Friends' Central

The Girls’ Lacrosse Team looks to build on top of the success of last years league play, in which the team had an 8-0-1 record and were also FSL champions. The team looks to fill the gaps of 2011 graduates Jamie Hyman and Claire Harris and already have a strong base to lean on as it returns Ally Wirshba ’12, Lead Adelson ’12, and Becca Dahle ’12, who will be playing at Brown University next year. Though the team only has 3 seniors, look for Ashley Tedesco ’13, Maria Pizzini ’13, and Aubrey Faggen ’13 to step up, as well as a host of first-years and sophomores. Look for the combination of experience, leadership, and athleticism to help this team be competitive in both the FSL and in the PAISAA.

 

Under the guidance of head coach Tony Coladonato, the Softball Team is hoping to make it back to the top of the division and beyond behind the great play of Ella Torres ’12, Meghan Cartafalsa ’12, Suzy Bernstein ’13, and 2011 All Friends League Honorable mention player, Isabel Nardi ’14. Though the team lost two All Main Line 1st Team players to graduation, they will look for a number of veteran players including Briana Folwell ’13 and Marina Golan-Vilella ’13 to continue to improve and offer solid play on the field.

 

The Baseball Team is coming off a 19-10 overall record last season including their first Friends’ Schools League championship since 1999. The Phoenix will look to use the solid play of senior catcher Jamie Ulrich ’12 and right handed pitcher Aaron Ross ’13 to capture another FSL title this season. The team will also look to its nine seniors to help pave the way for the up-and-coming players, like sophomores Hayden Gruber ’14 (.472 batting average last season) and Bryan Rubin ’14 (.515 on base percentage last season). Coach Ross Trachtenberg writes, “With the introduction of the new standard of BBCOR bats being used by the National Federation of High School Baseball, the team will put an extra emphasis on limiting errors and walks to keep games low scoring.”

 

Boys’ Tennis will look to add to their Friends Schools League championship streak of three straight seasons (nine of the last eleven FSL championships) as they return all three of their top singles players, and losing only one doubles player to graduation. Declan Hahn ’12 (first singles) finished second in the FSL last season in the individual championships, Sam Silver ’13 (second singles) finished first, and Ilan Dreyfuss ’12 (third singles) finished first. Returning to compete at first-doubles will be Raaj Singh ’13 and Max Ginsberg ’14, while Greg Lynn ’14 will pair with the Phoenix’s only newcomer Thomas Fakharzadeh ’13. Things are looking good for first year head coach Hardy Baker as the Phoenix look poised to claim another FSL title.

 

Sixth year head Boys’ Track and Field coach Tony DeSabato says, “With the return of a strong core of veterans in the sprints, middle distance, and throwing events and the development of new team members, we hope to be competitive in our league championship event.” Last season boys’ track and field team finished third in the Friends League and returns many key runners. Junior Nate Willis ’13 will help the Phoenix at middle distance events, while seniors Myles Everett ’12 and Colin Lee ’12 will aid with the sprints. Junior Andrew Feldman ’13 will take on the field events as he competes in the discus, javelin, and shot-put. The Phoenix kicked off their season with a meet at Penn Charter on March 20.

 

The Girls' Track and Field Team shows a lot of potential early on in the season. The team is led by captains Imani Shell ’12 and Tara Wolfson ’13. More than half of the team is filled with young, talented 9th graders. The team kicked off their season with a great meet at Lower Merion where they competed and placed among the best, showing their heart, dedication, and determination. This young class of runners has the potential to place well in the Friends Schools League this season. Having such a young team makes the FCS coaching staff excited to teach the fundamentals of the sport. Assistant coach Venetia Ricketts comments, “To say the least, once we return from spring break, we are looking forward to a great season!”

 

With a young team and a new coach, the Boys’ Lacrosse Team is ready and willing to work hard and put in the effort needed to succeed this season. Under the leadership of first year head coach, Tony Genna, as well as returning players and team leaders Jason Clough ’13, Munir Abdus Shakur ’12, Michael Michnowicz ’12, and Michael Andrews ’13, this year’s team is very close and is learning the meaning of teamwork. Genna says, “We have a young team, and our players are willing to work hard and take direction to make themselves better. You can see in their work effort with one another that this team has learned what being a team is all about, and with that work effort and belief in one another, it can only make for a good year for FCS lacrosse.”