This past Saturday, both the Radnor High School girls’ and boys’ lacrosse teams won the state title in the 3A Division; what people are calling, “The Radnor Sweep.”

“The Radnor Sweep” is becoming a welcomed cliche around Radnor High School with the girls and boys lacrosse teams winning the 2021 state championships. This is the first time in PIAA history that both girls and boys teams, from the same high school, and on the same day (June 12th ) won their state lacrosse championship. Outside of winning the title, the best memories were having the student body attend the semi-final game in Springfield for both the girls and boys. It was great to have the students back in the stands and the teams thank the faculty for allowing it to happen. 

Neither team had a direct path to the state title. The girls’ team lost a close 6 – 7 game against a strong Garnet Valley team in the district tournament. Then they had to play a very talented Conestoga team with the league MVP in the state semi-finals. Radnor girls defeated them in a 12 – 9 victory. The girls ended the season with an outstanding record of 22 wins and 2 losses. The boys’ team also lost in the district tournament to Springfield. And like the girls, they too won against Conestoga in the semi-finals with a score of 13 – 5. The boys finished their season with an outstanding record of 23 wins and 2 losses. USA Lacrosse Magazine has Radnor girls ranked 15th nationally.

Only in her second year, Radnor Alum, Coach Kristin Addis came in and set the tone for a winning season. She taught the girls to work hard and to believe in themselves. After the midseason loss to Conestoga, she pushed the team to play to their potential. Coach Addis said “I’m thrilled for the program because I think this championship run brings a renewed sense of pride and energy in wearing the Radnor jersey. It sets a high standard, but my hope is that the program strives for sustained success. We should continue to dream big and have confidence that we can achieve our goals.” The Radnor girls have achieved there this year, on and off the field. 

Now graduate Elise Palmer, a College of William and Mary lacrosse commit, had a great season in goal for Radnor who split time with Abby Jansen, a University of Virginia lacrosse commit. Elise stated “I think the biggest lesson I learned this season was confidence. Being confident in my personal ability was important for my personal performance in games. And I think team confidence was really important because we had the skill to win games and experience, but we needed to believe in ourselves.” 

Now graduate Shela Esgro, heading to Lehigh University, added “I think the way our team was a family before teammates, really helped the dynamics of our team on and off the field. We all really enjoyed playing with one another and this led to great team chemistry.”

The boys’ team, led by Coach John Begier, also believed in preparation and the team family. Rising junior Tommy DeShan stated “Coming into the [championship] game, I think the coaches had a great plan to keep us motivated and focused on the game, but the leadership on this year’s team set the standards of practice high. Being motivated and focused by both coaching staff and senior leadership helped us claim this year’s championship.”

On Wednesday, June 16th, the teams said farewell to 13 girls and 15 boys who graduated and will take their talents to classrooms and fields all over the U.S. As we look at next year, the underclassmen are ready to take the helm. They have provided an integral role to the success of these teams and have the experience to handle the pressure of the big games. 

Next season both Radnor teams will be the “teams to beat”. So with that and Radnor pride, the returning players know that next season starts now.