Eichenlaub ’23, Dubacher ’26 Win Gold At District XI Golf Championship

By Manny Oudin

Monday, October 3, was a good day on the links for the golf team! The team earned a silver medal in the District team competition. Evan Eichenlaub ‘23 and Mara Dubacher ‘26 both won gold medals in the individual titles and advanced to the PIAA State Championships.

THE MORNING CALL NAMES EVAN EICHENLAUB ‘23 GOLF PLAYER OF THE YEAR

By Manny Oudin

On December 25, 2022, The Morning Call announced that golfer Evan Eichenlaub ‘23 was named one of its players of the year. Below is an excerpt from “All-area golf: Liberty earns team, coach of the year honors; Matt Vital, Moravian Academy’s Evan Eichenlaub share player of the year award” by Tom Housenick for The Morning Call.

“Matt Vital shares the golfer of the year award with Moravian Academy’s Evan Eichenlaub [...] Eichenlaub won the Colonial League and District 11 2A championships this season and finished fourth at states.”

“Eichenlaub shot 4-under to cruise to the league title, then survived an 18th-hole lip out by Palmerton’s Tyler Hager to win the district crown on the first extra hole. The Lions senior was at the top of the leader board at states with four holes to play before finishing fourth.”

“He consistently improved his game throughout his four-year career to the point where he was in contention in every event this season.”

Congratulations, Evan, on an incredible season and this well deserved community recognition.

VIRGINIA KRAUS ’26 TAKES CROSS-COUNTRY SEASON BY STORM

By Manny Oudin and Julia Fox

Hailed as the “freshman phenom,” cross-country runner Virginia Kraus ‘26 wasted no time during the fall sports season. She won the PIAA District XI 1A Girls Championship with the fastest time of any runner in any class on the day, with repeat performances all the way to the PIAA State Championship, where she crossed the finish line 45 seconds faster than the second-place runner.

CROSS-COUNTRY

The varsity girls’ and boys’ cross-country teams both had solid seasons. The girls’ team finished in 10th place in the Colonial League while the boys’ team ended up in 6th place. Senior Drew Mariani ‘23 had an excellent season as he finished in 6th place overall in the Colonial League Championship meet and followed that performance with a 4th place medal in the District XI Championship. As a result he earned a well deserved spot in the PIAA State Championship to finish his high school career. Both teams also had strong performances in the District meet as the boys’ team finished in 5th place with the girls’ team earning 7th place.

Field & Court: A Look Back at the Fall & Winter 2022 Season

Field Hockey

Our varsity field hockey program had a successful season. The team’s overall record was 12-3-1 and finished with a 11-2-1 Colonial League record. They advanced to the Colonial League playoff, but lost in the quarterfinal round to Palmerton. The team then competed in the District XI Tournament where they eventually succumbed to District Champion Northwestern Lehigh.

Girls Tennis

It was an impressive season for the Varsity girls’ tennis team as the team took home championship trophies in both the Colonial League and the District XI postseason tournaments. The team posted an unblemished record in the Colonial league with 12-0 finish and only lost one match during the regular season to eventual 3A District Champion, Parkland. Chessie Bartolacci

‘24 was dominant in the District XI singles tournament and won gold. The doubles pair of Yan Yu ‘23 and Laura Li ‘26 earned silver medals in the District XI doubles tournament.

Girls Basketball

Under the leadership of new Head Coach, Avon Mack, the team experienced a solid season. With a 10-12 overall record, the team missed out on a Colonial League playoff spot by finishing in 8th place overall. However, they qualified to the District XI tournament where they lost in the quarter final round to eventual District runner up, Tri-Valley. With a number of returning players, the team will look for continued growth heading into next season.

Boys Basketball

The varsity boys’ basketball team experienced an up and down season this past winter. The team demonstrated that they could compete with some of the best teams in the Colonial League. Their overall record 9-13 was not enough to qualify for the District XI playoffs. The team also finished with a 7-11 league record to finish in 8th place overall, 2 spots out of league playoff contention.

Swimming

The varsity boys and girls swimming and diving teams both had successful seasons. Under the direction of new head coach, Sarah Bochini, and new assistant coach, Camie Kornely, the teams demonstrated some strong performances. The boys’ team finished in third place overall in the District XI meet while the girls earned a 10th place finish. The boys’ team had an impressive 11-2 record with the girls’ team finishing the season with a 4-9 record.