Adrienne Howard ‘26 and Jack Pollinger ‘26
Dec 13, 2024
With the winter term off to a strong start, Mercersburg Academy’s winter sports teams are showing no signs of slowing down. The boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, and boys’ and girls’ swimming teams are gearing up for some of the biggest events of their seasons: basketball tournaments at the Hill School and the Peddie School, and a swim meet at Penn State. Blue Storm athletes’ preparation for tough competitions has set the stage for strong performances.
With just five days of practice after fall break, the Mercersburg Storm girls’ basketball team has been prepping for the upcoming Hill School Invitational Tournament. Paul Sipes, the team’s head coach, said, “We have to learn how to play together first. We have a lot of really talented kids coming back and new ones that came in. I don’t think you can be a confident team until you understand how everybody plays.”
Looking ahead to the tournament Annie Mohr ’26 said, “We purposely didn’t set very many goals for this tournament. I think [Coach Sipes] wanted us to go out there and not be afraid to mess up and see where we’re at.”
Sipes continued, "I think the number one thing is just getting a chance to get our feet out there and look at what we do and start improving it right away.”
The boy's basketball team has been preparing for the Basketbull Hoopsfest next week. Head coach Sean Crocker noted his team’s efforts, saying, “We’re making progress and getting better every day. We’re just going to remind ourselves of how we play and try to do the best we can.”
Josiah Wright ’25 said, “A key thing is we are working on holding and containing pressure.” Thaddeus Lee, ’25 added, “We’ve been figuring things out, so I’m very optimistic for the season. [I want the team] to win the championship, and my personal goal is to win the tournament MVP.”
The Mercersburg swimming teams prepared for the meet at Richmond and USSA Junior Nationals with diligence. “We had a successful meet at State College on Wednesday even after dealing with some less-than-ideal circumstances,” said Olivia Glick ’25.
The team is determined to keep their momentum. “We’ve been focusing on setting up a plan for how we want to race our events,” explained Glick. “We’ve been working on the minute details, and making sure we’re ready.”
Head coach Matt Hurst said, “The goal for those going to Juniors is just to be seen on the introduction to the international scenes. And for those going to Richmond, we are looking for season-best times and competing as a collective.”