2009 in Review
Great performances at InterAc Champs meet
At Epicopal's beautiful new track and field facility, the Patriots finished their season as a team with some PR's and outstanding performances. JD Whitman broke her own InterAc League record in the pole vault, hitting 10' 4" and eclipsing her old mark by 1". She narrowly missed breaking her old school record, just clipping the bar at 10' 7". In the 100, J. Leah Ray was 6th, Natalie Hall 8th, Monica Dewant 9th and Emily Underwood 20th. J, Natalie and Monica, joined by Jen Hoy, were 3rd in the 4 x 100 with a season best time of 50.30--a second faster than their previous mark. In the 200, J was 5th, Natalie 6th and Emily 21st; Emily also ran the 400, finishing 10th. Molly Shapiro was 3rd in the 400, cutting over a second off her PB and was 4th in the 800, shaving 3 seconds off her previous time. Jen Hoy was second in the 300H, with a .19 improvement, and with Molly, J, and Hannah Lindgren, ran a season best time by 5 seconds in the 4 x 400. Hannah was 11th in the 800 and 7th in the high jump. Monica was 9th in the 300H. Distance specialist Paige Cross was 8th in the 3200 and 11th in the 1600. The throwers also had a good day, with Dana Lotito finishing an impressive 4th and Kirsten Gottbrecht taking 13th and Desiree Jamasbi 17th. It was a bittersweet day for GA, as we bid goodbye to five seniors who have done so much for the team--Paige, Monica, Jen, J. Leah, and J.D. Several of the girls will compete at the Hill Invitational on Wednesday, but this was the last team competition for 2009.
GA takes 3rd at Hill Invitational
The Patriots ended the season on a high note with a third place finish at the Pennsylvania Independent School Invitational at the Hill School. What's really incredible about this is that only three girls represented GA at this optional end of season competition. Jen Hoy had an amazing day, winning the 100H, long jump and triple jump and broke both the school and meet records in the 300H. She defeated the InterAc champion in the 100H, with a PR of 15.29. In the 300H, she ran a 45.71, breaking Devon Blount's time of 45.90, set in 2007; this also eclipsed Devon's meet record of 48.33, set in 2006. Jen jumped 17' 9.5" in the long jump and 35' 9.5" in the triple jump. JD Whitman won the pole vault with a vault of 9' 6". Molly Shapiro chipped in with a third place in the 800 and a fourth place in the 400. It was a great meet, a very successful day for GA Girls' Track and Field, and an amazing way to end the season.
GA defeats Springside
On--finally!--a beautiful spring day, the Patriots made the short trip to CHA and defeated a talented Springside squad by a score of 65-51. The warm weather seemed to bring out the best in the Patriots as there was one new school record and a number of season bests. Senior JD Whitman broke her own record of 10'3" in the pole vault, soaring to 10' 6" and she narrowly missed clearing 11'. Hannah Lindgren won the high jump, improving her season best by 4 inches. Newcomer Dana Lotito won the shot with a toss of 25' 11" and Desiree Jamasbi was third in that event. Jen Hoy continued to be a points machine for GA, winning the 100H, long jump, triple jump (with another season best) and was part of the winning 4 x 100 with the usual team of J. Leah Ray, Natalie Hall and Monica Dewan. Kacie Kergides tried a new event and won the 300H and Paige Cross won the 3200. Numerous seconds and thirds added up, with J second in the 100 and 200, Kacie and Paige going 2-3 in the 1600, Molly Shapiro second in the 400, Monica second in the 300H, and Hannah second in the 800. It was a great day to be outside and a great day for GA girls' track and field.
GA narrowly loses to Notre Dame
The Patriots had a good day on the track and in the field, narrowly losing to league rival Notre Dame 63-58. GA did particularly well in the sprints, going 1-2-3 in the 100 (J Ray, Monica Dewan, Natalie Hall), winning the 4 x 100 (J, Natalie, Monica and Jen Hoy) and the 200, with Natalie taking that event. Jen Hoy had another big day for GA, winning individual events in the 100H, long jump and triple jump. Other GA winners: Kacie Kergides in the 1600, Molly Shapiro in the 400 and JD Whitman in the pole vault. Monica was second in the 300H, Paige Cross was second in the 3200, and Dana Lotito second in the shot. With several girls being under the weather, coaches Garvan and Krouse were particularly proud of the team and their ability to make it such a close meet. Now, let's hope everyone gets healthy for the Super Bowl of track and field, as we head to historic Franklin Field for the Penn Relays on Thursday.
GA falls to EA
After so much rain and cool weather this spring, the sudden heat of the past few days took a toll on all of the athletes on the track today, as the Patriots simply ran out of enough "horses" to defeat InterAc rival Episcopal. Despite the loss, there were some great highlights for GA. Jen Hoy continued to dominate in the 100H, long and triple jump, and today added the 300H, which she also won. Kacie Kergides won the 1600, Dana Lotito had another PR in winning the shot, and the 4 x 100 team of J. Leah Ray, Natalie Hall, Monica Dewan and JD Whitman won that event. There were also several seconds--J in the 100 and 200 and Molly Shapiro in the 400, and thirds--Monica in the 300H, Hannah Lindgren in the 800 and high jump, and Natalie in the 200. While disappointing to lose the seniors' last home meet, we look forward to having some time off to train for the InterAc Championship meet on May 9.
GA Falls to PC
On a day that showed the extremes of Spring weather, with cold temperatures and brisk winds making staying warm a challenge for anyone, the Patriots fell to last year's InterAc champions, the Quakers of PC. However, GA had much to be proud of. Jen Hoy had another stellar day, with wins in the long jump and triple jump and as part of the 4 x 100 relay. She joined J. Leah Ray, Natalie Hall and Monica Dewan in a thrilling, close race with the Patriots prevailing at the finish of that always exciting race. A number of other events were won by GA girls, with Hannah Lindgren turning in a strong performance in the 800, J. Leah winning the 200, Senior Paige Cross leading wire to wire in winning the 3200, and fellow Senior JD Whitman soaring to a 9'6" height in the pole vault. Despite the loss, there was lots of team spirit, strong performances and gutsy efforts that made both the coaches and the fans proud.
GA opens the season with a win
On a warm spring day, the Patriots opened their season with a solid win over an improved Agnes Irwin squad. Jen Hoy won four events, with victories in the 100 hurdles, long jump, triple jump and as part of the 4 x 100 relay with J. Leah Ray, Natalie Hall and Monica Dewan. All of those girls had great days, with J. and Natalie going 1-2 in both sprints and Monica winning the 300H and earning third in the 100. Molly Shapiro won the 400 and was third in the 200. Kacie Kergides won the 800 and was second in the 3200. Kacie and Molly joined JD Whitman and Hannah Lindgren in winning the 4 x 400; JD also won the pole vault and Hannah won the high jump and was second in the 800. Senior Paige Cross had a good day, with a strong third in the 1600 and a second in the 3200. Newcomer Kirsten Gottbrecht was second in the shot put. Coaches Garvan and Krouse were thrilled with this strong team effort.