Superstitiously, the number 13 is often considered an unlucky number in Western culture. For Taylor Swift, however, 13 brings good fortune and holds a special meaning throughout her career. Today, the worldwide popstar released a double album. But what’s even more important than “The Tortured Poet’s Department: The Anthology” is Edition #13 of the Radnor Sports Roundup. Read the lucky (or unlucky) edition below to learn more about the spring sports that have been fueled by determination and hard work these past two weeks.
—Margarita
Baseball – Daniel Kellis
After RABA returned from the beautiful Florida weather, they faced #1 ranked Strath Haven in 40-degree weather and narrowly lost. In another tight and competitive game the next day, Radnor lost to Marple Newtown. In response to the adversity, the Raptors won both their games the following week, beating Harriton 7-2 and Springfield 6-0. Junior pitcher Ryan McWilliams and sophomore pitcher Austin Havertine dominated in both games, combining for 13 strikeouts. Additionally, Junior Joe Krasowski and Will Selbech led Radnor with two hits. Coming off the wins, Radnor faced their rival, the Conestoga Pioneers, the following Monday. Unfortunately for Conestoga, sophomore pitcher Austin Havertine obliterated the Pioneers in five innings with 11 strikeouts and one hit, resulting in a 10-0 victorious shut-out. The season ahead looks bright for RABA, with many more wins soon to come.
Color Guard – Sofiia Kuzmenko
The color guard had a lovely time performing in Canada, and the audience enjoyed the entertainment as well. The weekend before, the team earned 79.37 and 80.09 points for their two shows at Perkiomen Valley High School. Now, the competition season is coming to a close. This weekend, the guard will be competing in finals for the Mid-Atlantic Indoor Network, and the following weekend they will be competing in chapters for TIA.
Crew (Boys) – Dan Kaper-Barcelata
The Radnor Boys Crew team has been working hard to put up our best lineups, and these past weeks of training have been packed with seat racing in an attempt to optimize our race results. On April 6th, we competed at Manny Flick 3, with our Novice 8 placing second, Lightweight 4 placing third, and both of our Varsity 4s placing third and fourth overall. At Manny Flick 4, our Novice 4 placed 1st, Lightweight 4 placed 1st, and our Varsity 4B placed 1st, while Varsity 4A placed 4th in their respective heats. Over the next weeks, we will be focusing on high rate training and refining our race plan for Manny Flick 5, in which our seeding for championship season will be determined.
Crew (Girls) – Addy Carter and Arielle Mims
Lately, Radnor Girls Crew has been putting in some hard work. The past two weeks have been filled with inadequate weather that has worsened conditions for rowing on the water, so the team has been erging, doing workouts, and running. On April 6th, RGCC competed in the third Manny Flick. The Novice 4 placed 4th, the Novice 8 placed 4th, and the JV 8 placed 6th in each of their respective heats. The varsity boats raced two 4s and one 8, and they placed 1st, 8th, and 8th. Congratulations to coxswain Phoebe Chaskelson for coxing the Novice 8 in her first race! RGCC also teamed up with RBCC and had a mulch fundraiser, where both teams sold and delivered bags of mulch. The next day, the fourth Manny Flick was supposed to take place, but due to unsafe water conditions, all girls races were canceled. The team is gearing up to race in the last Manny Flick, which determines their seeding for City Championships. Be sure to wish them luck!
Lacrosse (Boys) – Margarita Moreland
The Radnor Boys Lacrosse team is on a roll with no stop in sight. On Thursday, April 4th, the boys prevailed over Harriton in a 14-4 victory. Owen Knight and Tommy Goldstein secured three goals, respectively, while Kessy Cox contributed with three assists and two goals. That following Saturday morning, the team woke up early to conquer Upper Dublin (11-5). Despite rainy and windy conditions, RALA was unbeatable on Encke Field. The long-awaited Springfield game finally came on April 12th. Harvard commit Michael Savadove led the team on defense and senior goalie John Webb demonstrated an impressive performance of nine saves. Offensively, Tucker Graham, Nate Lucchesi, Kessy Cox, Tommy Goldstein, Owen Knight, and Sawyer Smith each tallied goals for the Raptors; the game ended in a joyous 11-6 win. Coming off the high of thrashing the Cougars, the team made their way to Penncrest on April 16th and, yet again, took home a landslide win. RALA locked down the Lions (14-6), witnessing goals from Owen Smith, Finn Petrone, Bryce Cohen, Jake Barber, and Zach French. Senior Carter Mountain also contributed with eight face-offs. Looking ahead, the boys hope to continue their outstanding winning streak.
Lacrosse (Girls) – Tatum Brown
Radnor Girls Lacrosse is continuing their dominance this season, with a big win over both Springfield and Penncrest in the past week. The girls beat Springfield, a longtime rival, in an impressive 17-6 win. On Tuesday April 16th, the girls played Penncrest High School, one of their more competitive games of the year. It was a back and forth game in the first half, with both teams constantly battling for the lead. In the second half, the Radnor defense locked up and stopped the ball. From senior Grace Gordon forcing turnovers and running the ball through the midfield to senior Margot Johnson being a brick wall and holding down the eight, the team was unstoppable. On the attack side, junior Taylor Murphy helped win the draw, dodged defenders, and scored goal after goal. Senior Kate Gallagher was doing it all, from tough defense to goal scoring. They came out on top, winning 13-10. The girls are undefeated and looking to keep it that way against Marple Newtown in their upcoming game on Thursday April 18th. This team is determined, enjoyable to watch, and very motivated to keep their winning streak alive.
Tennis (Boys) – Ben Brecher
Radnor Boys Tennis continued their impressive run, defeating Strath Haven 7-0, Penncrest 6-1, and Marple Newtown 7-0, all within the span of a couple days. Radnor then faced off against Springfield High School, in a game that had to be rescheduled due to the weather. Radnor, once again, shut out their opponents with a lethal 7-0 victory. After the match against Springfield, Radnor’s focus shifted to Senior Night against Upper Darby. When the long-awaited Senior Night arrived, Radnor Boys Tennis honored all 18 seniors on the team and proceeded to thrash Upper Darby 7-0. Although the next match against Episcopal was canceled, Radnor had the pleasure of sending Antonio Fidelibus and Arav Menon to the Central Athletic League Singles Tournament, in which Antonio qualified for districts. Radnor Boys Tennis is extremely proud of both Antonio and Arav for representing Radnor at the tournament! On Monday, April 15th, Radnor faced off against Lower Merion. Tension was in the air as Radnor put their 11-0 unbeaten run on the line. A hard match was fought, but Radnor managed to come out victorious with a narrow 4-3 victory over their rivals, keeping their record perfect. This was Radnor’s first ever win against Lower Merion in program history. Radnor Boys Tennis ended this stretch with a non-league match against West Chester Rustin, ultimately winning 7-0. In the near future, the boys will travel to Garnet Valley and Ridley before returning home to face an undefeated Conestoga team.
Track and Field (Boys) – Commerce Fisk
The season is well underway for the Radnor Boys Track and Field team, with meet after meet demonstrating the ever-increasing prowess of these talented athletes. Friday the 5th welcomed the boys to Penncrest High School on a mild day in Media, but the performances were everything but. The 4×800 team finished in first place, more than 20 seconds faster than 2nd place at a time of 8:25.73. Senior captain Lionel Dunbar also came in first in the 100 meter dash with a lightning quick time of 11.24, along with the 4×100 team finishing first place at 45.01. Junior Owen Lim had a fantastic outing at the triple jump pit, jumping 41-10.50. Senior Noah Wampole also had an exciting day jumping over at the high jump, surpassing 6”0 late in the meet. Less than 24 hours later, the boys hopped on the bus for Haverford High School, where the bustling Haverford Invitational was being held. Luke Bodden outlasted the wind early in the meet, as he medaled in the 1600m at a time of 4:29.54, earning him second place. In the early afternoon, junior indoor states qualifier Joseph Garzio earned himself a medal and qualified for districts. with an unbelievable 1:57.77 800m. After numerous exciting meets, the boys waited a week until their next competition; they traveled 45 minutes away to the foothills of Coatesville for the Coatesville Invitational. A week of hard practice in both the sun and rain prepared the boys for the blistering wind on the track. The runners in the DMR proved this by coming in 4th place and medaling in the first event of the meet, led by Luke Bodden in 1200m, Nate Halberstadt in the 400m, Commerce Fisk in the 800m, and Joseph Garzio in the 1600m. In addition, Radnor’s marquee high-jumper Noah Wampole reached 6”4 despite the adverse conditions, winning himself a medal. The team continues to experiment with different runners in various events to bring out the best in each athlete. The boys make the quick trip to Harriton High School on Wednesday for the final league meet of the year, a perfect opportunity to hit PRs and score points against teams throughout the league. With the grand Penn Relays and the highly-anticipated Delco and Central League championship approaching, coaches, runners, and field athletes alike will push themselves to the limit to finish off a strong and successful season for Radnor.
Track and Field (Girls) – Kayla Cormier
The fact that RGTF is dominating their season comes with no surprise. The last Roundup left off with the girls eagerly anticipating the Haverford Invitational on Saturday, April 6, during which the 4×800 relay placed second with a time of 9:41.31–fast enough to secure them a spot in the Penn Relays. Additionally, both the 4×400 relay and Emma Hyde (1600 meter) placed 7th overall. The CAL meet that was scheduled for April 3 at Garnet Valley was postponed to the following Tuesday, April 9. There, Courtney Kearns and Zoe Margolies easily took first places in the 800 meter and 1600 meter, respectively. Radnor’s 4×800 relay also ran a strong race, coming in first. Saturday, April 13, marked the Delco Relays at Marple Newtown High School. While all of our relays ran incredibly, the 4×1600 relay and Distance Medley Relay (DMR) both brought home gold medals. The 4×1600 meter relay combined to run in 22:14.3, and the DMR runners ran an impressive 12.39.8 (one of the top times in Pennsylvania). Radnor Girls Track & Field is not planning on slowing down anytime soon. On April 17, the girls will host the first home track meet in 5 years! Due to COVID-19 and the reconstruction of Prevost Field, RGTF has been restricted from hosting home meets. After the meet, the team will also celebrate their five outstanding seniors: Courtney Kearns, Julia Salinero, Zoe Margolies, Sophia Hill, and Lidia Khellouf. Come out and show your support–Go RGTF!
Ultimate Frisbee (Boys) – Kavin Thapar
Sadly the cancellation streak of RUF games continues: the match on Monday’s solar eclipse against Plymouth Whitemarsh, former state champions, was canceled. However, the JV tournament this weekend went fairly well considering the low attendance during the band trip. Radner placed third and some players got their first experiences playing ultimate. They followed up with a varsity match on Monday and another on Wednesday.
Ultimate Frisbee (Girls) – Sofie Jubelirer
Since the last roundup, the girls have had a busy schedule filled with tournaments and lots of weekday games. Last Tuesday, the team faced Haverford (HUDA) in a weekday game and successfully won. More importantly, the girls played in their second tournament of the spring season: RINVITE. This multi-level frisbee tournament has been taking place at Radnor for years now and is a beloved tradition in the ultimate community. During the tournament, the girls played three teams: HUDA, Masterman, and SHUG in the finals. Coming into the tournament, RGUF was excited but still had some fear as the team only had three subs that day. However, it turned out to be a sunny day that was perfect for playing ultimate. In their first game against HUDA, the team easily won in a 9-1 match with five goals from senior captain Rona Liu Zhong and five assists from the other team’s senior captain, Diana Huang. Less than twenty minutes after the first game ended, the girls were already playing Masterman. Similarly, RGUF crushed Masterman 9-2 with three amazing defensive interceptions from junior Nayra Garcia. However, the stakes were much higher in the last game against Strath Haven. Both teams struggled with the strong wind currents that altered many players’ abilities to throw. It was a hard-fought match for both teams, as it was tied up 3-3 at the half, but Radnor ultimately lost 7-3, placing 2nd in the tournament. RGUF got redemption in their game last night against SHUG and looks forward to competing with them again at future tournaments.
Interested in writing about Radnor sports for the Roundup? Contact Margarita Moreland ([email protected], 267-546-7775) or stop by the next Radnorite meeting.
