This winter, Spartan athletes were busy training, drilling, and putting their practice to impressive use. From the swimmers’ trip to States to many young runners’ school-record-breaking times, there is a lot to discuss about the winter sports season. Here, Chronicle writers gathered the highlights.
Girls Basketball:
The girls basketball team finished a great year with a record of 14-7, placing fourth in their division.
The team had a “strong bond from the beginning,” says sophomore Karly Hartman, as “[they] only lost one senior last year.” With such a close group, “there was a lot of chemistry” on and off the court. This was shown on the court with great passing and communication. But Hartman mainly highlights how “the bench was always hyping up the players so much.”
This led to “really fun practice,” she says. But, even though the practices were filled with talking and laughing, “[the team was] able to lock in and work hard.”
With a bunch of new players coming to the team, there were many changes to be made. However, Hartman explains how the “seniors were able to guide the freshman on what’s normal and how practices and games go.” Team captains Caitlin Lewis and Ava Culler “led the team and set a tone for how everything would be handled.”
The Spartans shined when they translated their focus and leadership to gameplay. Ava Culler led the way, reaching 1,000 points this season “with lots of help from her teammates,” Ava says.
Hartman sums up the team as “super passionate,” which is something that propelled them all the way to the 4a district finals.
Boys’ Basketball:
The boy’s basketball team ended the winter sports season with an even record of 12-10. According to Ryan McGuckin, it was “full of action and accomplishments.” He says that “[the team] had many goals for [themselves],” which carried them into their many successes.
One big accomplishment that the team had this season was a win against Council Rock North, with a score of 55-53. “That school is huge compared to us,” said Senior and Captain Will McLaughlin. He says “it was a bit intimidating”—but thanks to key defensive plays by Chadrack Kiamba and a game-winning lay-up by Will McLaughlin, the boys capped off a major night in program history.
Another success that came out of this season was winning the Oreland Lions Tip-off Tournament over Jenkintown. McGuckin explains how “this was a great start to the season” because it “really started [the team] off on a high point.”
McGuckin says he watched “[the team] get very close throughout the season,” from joking around at actual practices to hyping each other up during games. The team hopes that their successes, both on and off the court, will continue to grow with the years to come.
Hockey:
The Hockey team finished their season with a record of 7-9 and made it into the playoffs. This is the third season that the Spartans have competed on the ice.
Captain Grayson Quinn emphasized the determination that the team had, especially with a “rough start to the season.” He said that, starting off, the team “wasn’t playing together” and there was a lot of “individual efforts.”
But the players started to see more success midway through the season. Grayson credits their momentum shift to how they started “getting closer together as a team.” Sophomore John Barr adds that there were a lot of “team bonding experiences” that brought the team together. He said that the Spartans faced difficulties but were able to “change direction at the right time.”
This helped the Spartans get “a couple of big overtime wins and find a playoff spot.” There were many outcomes from this season, but Quinn thinks “it was more positive.” They look forward to next season, where they believe that “there will be much success.”
Girls Indoor Track:
The girls’ indoor track and field team competed at a very high level this season and broke numerous records. They worked rigorously throughout the season, resulting in some athletes qualifying for the Meet of Champs.
Although track and field events are run individually, the team still had a special chemistry together. On this, junior Olivia Gatewood says, “We always support one another and cheer each other on whenever someone is competing.”
The team broke 2 school records this season. Sophomore Mercie Horvay, Sophomore Lauren Broadus, Junior Olivia Gatewood, and Senior Alana Culler broke the 4×4 record, and Lauren Broadus broke the 200-meter and the 60-meter dash records. These achievements are ones that help bring more recognition to these athletes as well as the STHS track and field team.
Boys Indoor Track:
The Indoor track team ended a historic season with many school records broken and appearances at the State Championships.
Caden Bronson, a senior, saw “a lot of growth from everyone.” While the beginning of the season was focused on getting athletes back into shape after other sports’ seasons, it didn’t take long before the team was in full force.
Even after losing some important seniors, “[they] still were able to keep focus.” Many “hard hitters” from seasons prior graduated, and it was difficult to find replacements for those spots. However, Bronson thinks that the underclassmen were “really impressive” with how they handled the change. With leadership available to anyone on the team, Bronson he “was pleased with how the upperclassmen took the new role.” He credits them for being able to hold the team together.
The Spartan runners didn’t just show growth in their times, but also as a team. Bronson adds, “It’s kind of hard not to get closer when you are at a meet with them for hours.”
Bronson’s big takeaway from this season was how “not everything is given to you” and that “you definitely have to work for it.” He felt that they were very focused during the season, which led to great results.
The team hopes to continue the big successes for years to come.
Girls’ wrestling:
The Spartans’ Girls’ Wrestling team finished off their inaugural season well. The team “won every dual meet” and “did well in all the tournaments [they] participated in.”
Junior Abby Baskin saw a lot of growth over the season. Baskin said that many newer wrestlers learned a lot quickly, and ended the season with “multiple wins.” A big factor in this growth was the leadership shown by seniors, specifically Senior Hailey Murphy, who Giuliana Brzezinski, a freshman, said: “took [her] in and basically was [her] older sister.”
Under this leadership, the team “Persevered through the ups and downs” and was able to have a good inaugural season. Senior Hailey Murphy is proud that “the girls stuck to it,” and found success in tournaments. She elaborates, saying that “we did not have as many girls as other schools, so we were not able to place high, but we still did really well.”
Through leadership and fellowship, the Girls’ Wrestling team was able to pull off a good inaugural season, and plans to continue the success for years to come.
Boys Wrestling:
Competing in the tough central division of PIAA District 1 AAA wrestling this year, the Spartan boys wrestling team finished their season with a record of 9-13. Throughout the season, they competed in many tournaments and ended up winning the SCH invitational and coming in 3rd at the SOL Freedom championships.
This year, “wrestlers finished the season strong,” and “there was a lot of growth throughout the team,” according to Coach McCaslin. He says the team “wrestled a very challenging schedule with a lot of good exposure.”
Coach McCaslin also says that the “distributed leadership amongst the seniors and juniors” worked very well. Under this leadership, the team is able to train their underclassmen: “from day one, the culture of the program is delivered clearly to the underclassmen and the newer wrestlers are able to line up into what we have got going.” This team culture really helped propel the Spartan wrestlers into success.
Sophomore standout wrestler Nate Martinez believes that the leaders “showed [the new wrestlers] the do’s and don’t’s.” They helped the freshmen and new recruits “progress in the sport,” which led to the team “winning some dual meets.”
The boys wrestling team grew together this year under great coaching and leadership–a legacy that underclassmen teammates look forward to carrying into next season.
Unified Bocce:
The Unified Bocce team had a great season and closed it out placing second place at the league championship and seventh place at regionals.
The team worked hard all season and had many improvements. “We practiced twice a week and got better every practice,” junior Gia Pernicello says.
With the progression of the season, the team bonded a lot and developed good team chemistry. “It was just a very good group of people and a fun environment to be in,” says Pernicello. With the positive atmosphere the team had, they were able to work well together as a team.
For sophomore Declan O’Donnell, playing bocce meant “being there with everyone, having a good time,” and “strategizing.” While the season had its challenges, he says, “we pulled through… and had some great shots.” This includes his game-winning shot during regionals.
Like O’Donnell, Pernicello says that her largest takeaway of the season is, “you don’t have to win every game… what’s important is that you tried your best and had fun playing.”
Boys Swimming:
The boys swim team dominated this year, winning the suburban championships, the district one championships for 2A, and finishing seventh overall at 2A State Championships.
Senior Logan Stum saw “tons of growth this year,” as “[the team was] very close to breaking some school records.”
Stum also believes the swimmers are “super close.” He attributes this to the fact that “everyone on the team does water polo and swimming together, and it just brings everyone together.” In terms of the team dynamic, Stum says, “[The team is] very inclusive, because there is no JV of Varsity team, so there is no split between people trying to make the varsity spot.” This contributed to the freshman being able to “integrate very well into the team.”
Along with qualifying for states, the team was very successful this year: “At districts, every single person who went dropped a new personal best time.” Stum is “proud of how successful the team was this year.”
Stum’s key takeaway from the season was how “everyone put in their max effort whenever they were swimming.”
The closeness, determination, and effort from this team have been the main factors for their dominant year.
Boys Diving:
Comprised of Senior Hunter Stock, freshman Owen Campbell, and freshman Ryder Brady, the boys’ diving team had a successful season.
Senior Captain Hunter Stock saw growth “with both Ryder and Owen.” He says that “they both improved so much and did amazing in their first year.”
Community and culture played a big role in the diving team’s success this year. Stock said they had a unique dynamic: “Seniors treated [the freshmen] like they had been on the team as long as [the seniors]. [The seniors] still messed around with the new divers as much as [the seniors] messed around with each other.”
Despite the fun they had, they saved time for discipline: Ryder and Owen placed “3rd and 5th” respectively at districts.
The amount of fun this team had greatly contributed to the success they were able to achieve, and improved the experience of the season for everyone involved.
Girls Swimming and Diving:
The girls’ swimming and diving team had a very successful season, going undefeated in Suburbans and districts, winning every regular-season meet.
At states, they placed 3rd in the 200 medley relay, 6th in the 200 free relay, and 7th in the 400 free relay. Overall, they placed 7th in 2A State Championships.
Coming into the season, the team had many incoming freshmen. With the help of the captains, there was a very welcoming environment. “We lost a bunch of seniors last year, and the new freshman class came in ready to work hard,” says junior Julia Cooney. “We really bonded as a team, and that’s what led us to do well at states.”
The swimmers worked diligently every practice and improved as the season progressed—but left time to have fun. As quoted by senior captain Anna Hendrzak, “All the girls did so amazing, and we all had so much fun.”
The countless hours of practice and the admirable effort put in by the swimmers truly paid off. Qualifying for the postseason and winning all of their regular-season meets, as Hendrzak puts it, “really showed how hard the team worked all season.”
