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Abby Merschel

As of today, a glorious three Roundups have been published, all of which covered Radnor’s autumn athletics. My mom’s readings of each edition were followed by the same question: “I love learning about the athletes, but who are these writers?” She raises an excellent point – every two-ish weeks, the Roundup is published, delivering detailed updates on our sports teams. These updates, however, would not exist without the work of our Fall Sports Editorial Board: eighteen writers who devoted their fall nights to the greater good of sports journalism. These students don’t get as much credit as they deserve. And thus, the idea for an Editorial Board Profile was born.

I reached out to the writers a few weeks ago and asked them to answer the following questions:

1. Why did you write for the Roundup? 
2. What is your favorite memory from this season?
3. What are your goals as an athlete and/or writer in the future, either within Radnor or beyond?
4. What is your favorite aspect of fall?

If this extra due date (set for the morning before Thanksgiving Break) doesn’t showcase their dedication to the Roundup, I don’t know what will. So once again, I turn it to the Editorial Board; only this time, read to meet the members of the board themselves, rather than the sports they cover. 

– Kayla

Cheerleading – Abby Merschel (Junior)

1. I wrote for the Roundup because I love being able to showcase my team’s accomplishments across the season.
2. My favorite memory so far was performing in the pep rally and winning the LM game!!
3. I hope to further my athletic career by cheering in college!
4. THE COLORS. It’s one of my favorite seasons because it is just so pleasing to look at.

Crew (Boys) – Will Ledbetter (Freshman) and Arnav Sadashiv (Senior)

Will:

1. I started editing and helping write the Roundup this year because I have heard really good things about it and wanted to try something new. 
2. My favorite memory was being an at-home spectator in October at the Head of the Charles Regatta. It was such a great thing to see the team performing their best even far from home. 
3. In regards to my future of writing for Radnor, I want to write articles about things beyond sports. An example of this can include writing about issues that my peers and I are experiencing. 
4. My favorite aspect of fall is seeing the weather change, along with getting back into the routine that school provides. 

Arnav:

1. I started writing for the Roundup this year because it seemed like a lot of fun! It was a way to become a voice for the team that I care about so much, by sharing our efforts, victories, and memorable moments across the fall season.
2. My favorite memory was being a part of the trip to Boston in October to race in the Head of the Charles Regatta. All the team’s seniors were together, and it was my first time rowing in this regatta. The whole trip was just the best time.
3. I will be rowing my final season on RBCC during our upcoming spring season, and I plan to be writing for the Roundup during the springtime as well. Although I will not be competing in collegiate rowing, I hope to continue through club/intramural.
4. One of the things I really love about rowing in the fall is seeing the trees along the Schuylkill river, where we practice, change to autumn colors across the months. But my favorite aspect of this season has been welcoming all the new freshmen/novices into the team. They bring a ton of energy and enthusiasm to every practice and race day, and I’m looking forward to watching them continue to grow as the future of the RBCC program.

Crew (Girls) – Arielle Mims (Sophomore)

1. I wrote for the Roundup because I enjoy sports writing, especially for my sport. I wanted to bring recognition to crew, because it’s not as popular as some of the other sports. 
2. I would say probably when I raced in Kings Head Regatta because I got to race twice and hot-seat (going right from one boat into another), and I love long-distance racing so rowing twice was really fun. 
3. My goal for the spring crew season is to keep improving upon my skills and times. My goal for sports writing is to continue writing for sports during all three seasons. 
4. My favorite aspect of fall is how the season is changing while you write. Writing for an outdoor sport, I think it’s cool to see the difference from the start of the year until now, in relation to the sport.

Cross Country (Boys) – Harsh Kakkar (Sophomore)

1. I wrote about Boys Cross Country in the Fall Sports Roundup.
2. My favorite memory from the season was hanging out with the XC boys and getting chicken and donuts from Giant on off days.
3. My goal as an athlete for this winter season is to be the captain of the Boys Squash team.
4. My favorite aspect of fall is the amazing weather, as well as the beautiful scenery all around.

Field Hockey – Nancy Wible (Freshman)

1. I wrote for the Sports Roundup to share news and information about the field hockey team, because it is something I am passionate about, and I like to talk and share with others. 
2. My favorite memory for this season is beating Downingtown West in our Dream Crazy Game. This game was so fun because we came into the game as underdogs, and no one was expecting us to win, as they are known to be a super good team. However, we all worked together and for each other, and we were able to get the win. It was even more amazing because we got to do it on our pink out game, which was was super important to our team. 
3. I really hope to be able to play field hockey at a super high level and to continue to grow and compete with both Radnor and my club team. In the future, I hope to be able to play field hockey at the collegiate level. 
4. I love fall because I get to see many of my friends again, who I hadn’t seen all summer.

Football – Ellis Margolies (Freshman)

1. I decided to write for the Roundup to get involved in a club, and I am really interested in pursuing a career that involves sports. 
2. My favorite memory from the season was going to watch our varsity soccer team play in the playoffs and playing on the freshmen soccer team, who went undefeated this season.
3. Next year as an athlete, I want to start on varsity for basketball. As a writer, I want to keep writing for sports and maybe try and do more than just write for Radnor.
4. My favorite thing about fall is Thanksgiving, the NFL, and the fact that basketball starts.

Golf – Will Walsh (Senior)

1. I chose to write for the Roundup mainly because there had been a serious lack of Radnor Golf representation in RSRs previously. I wanted to shine a light on our phenomenal program, especially with as good of a year that we as a team knew that we were going to have, and delivered.
2. My favorite memory this season with RAGO was our extremely hot start out of the gate, picking up 2 victories at both the Happy Valley Invitational and the Llanerch High School Invitational back in August. I was thankfully able to play well individually in both of those events as well, making for a wonderful beginning to our 2024 campaign.
3. Although I won’t play collegiate golf, I’ll be studying what is called PGA Golf Management at Florida Gulf Coast University next year. PGM is a major that produces and prepares students for careers in the golf industry. As a writer, I’d love to be able to contribute to some sort of project within the program, however that may look.
4. My favorite aspect of fall is without a doubt the cooler weather that we see start to come in around the middle of October. Those high-50° to low-60° days with a slight breeze are personally to die for.

Soccer (Boys) – Commerce Fisk (Senior)

1. I chose to write for the Roundup because I believe that many of the intricacies and subtle victories of sports go unnoticed by the general viewer and I really wanted to highlight those happenings, especially in the ever-dynamic game of soccer. I also decided to write because I love the Gents, and there is an infinite amount of credit due, and I wanted to take every opportunity to celebrate those who contributed to the team’s success.
2. Despite a district and a state championship under our belt, it was actually a Sunday night practice before our game against Haverford that I’ll always look back on fondly. Without those types of practices, none of what we achieved in the coming weeks would ever be possible. I’ll cherish those nights of hard work, struggle, and determination for the rest of my life.
3. I won’t play collegiate soccer but without a doubt, I’ll look to play club or intramural soccer wherever I end up and will continue to coach and play the game I love for as long as my legs allow me. While I’ve always been stronger at other areas of Journalism, I will definitely take the lessons I’ve learned from the Roundup to pursue sports writing if the opportunity presents itself, especially if I get to talk about things that get me as passionate as Radnor soccer.
4. The best aspect of fall (besides soccer season) is sitting down after a long week at school and watching NFL Redzone for 8 hours of the day cheering for teams you don’t care about just because it’s something exciting to watch.

Soccer (Girls) – Reece Brown (Freshman) and Alexa Cahill (Sophomore)

Reece: 

1. I wrote for Roundup to better my writing skills while covering topics in which I was interested.
2. I loved the atmosphere of playoffs and the team camaraderie throughout the season.  
3. I will continue to play soccer and lacrosse for Radnor, and will hopefully write for the Roundup in the future for those sports.
4. I love the weather because it isn’t too hot or too cold, which makes it pleasant to be outside playing soccer.

Alexa:

1. I chose to write about soccer for the Roundup because of my passion for the sport and my desire to share it with the school community. 
2. One of my favorite moments from this season was celebrating our victories against Lower Merion, Conestoga, and our first game at states, as these were pivotal moments in our season. 
3. As an athlete, my goal is to extend my soccer career for as long as possible while fostering a positive and welcoming environment during my last two years in the RGS program. Additionally, as a writer for the Roundup, I aim to broaden my writing by covering a variety of sports at Radnor, hoping to bring more recognition and appreciation to them. 
4. My favorite aspects of fall are spending time with friends at football games, participating in school events such as LM week, and of course, enjoying the soccer season with my teammates.

Tennis (Girls) – Mia Negrey (Junior)

1. I wanted to write for the Roundup to represent the amazing Radnor Girls Tennis team and their hard work this year. 
2. Some of my favorite memories from this year included our first pasta party of the season and our senior night. Both events were so memorable since the whole team was together. Senior night was especially sentimental, but it was a perfect end to our 2024 season.  
3. I hope to continue to play tennis, with RGT, my friends, and my family. It is a sport that I want to play my whole life and will start that by playing in the off-season with whomever I can!
4. My favorite aspect of fall is definitely Thanksgiving. My whole extended family gets together; this year we are hosting in Radnor. I love to see everyone and hangout with my cousins. It is one of my favorite holidays. 

Ultimate Frisbee (Boys) – Ben Rickmond (Sophomore)

1. I wrote for the Roundup to showcase the achievements of our amazing ultimate team. Many people do not know much about ultimate, so I think it is very important to publish information for all Radnor students to learn.
2. My favorite memory from this season was the Kitkat tournament, where we all came together as a team for our only competition in the fall. While the results were not amazing, we all had a great experience as a team.
3. I hope to continue to improve as a player and a teammate in the spring, which is our main competitive season. I will definitely write for the Radnorite again, as we will have more accomplishments to discuss as we get into more competition.
4. My favorite aspect of the fall is the great weather and traditions of starting school. 

Ultimate Frisbee (Girls) – Anrui Xu (Junior)

1. I write for the Roundup because I love ultimate frisbee and I want to bring more attention to the Radnor team through journalism. Most of us started playing the sport in high school, and that lack of experience presents a unique opportunity for me to cover moments such as a sophomore rookie’s first goal or a senior finally getting a diving block.
2. Because spring season is our primary competitive season, my favorite memory from this fall was simply practicing with my teammates and helping the underclassmen improve! My favorite memory from last year’s spring season was going to Nationals, where we played our final game in the pouring rain and received the news immediately afterwards that we had been named the tournament’s Spirit Champions. Many tears were shed that day. It was perfect.
3. As a writer, I’m hoping to publish some articles documenting our spring tournaments. As an ultimate player, I want to improve my skills in every aspect of the game and eventually play in college. 
4. My favorite aspect of fall is the atmosphere- the late nights spent doing math homework after frisbee practice, the bus rides back from our marching band concerts (also known as “football games”), and the eerie Halloween festivities.

Volleyball – Ava Preate (Sophomore)

1. I decided to write for the Roundup because I was having such an amazing season playing volleyball, and I wanted to give everyone a first hand account of the season from someone who was passionate and truly cared about the sport. I also wanted to get involved in Radnorite and thought this was the perfect way to get started. 
2. My favorite memory from this season would definitely be round one of playoffs versus Mount St. Joseph. After they had just beat us on their senior night a few days prior, we were nervous to have to face them again. However, we ended up sweeping them in three sets, which was a huge upset. The energy was so incredible; it cannot be replicated. 
3. My goal as an athlete is to continue to improve and reach my fullest potential. I want to be a great teammate to my friends, a strong competitor, and a coachable player as well. As for writing, I also hope to continue to improve as the year progresses and hopefully write more pieces in the future. 
4. My favorite aspect of fall is Halloween because I love decorating and eating candy.

I only hope that this article has brought faces and personalities to the names our readers see every edition. Many of these fall writers are carrying their prowess as sports journalists over to the winter season – be sure to look out for their blurbs in the coming Roundups!

I have received a lot of positive feedback on the first three publications of the Sports Roundup, much of which is thanks to our incredible Editorial Board. I am so proud of this fall group, who helped to kick the year off on an exceptional start.