Everybody knows that the week before Winter Break encompasses nothing short of hellish amounts of homework, unhealthily late nights of cramming, and schedules chalk full of exams and essays. Woof.
Alas, this stressful week also falls in the merry season of giving; so, to give readers what they really wish for over the holidays, the Roundup’s writers have shoved aside other priorities and managed to pull through with their blurbs in time for a pre-Christmas publication. You’re welcome, and call me Santa. With that, I invite readers to catch up on the latest thrills of Radnor’s winter athletics – until next year!
Ho ho ho, Kayla
Basketball (Boys) – Ellis Margolies and Arielle Mims
After starting their season off 1-0, Radnor’s Boys Varsity Basketball team has fallen into a little slump. They lost to a tough Henderson team 68-55 and to Strath Haven 47-40. Despite the recent drops, RBB’s record does not reflect the team itself. The Raptors are very talented, share the ball well, and excel at penetrating defense to find open layups. The boys have recently dealt with 2 injuries: starting sophomore Noah Sellers, an athletic big and a force on the defensive and offensive end, and junior Zach Neiderer, a great shooter who plays a big role in Radnor’s offense. Still, RBB remains positive, as many players have stepped up in recent games. The Raptors continue to work hard in practice in preparation for Friday’s matchup against Springfield. It’s very early in the season, and we are sure the Raptors will get back into a groove. We wish the Radnor Boys Varsity team a speedy recovery and the best of luck for the rest of their season.
This season, RBB’s JV team is led by captains Alex Bailey, Conor Hicke, Jamil Hill, and Drew Reardon. On the 4th, the boys took on West Chester East HS. The boys beat them with a final score of 58-36. WC East lost their lead in the 2nd quarter and were never able to recover. Radnor’s strengths included excellent defensive rebounds and remaining composed under a strong half court press. On the 17th, RBB faced Strath Haven. The game was extremely close, with both sides leading the scoreboard at different points. Despite Radnor putting up a valiant fight of hustling and scoring (even within the last ten seconds of the game), the team unfortunately fell short just four points (52-56). So far, JV is looking pretty solid, and fans can expect to see strong performances from the team this season. Looking forward, on Decembe gtown West. RGB was missing Anna Reger, a junior starter and dominant point guard, which heavily affected the girls offensively. After a rough 17-43 loss, the girls quickly focused their attention to their next game versus Strath Haven. Thankfully the team was able to find their momentum again, taking the 45-41 win. The girls shifted between man and zone defense, and once again, Nyah Yao had an outstanding game with 19 points. The game was neck and neck until the last few minutes, when the Raptors took the lead. RGB now holds a record of 5-1. They look to make it 6 at their home game against Springfield on December 20. Let’s go RGB!
Cheerleading – Abby Merschel
Radnor Cheerleading is off to a great start to their competition season. Over the past two weeks, the girls have competed at the UCA Pocono Regionals and Penncrest Cheer Classic. Radnor Cheerleading was able to receive an impressive 3rd place finish and a UCA National bid to the High School National Cheer Championship in Orlando, Florida this February! Looking forward, the girls will attend Districts, with hopes to receive an invitation to the PIAA State Championship.
Ice Hockey (Boys) – Hayden Goldenberg
RAHO has faced a challenging start to the season, currently holding a 1-7 record, but the boys are staying optimistic as they practice for their comeback. Injuries have kept several players off the ice, but with most of the roster set to return soon, the team is ready to turn things around. Over Winter Break, the boys have the opportunity to finally get some much needed rest and prepare to hit the new year running. Congratulations go to Stephen Sucher for being selected to play in the All-Star Game. RAHO is ready to come back stronger and finish their season on a high note. Go Radnor!
Indoor Track (Boys) – Commerce Fisk
As chilly December rolls along, Radnor Boys Indoor Track and Field rolls right along with it. Eager to improve times, achieve personal records, and win events, the boys have officially entered meet season. On Saturday, December 14, the team traveled north to Rauch Fieldhouse at Lehigh University for the first meet of the season. Senior captain Owen Lim had an impressive showing in the 60 meter hurdles, placing 19th overall with a time of 8.98. His excellence continued in the Triple Jump, in which he placed 1st overall, jumping 43-11.00. Senior captain and University of Maryland commit Joseph Grazio dominated in the 1 mile race, placing 1st overall with a time of 4:31.35. Additionally, Radnor’s stellar 4×200 meter relay placed 10th overall in 1:37.52. Junior Jack Wible also ran a great race in the 3k, finishing in 10:09.96. With their impressive victories, both Garzio and Lim qualified for the Meet of Champs at Ocean Breeze, as well as the PTFCA Indoor State Championship. The team travels back to stunning Lehigh University on Friday, December 20 for their second meet of the year. Until then, the boys are hard at work in the frigid temperatures, determined to produce results. Go Radnor!
Indoor Track (Girls) – Grace Kimlinger
RGTF is off to a speedy start! After a great two weeks of practice, the team traveled to Ursinus College for their first meet on December 8, where all our athletes had outstanding performances, including many personal bests. Radnor’s distance medley relay, consisting of junior Mia Richter and sophomores Lily Rahill, Grace Kimlinger, and Clara Humphrey, took home silver with an overall time of 14:09.21. Sophomore Katelyn Anderson placed second in the 1600m (5:31.28), while junior Kayla Cormier finished fifth in the 400m (1:03.27). On top of all of that, sophomore Natalie Merriam jumped her way to third in the pole vault, with an impressive top height of 9 feet. The following weekend (December 14), RGTF competed at the 5th Annual Alvernia Holiday Classic. Despite the meet’s cold, slow-moving, and late (by about three hours) conditions, our star athletes still had many impressive showings! Junior Mia Richter placed third in the 1600m with a time of 5:34:61, later earning fourth in the 800m with a time of 2:32:64. She was followed close behind by freshman Coco Conner’s fifth place finish in 2:32:75. Junior Kayla Cormier had a stellar race once again, finishing sixth overall in the 400m. Sophomore Natalie Merriam again soared to third in the pole vault, with a top jump of 9 feet 6 inches, followed by senior Maddy McBride’s fourth place finish, who jumped 8 feet. Congratulations to all of our athletes on their amazing performances!
Squash (Boys) – Kavin Thapar and Harsh Kakkar
Led by captains Harshvardhan Kakkar and Alex Sareen, Radnor Boys Squash had a great start to the season in their match against Conestoga at Berwyn Squash Club last Thursday. Sadly, Radnor lost the match, but it was very close. Shoutout to Harsh Kakkar, who played the number 1 seed and came extremely close to winning in a nail biting match (2-3). Alex Sareen, who played the number 3 seed, also performed well. Practices have been going excellent, and the team is having a great time prepping for nationals. Radnor Boys Squash looks to leave for break and come back better than ever.
Squash (Girls) – Ella Starzyk
The season is off with a bang! Radnor Girls Squash played against two schools in their matches on December 10 and December 12. On December 10, the girls played Conestoga B, with many impressive matches and highlights, including wins from Julia Sareen (3-1), Juana Gallino (3-0), Ella Starzyk (3-0), and Siena Schuerman (3-1). Unfortunately, the girls were unable to pull out the win against Conestoga B. However, the team rallied together later in the week to clinch an exciting win against Baldwin JV. The girls who led our team to victory were captain Rhea Howard (3-0), Julia Sareen (3-0), Juana Gallino (3-1), and Siena Schuerman (3-0)! Congratulations to the team on their victory against Baldwin JV and the great matches played against Conestoga B! We wish the girls the best of luck on their next set match against Agnes Irwin on January 14. As shown in their hard training, the Radnor Girls Squash team shows great potential for the year to come!
Swimming (Boys) – Mohammed Badri
Radnor Boys Swim has been hard at work over the last couple of weeks, participating in two different meets. First, they dominated Strath Haven at home, winning 103-63, alongside the girls team, who also managed a victory. The boys returned to practice hungry for more Captains Timmy Ledbetter, Luca Jones, and Howard Feng led the charge, and the freshmen truly began to settle in. I spoke with junior Jackson Farhy, who expressed that although the first meet had a “good result”, the team needed to step it up and continue to dominate the Central League. Last Thursday, the Raptors had another big home meet against Springfield. The Raptors graduated a strong class last year, but Springfield graduated an even stronger one, on which Radnor capitalized. The boys improved their record to 2-0, after a 136-44 final score. The win settled some friendly rivalries between swimmers of the two schools and helped the Raptors gain some much-needed momentum. That meet also marked head coach Jeremy Byrne’s 100th win at Radnor. The team has been working all week to prepare for a December 19 meet against Upper Darby at home before winter break training, a vital point in the season during which they’ll gain speed and grit.
Swimming (Girls) – Sophie Masicoli
Weeks of hard work at practice has paid off! Radnor Girls Swimming kicked off their season with a great meet against Strath Haven, during which captain Maly Lindgren qualified for Districts and eighteen others raced fast enough to make it to Centrals. Additionally, Orla Dill placed first in diving. Overall, there were many great races, and we came out on top. A week later, the girls faced off against Springfield. Many more swimmers qualified for championship meets, and still others came closer to those qualifying times. On the diving side, captain Olivia Cohen Freue was finally able to compete, placing third. Freshman Lillian Nguyen went head-to-head with Orla, who was able to pull out a first-place finish once again. Our second win of the season brought our swim coach to his 100th career win!
Interested in writing about Radnor sports for the Roundup? Contact Kayla Cormier ([email protected], 215-821-4699) or stop by the next Radnorite meeting.
