Athletics

Upper School Athletics

Water Polo Coaches: William Hutnik and Brandon Hullings ’08 It was a great 2019 season for both the Pennington Varsity and Junior Varsity Water Polo teams. The varsity squad took third place at States and overcame three teams that they could not beat last season: Pingry, Saint Peter’s, and Springfield, PA. The JV team compiled a 5–5 record and added seven new players to the sport.

We thank all of our seniors and wish them the best of luck in their bright futures: Captains Blake Hart, Gavin Hart, and Severin Ihnat, Jack Fancher, Aaron Orshan, Deep Patel, Timmy Riley, Ethan Rizzuto, Kostiantyn Rogankov, and Alex Wallace. The seniors played a combined 39 seasons of Pennington Water Polo together! All of them can take pride in the fact that they mentored a core group of players who will take up the baton and keep the Pennington Water Polo Nation strong in the years to come.

Girls’ Tennis Coaches: Ken Palumbo and Adrienne Markison Tosti ’07 Pennington Varsity Tennis had an excellent season, finishing 7–4. The team was composed of freshmen through seniors: Anjollie Ramakrishna ’21 (Co-Captain) at #1 singles; Annelise Cornet ’20 (Co-Captain) at #2 singles; Freshman Lauren Decker at #3 singles; and Laura Mertz ’20 (CoCaptain) and Safa Morrison ’21 at #1 doubles; Olivia Ernst ’20 and Kristen Bancroft ’21 at #2 doubles; and Carrie Zhu ’22 as our versatile extra, playing most positions throughout our lineup. All the players volleyed and lobbed their way to a great season.

Head Coach Ken Palumbo said, “I couldn’t ask for a nicer group of players, competitors, and people.”

Field Hockey Coaches: Wendy Morris and Lauran Hocquaux Pennington Field Hockey began its season in June 2019 with an amazing trip to the Netherlands, where we witnessed two Olympic qualifying games in Amsterdam and Antwerp, Belgium. The team also participated in a number of field hockey clinics, carried out two community service projects and competed against the Hoorn Field Hockey Club. We made homemade stroopwafel, Dutch waffles, and did a great deal of sightseeing.

The season was kicked off, as usual, with team runs followed by delicious breakfasts served at the homes of Molly Nelson’s grandparents and Lizzy and Isabel Adams. Varsity finished the season 7–10; Junior Varsity finished 5–2–2. We had an incredible turnout for our Play 4 the Cure game, where we raised a record $600 for the National Foundation for Cancer Research. We have never had so many students come out and participate in the halftime competitions; the atmosphere that evening was filled with a wonderful spirit of generosity. The last game of the year was an exciting win over Steinert, when we recognized our three seniors: Kate Long, Molly Nelson, and Jenna Soliman.

Boys’ Soccer Coaches: Chad Bridges ’96, Sean Davies, and Ryan Stokes The Pennington School Varsity Boys’ Soccer team finished the year 13–5 and captured its fifth consecutive and sixth overall Mercer County Championship title. The final was one of the most thrilling wins in the history of the Mercer County Tournament as Pennington had a come-from-behind overtime victory over the topseeded Notre Dame High School Fighting Irish.

This year’s squad was led by senior captains Ian Albuquerque and Ousmane “Ouzi” Gueye, as Pennington once again finished as one of the top prep teams in the region. Along with Albuquerque and Gueye, seniors Andres Argueta, Trey Dusek, George Burditt, Luis Paúl, Edwin Marmolejos, and Carlos Broccolini were instrumental in the success of this year’s group. NJISAA Prep A recognized Albuquerque, Gueye, and Paúl as members of the year’s First Team All-State group. Junior Babacar Niang was recognized as Player of the Year and Prep Player of the Year for Mercer County.

Cheerleading Coach: Kathy-Lynn Kelly This 2019 fall season found cheer to be alive and well at Pennington! We had a new coach and eighteen talented and enthusiastic members on the team. There were eight returning athletes, and we added ten new cheerleaders, ranging from freshmen to juniors. This year’s team was a daring, creative, and determined group. They knew what they wanted to accomplish, and they went after it with fierce determination, cooperation, and team spirit. The result was impressive, with members who had never stunted or danced before taking on solid roles as bases, flyers, and intermediate dancers. They worked with heart and were motivated daily to improve their cheering skills, choreography, and new daring stunts. The mascot was even included in the choreography at one of the halftime dances! The team worked hard organizing Pennington’s Pep Rally and added original ideas to get the audience involved. With a desire to support School spirit as well as the football team, the girls worked closely with the ever-enthusiastic student pep group, the Bird Cage. Together, they came up with clever themes for the various home games and helped to get the crowd involved in the fun and excitement!

Football Coaches: Jerry Eure ’75, Blair Thompson, Adam Cooley, and Long Ding When you reflect on the 2019 varsity football season, you can describe it in three words: teamwork, commitment, and perseverance. The team came a long way from August to November. They felt the joys of winning early in the season— and the frustration and discouragement of losing, which actually brought them closer together. Even though we finished with a 4–5 record, the coaches felt as if we had a remarkable year, especially considering that in most games we were starting six sophomores and four seniors. Many of our opponents were playing with sixteen seniors.

24 Pennington Magazine Fall/Winter 2019–20 The wins over Poly Prep (Brooklyn), Pingry, New Hope–Solebury, and Bristol prove that we are heading in the right direction. This team made tremendous progress while playing a challenging schedule. Success is not always measured by wins and losses but by how much you grow and improve as a team.

Girls’ Soccer Coaches: William Hawkey and Patrick Murphy ’80 The grit and perseverance demonstrated by this year’s Varsity Girls’ Soccer team were key elements to the success of the group. Following a difficult six-game span to start the season, the Red Raiders found themselves in unfamiliar territory as they sat on a record of 2–2–2. However, the team made good use of the experience gained by playing a difficult schedule. This schedule included not one but two number-one-ranked teams in the nation. Although both of those games ended in losses, the team learned valuable information from those matches and the tough six-game span; it began to reinvent itself, especially its defensive structure. Of the final thirteen games of the season, the girls won eleven matches and shut out nine of their opponents. They also added to their state championship total by winning the program’s fifteenth NJISAA Prep A title and by picking up their eleventh Mercer County Tournament championship. The team’s seven seniors— Kelli Collins, Ellie Hawkey, Nikki Johan-Wisnierski, Alexa Lepold, Sam Mazzoni, Jayne McGrath, and Sophia Petrone—have left behind an impressive legacy and will be dearly missed.

Cross Country Coaches: Rick Ritter and Marisa Ferrari It was a tale of two seasons for the Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country teams. As we started the season, the boys were healthy, and our numbers were the most we have ever started any season. After running in the highly competitive Kutztown Invitational, and taking our lumps by the way, the boys went on a roll. We won nine of our first ten meets. The only loss was a close two-point loss to Hun. The boys ended the season with a dual meet record of eleven wins and two losses. The “two seasons” part came regarding the health of our team. We essentially lost the services of our top three scoring runners. Now it was time for the “numbers” to step up... and they did. The leadership of seniors Vince Colalillo, Connor Ort, and Lucas Ort was invaluable throughout the season and was a big reason that as a team we went from average splits of 19:30/5k at Kutztown to 18:59 at States, where we took fifth place.

The girls faced a different challenge. At the beginning of the season, we were not sure if we would have a minimum of five girls in order to field a full-scoring team. Through the efforts of Julia Alito ’20, our numbers grew as the school year got underway. Non-distance runners joined in order to help out. We started the season with some frustrating losses but, led by Harper Usiskin ’20 and An-lin Sloan ’21, we ended the season with a record of nine wins and five losses! Similar to the boys, the girls progressed from early-season average split times of 26:37/5k and ended with 24:09 at States!

Fall 2019 Athletic Awards

Upper School

VARSITY Cheerleading Red Raider Award—Logan Hill ’20 Coach’s Award—Kofo Jolaoso ’20 Team Spirit Award—Hope Blair ’20

Cross Country Boys: Red Raider Award—Tyler Kingsbury ’21 Total Team Award—Vincent Colalillo ’20 Stoker Award—Kenzo Takeda ’20 Girls: Red Raider Award—Harper Usiskin ’20 Total Team Award—Julia Alito ’20 Aide-de-Camp Award—Brooke Riley ’20 Field Hockey Red Raider Award—Kate Long ’20 Coaches’ Award—Molly Nelson ’20 Scholar Athlete—Jenna Soliman ’20 Girls’ Soccer Coaches’ Award—Jayne McGrath ’20 Red Raider Award—Ellie Hawkey ’20 100% Hustle Award—Kelli Collins ’20

Football Coaches’ Award—Rickey Eng ’20 Coaches’ Award—Aidan Israel ’20 Coaches’ Award—Jake Bongiovi ’20

Boys’ Soccer Red Raider Award—Ousmane Gueye ’20 Red Raider Award—Ian Albuquerque ’20 Red Raider Award—Luis Paúl ’20 Water Polo Coaches’ Award—Kostiantyn Rogankov ’20 PWP Nation Award—Aaron Orshan ’20 Red Raider Award—Gavin Hart ’20

Tennis Red Raider Award—Annelise Cornet ’20 Team Spirit Award—Laura Mertz ’20 Most Improved—Olivia Ernst ’20

JUNIOR VARSITY Field Hockey Red Raider Award—Ariana Colner ’22 Coaches’ Award—Trinity Pryor ’21

Football Red Raider Award—Max Gibbard ’22 Red Raider Award—Xavier Blake ’22 Boys’ Soccer Red Raider Award—Ricky Porras ’23 Coach’s Award—Jabril Belle-Walker ’22 Tennis Red Raider Award—Caroline Heffern ’20 Coaches’ Award—Chloe McKain ’23

Girls’ Soccer Red Raider Award—Eva Guerino ’22 Coach’s Award—Brynne Taranto ’22 Water Polo Most Improved Player—Hieu Nguyen ’22 100% Hustle Award—Aidan Medina ’22

The Pennington Fund

The Pennington Fund ensures students have the opportunity to Reach Beyond in all that they do! We are delighted to see our students accomplish their goals and reach for their dreams.

Your gift is essential to everything The Pennington School is and offers for our students. Make your Pennington Fund gift today. Every gift matters!

For more information, call Director of the Pennington Fund Brooke Buchanan at 609–559–5311. You can make your gift online at pennington.org/support.

Setting new athletic records Traveling abroad to discover the world Achieving academic milestones

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Asia Alumni Festival Highlights

In November 2019, we hosted our second ever Asia Alumni Festival in Bangkok, Thailand. The event brought together Pennington alumni and friends now living in Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States for a weekend filled with meaningful moments and shared memories. Alumni from across the generations made the trip and reflected that it felt like only yesterday when they walked side by side down the hallways of Old Main and Stainton Hall. Countless laughs, embraces, and stories were shared as friends reconnected with each other and showed their Pennington pride!

We are thankful to our hosts Ratchanee TrillitMamanee ’90, Viwat Trillit ’86, Thirachart Viravan ’86, and Chris Chearavanont ’83, who made experiencing the culture and flavor of Bangkok so memorable for all. Be on the lookout for our next Asia Alumni Festival in 2021!

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On Friday, November 15, alumni and friends gathered at The St. Regis hotel in Bangkok for a welcome reception and dinner to honor Pennington’s newest Athletic Hall of Fame inductees (see photos 1, 4, 7, 8, and 11). Rie Furuuchi ’93 and Kachorn Chiaravanont ’86 were inducted as new members and honored with awards from Headmaster Bill Hawkey. Also pictured is former inductee (2018) Jae Heo ’08 (see photo 8).

Headmaster Bill Hawkey and Chair of the Board of Trustees Peter J. Tucci ’79 P’16 ’16 shared their appreciation and gratitude with hosts of Friday’s dinner, Ratchanee Trillit-Mamanee ’90 and Viwat Trillit ’86 (see photo 11).

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Alumni and Guests at the 2019 Bangkok Asia Alumni Festival

Karen Martindell Buxton ’79 Terry Buxton, Former Dean of Students Chris Chearavanont ’83 Kachorn Chiaravanont ’86 Wyc Childrey P’18 ’21 Karen Denton Lou Denton ’76 Howard Fang ’94 Rie Furuuchi ’93 Jae Hyeok Heo ’08 Soichiro Hori ’89 Andrew Khanchit Juthapornmanee ’84 Michael Keogh ’90 MinSoo Kim ’99 Eui ju Lee Go Eun Kim Emiko Kurita Toshihide Kurita Roge Leung Putipanpong ’86 Allen Liu ’99 Tanaphon Manavutiveth ’94 Wiwat Poolvoraluk ’95 Noppawan Oonok Supat Praisankul ’88 Wataru Sasaki Shuto Sasaki Satoru Suzuki ’83 Miwa Suzuki Makiko Takakura Joyce Tan Stephen Tan ’73 Nopadol Tarmallpark ’92 Viwat Trillit ’86 Ratchanee Trillit-Mamanee ’90 Lisa Tucci P’16 ’16 Peter Tucci ’79 P’16 ’16 Thirachart Viravan ’86 Dhanachok Viravan ’90 Siriluk Viravan Sasipa Viravan Carlos Wyre ’92 Enid Alicea-Wyre Son Hak “Sonny” Yoon ’90 P’19

After a day of educational speakers, alumni and guests gathered on Saturday evening at the scenic Riverside Terrace at the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok for a special dinner hosted by Pennington alumnus Chris Chearavanont ’83. Headmaster Bill Hawkey and Chair of the Board of Trustees Peter J. Tucci ’79 P’16 ’16 welcomed all and delivered a State of the School address (see photos 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, and 10).

Earlier in the day, Son Hak “Sonny” Yoon ’90 P’19 received the Headmaster’s Award in honor of being the first Asian alumnus to become a proud Pennington parent (class of 2019)—creating a Pennington family legacy (see photos 4 and 7; Sonny is pictured bottom right and far left respectively).

from Pennington Bill Hawkey, headmaster Charlie Brown, assistant headmaster for advancement and strategic initiatives Jane Bott Childrey ’89, director of alumni relations Sharon Jarboe, director of admission

PROGRAM SPEAKERS: Dr. Kiranda Bhaopichitr, research director, Thailand Development Research Institute Kristen McDonald, American Foreign Service officer in Bangkok