really environmental, all of the lights now. Even though there are more of them, they use less electricity than the two lights that were there before,” Willis noted. “Less energy, less light pollution, and we also have timers set on them. They’re not on the entire night, just a reasonable amount of time for people to see the lights. So the new lights are honestly doing great, very environmentally friendly.” Some students learned about the benefits of this change through Advanced Studies Environmental Studies class. Many of them are very satisfied with the replacement lights. AJ Patel ‘26 said, “I think the change to the chapel lighting is beneficial. The lighting allows the chapel to stand out more as opposed to lighting up the general area, which may have affected the environment and wildlife.” Jaekwan Kim ‘26 stated, “This new lighting honestly improved a lot on the environmental issues the old lights had, and I’m very glad the school took notice of it.” Despite all these beneficial changes, one of the biggest impacts the lighting has on students on campus comes during stargazing opportunities, such as the recent Northern Lights display and the appearance of a comet on the western horizon. The light pollution from the floodlights in the night sky drowns out dimmer stars and subtle light effects, making them harder to see. “ It's just a big streak of light in the sky, that makes normal stargazing pretty annoying and stargazing at the observatory way harder,” Daniel Cunningham ’26 said. Others didn’t notice a visible difference. “I haven't heard about the chapel lighting's effect on stargazing, despite my actually going and visiting the stargazing program myself,” Avery Liu ‘26 commented. “ That's honestly pretty disappointing though. The people at the observatory really just want to share their passion with everyone and it would be great if the school could just help them out a little.” Students agree that the chapel lights should be turned off on nights with stargazing opportunities. However, those aware of the recent changes to the chapel lighting are very positive about the benefits they bring. Previous Previous Next Next

Andrew Chang ‘26 < Back Fierce footballers Andrew Chang ‘26 Nov 13, 2023 The Blue Storm football team faced a daunting season. Much of the challenge was the result of the graduation last year of many talented players. Assistant coach Matt Jacobs said, “This is my first year coaching, and so from what I was told, we had lost a lot of upperclassmen guys last year.“ Apart from the usual goal of winning–which the team had done a lot of in recent years–athletes focused on the team and themselves. The football team’s optimistic attitude seems to prevail over any challenges. Adrian Rios ’25 said, “Last season, we had more talented players, but this year everyone is a dog out there.” He emphasized that the new players “try hard and tackle everyone a hundred percent out there on the field.” Imangali Zhakan ’26 added, “I'm proud of our team, and we just want to develop and get better together.” He acknowledged that the players were willing to improve as they practiced with the mindset to learn every day. They were well aware that practicing this way would pay off later in the season. Jacoba added, “Some of the outcomes in the games aren't what we wanted, but the work ethic is there.” Head coach Andy Brown said, “While our team record wasn't what we had hoped for, I will still characterize this season as a success.” Jacobs commented on the string of uncharacteristic losses to end the season: “It's not great losing, but they are working hard to get better, [and] to have a different outcome the following week.” Rios elaborated, “People need to reset their mindset because every time after our atmosphere gets low, but every time after we win, everyone's very upbeat.” The players’ unflinching dedication was not lost on the coaches. Jacobs said, “The leadership from the captains and the coaching staff is awesome, and I'm having a good time, and the guys are having a good time.” Many upperclassmen on the team are working to pass the culture of hard work to newer team members. Zhakan stated, “I feel like we have a pretty good team dynamic. We have our captains and our seniors teaching the lowerclassmen.” Brown also noted, “Many of our players became better at football players, athletes, and people who displayed leadership skills. Wins and losses do not wholly define success. Brown said, “We had lots of highlights throughout the season - many because our team were great teammates to each other and worked hard to the end of every game. We played well at times but usually had a mistake here or there that cost us an opportunity to put the game away when needed.” Brown concluded by starting his profound respect for the hard-working players, calling the football team “one of my favorite groups to coach. They are an outstanding group of young people.” Previous Next

Avery Liu ‘25  < Back Getting squashed? Avery Liu ‘25 Feb 2, 2024 Blue Storm boys and girls squash teams are heating up this season. With some tough losses and big wins, both teams are fighting to end the season strong. Before winter break, the boys and girls teams faced The Episcopal Academy ending in a loss for both. Mogere Nyakoe ‘25 said, “We did lose the beginning principal matches, but they were against a really good school. But our team has a really good mix of people and we’re [feeling] pretty good going into the next games.” Following the match, the teams competed in the 51st year of Mercersburg’s Flanagan Invitational with the girls team placing fourth out of six schools and the boys securing a few wins of their own. Since winter break, both teams have defeated The Potomac School and Nichols School. The girls later faced Agnes Irwin but came out short of a strong squad. Ana Botello Gaytan ‘25 said, “The girls have been great…and even though we lost some games, I think they did the best they could.” Following these tough matches, the girls secured a win over National Cathedral School, and the boys defeated Woodberry Forest School. To prepare for their MAPL matches against Blair Academy and The Hill School, the teams kept up their hard work at practice without any changes to their routine. Head coach Dominic Benacquista said, “Practices are just very basic you know. We're looking to do fundamentals like what things give us the most chance of winning. You know there’s nothing special about how we prepare for Blair and Hill.” The team remains optimistic and supportive of each other when facing tough opponents. Huzaifa Ibrahim ‘24 said, “This year we have good communication with each other…We have a lot of freshmen this year so as top players we support [them].” With the arrival of several new players, the team’s dynamic has shifted to focus more on growth than record. Benacqista said, “Well, [the team is] weaker. We have way more developmental players within the team and a lot of new players that have never played before.” Additionally, both squash teams faced tough opponents without key players. Ibrahim said, “The first half of the season we didn’t have the full team, and I wasn’t playing because of some tournaments.” Nyakoye added, “We’ve played against some pretty hard people. But we got through it.” In their match against The Hill School, both teams came out victorious with the girls team winning 9-0 and the boys 6-3. Following these matches, both teams fought to success against rival Blair Academy: the girls 5-4 and the boys 6-3. A harmony of top performances by seasoned senior players and new players like William Luo ‘27 gave both teams victories to bring back home. The teams aren’t stopping here and they have ambitious goals for the future. Benacquista said, “I think the longer the season goes on, the better we’ve been overall, especially for the more developmental players we have.” With MASO, MAPL, and Nationals coming up, the teams have a lot to work for. Ibrahim said, “[At Nationals], we aim to finish top 10, and we are pretty confident.” Previous Next

With a talented group of both new and returning athletes and a packed schedule, the girls basketball team has big ambitions for the season... < Back Ballers Ann Sehon '25 Dec 9, 2022 With a talented group of both new and returning athletes and a packed schedule, the girls basketball team has big ambitions for the season. “We will be good this year and should be rolling by the time MAPL play starts in January,” head coach Paul Sipes said. “We have only played twice and we are still learning how to play together.” Though the team has logged two losses to date, both games were close: 46 - 53 against Seton School, and 39 - 35 versus St. John Paul the Great. Nevertheless, many opportunities to perform lie ahead . The team Will rely heavily on its veterans. “We have 3 returning players, Rachel Hull ‘23 who was our leading scorer and is a co-captain this year and last, our other co-captain Maddie Goodhardt ‘24 who was our leading rebounder and second-leading scorer despite having a shortened season. We return Leilani Isel-Register ‘24 as well. Leilani was our best defender and in the top 5 in all stats,” said Sipes. At the same time, the team is working to build for the future. Sipes added, “We added 4 exciting newcomers who should help us be better this season.” The girls basketball team should provide competitive and entertaining action throughout the winter season. Co-captain, Maddie Goodhart ‘24 said, “The team has really good chemistry this year and we’ve improved really quickly over the past few games. It looks like it’s going to be a good year. I’m really looking forward to this season.” The girls’ basketball team will be competing in the She Got Game Tournament in DC this weekend. Previous Next

In the case of the Mercersburg wrestling team, friendship, team bonding, and hard work are at the center of their esprit de corps... < Back A strong start for wrestling Gabe McGuire '24 and Anne Sehon '25 Dec 9, 2022 In the case of the Mercersburg wrestling team, friendship, team bonding, and hard work are at the center of their esprit de corps. These values will contribute to their success in the season ahead for the Blue Storm. The team took third at the Admiral Holloway Tournament on December 3, making for an already strong start to the season. “Hard work and persistence are the two most important things for the team,” said team manager, Chloe Allis ‘25. “The conditioning workouts are really hard, but everyone does a really good job at persevering through them.” Alex Forrester ‘23 added, “I’ve come miles from where I was. The work is definitely paying off.” As for their previous and upcoming performances this season, Forrester said, “We’re building. We lost a lot of people last year but I’m proud of how we’ve performed and how far we’ve already come and I think we’re gonna do really well.” The wrestling team faces its next challenge in a dual tournament at home on Saturday. Previous Next