Spring Sports Review

Sophia Plastaras '28 and Margaret Olsen '28

Spring at Masterman brought fresh pink blossoms on the trees, final exams, and the highly anticipated spring sports season. From badminton to baseball to lacrosse, student-athletes practiced relentlessly, taking advantage of the longer days, nice weather, and end-of-year energy afforded by spring. However, they faced their fair share of challenges. Let’s see how the Blue Dragons culminated this incredible year of athletics:

Boys Ultimate Frisbee

The stellar boys' ultimate frisbee team reached a ranking of #4 in the nation and a 30-6 record. Team members attributed this success to the mentorship of past teammates, constant training, and collaboration on the field. Jonah Smith-Posner (‘25) reflected, “We all really trust each other and each other's abilities… No one is playing hero ball, no one is doing it all by themselves, it’s all of us together.” Among weekend tournaments and off-season practice, the boys' ultimate frisbee team managed to dominate the ranks while forming a meaningful bond between players. With the number of skilled and dedicated seniors, one may wonder about the team’s future after graduation. Luc Bastien (‘25) shared, “I think we have a great class of freshmen coming up that are in the same place we were at one point. Now, it’s definitely on them to step up and take on the role of the team. I definitely have faith that they’ll go places with it.” The team won their first-ever state tournament title this spring, yet still has their sights set on Nationals, which is the culmination of their season and the high school careers of the senior-heavy squad. The younger members of the team hope to continue the legacy and recruit more talent to do so.

Girls Ultimate Frisbee

The girls' ultimate frisbee season was filled with sunny practices, growth, and new faces. Captain Emi Gerveni (‘25) noted, “This season, I was able to recruit a lot of my friends. We now have a bigger team, and we made it to the finals in our first tournament, which was exciting.” While recruitment meant a larger team, it also meant an adjustment—a focus on the fundamentals. As a new player on the team, Mehaad Bahaar (‘25) appreciated the patience and knowledge expressed by the more adept players and Coach Rick, known as Ringo by the ultimate community. She commented, “A lot of us walked onto the team thinking we’d be throwing the disc like you do at the park, but it’s a lot more technical than that. Emi and Rick have both been very hands-on and demonstrational in helping us learn the basic skills and techniques.”

Boys Baseball

The boys' baseball team finished the season with a 4-4-1 record in the PPL conference, ranking them fifth overall. Consistent practice, perseverance, and camaraderie led the Blue Dragons to wins against schools such as E&S and Northeast. They used this momentum to earn a spot in the playoffs, where they defeated Thomas Edison and advanced to the quarterfinals. Despite a season-ending loss to Philadelphia Academy Charter, the team proved relentless in its pursuit of victory. Seniors stepped up as strong leaders, especially due to the many new freshmen. Underclassmen took inspiration from this leadership and are already preparing to emulate it next year. Isaac Miller (‘28) explained, “When the

seniors leave, we have some work to do with drilling and getting all the pieces together… It’s going to be an interesting adjustment.” The team is on its way to the state playoffs on June 2nd, and Coach Lerner was honored with a request to coach the Carpenter’s Cup this year!

Girls Softball

The Masterman softball team had another enjoyable season full of collaboration and development. Although their record was 3-8, they showed pride and persistence through wins and losses. They started the season with few experienced players, so co-captains Nora Perley (‘25) and Bella Smith-Santos (‘25) cultivated a team spirit that encouraged everyone to improve, learn, and grow to love the sport. The team lacked participation in years past, but this season, they had an influx of freshmen willing to dedicate themselves to softball. This means a completely new era for softball is on the rise. Nora commented, “I think we have potential in our future, and I think people should hold onto that.”

Boys Lacrosse

Since their first real season in 2022, routine training, expert communication, and team brotherhood have led the boys' lacrosse team to championship games for three consecutive years. While Mr. Gilken has been the coach since the first season, he was joined by two teachers from the district this year: Coach Doyle and Coach Connor. The players embraced this change and dominated the Public League, crushing schools such as Northeast, Central, and Olney. As with many other sports this spring, boys' lacrosse saw a high rate of freshman participation. Sam Weisz (‘25) commented, “This year, we had to shift focus to younger guys. That came with some growing pains, especially

with stick skills… But the boys have put in a ton of work, and I think we’re a lot closer to the level we were at last year than we were at the start of the season.” They ended the season with an 11-4 overall record, an impressive performance in the playoffs, and a tough loss against George Washington at the championships.

Girls Lacrosse

The girls' lacrosse team, composed of players from Center City schools including Masterman, SLA, and Parkway, went undefeated. This record demonstrated major growth from last year, and the team’s spirit and collaborative talent were unmatched on the field. They earned a bye for playoffs and dominated the semi-finals, with a 20-4 victory against George Washington/MaST. In the PPL championship game against Olney High School, the team battled through rainy conditions and fierce opposition to snag the win with a tight 12-11 score.

Boys Volleyball

The boys' volleyball team finished the season in 6th in the PPL. Unfortunately, the team fell victim to several injuries that prevented them from performing at their full capacity. Still, wins against Parkway Center City, George Washington, and Central contributed to their 5-10 overall record, 3-9 conference record, and exciting competition in playoffs. Home games at Masterman’s gym were attended by supportive spectators, who kept the energy high against vigorous competition. Team leaders included Omar Abouelatta (‘26) with 59 total kills and 21 serving aces, Aanand Shah (‘25) with 105 digs and 159 receptions, and Joseph Chen (‘25) with 62 assists.

Badminton

The badminton team experienced positive growth and change this year. With a shift in coaching from Ms. Laura to Mr. Gold and increased competitiveness, the players reached new heights. They ranked in 4th place in the regular season, crushed E&S in the second round of playoffs, and had a close 2-3 loss to Central in the semi-finals. Captain and second singles player Rena Liu (‘25) shared, “This year, we lost 2-3 to Central, and we usually lose 0-5, so that was a huge improvement.” Nevertheless, some obstacles remain. Rena mentioned, “So many people were interested in joining, but our team is so small. We struggled to keep everyone coming to practice because there weren’t enough spots on varsity.”

Boys Tennis

Boys tennis defeated every Philadelphia public school except for Central. First singles Levi Santa (‘27), second singles Owen Erdman (‘25), and third singles Zakhary Ankosi (‘27) helped lead the team to these decisive victories. Levi Santa even won a 6-4 6-4 match against last year’s Public League singles champion. After falling to Central in the PPL championships, they moved on to District 12 champs, where a tough 2-3 loss to Devon Prep ended their season. While considering the team's chances at PPL gold next year, Levi Santa remarked, “There are some seniors graduating at Central so we may have a chance, but we need to train outside of school tennis to get in good shape.”

Track

The track team saw success this season, even amidst adversity. One injustice was the rule permitting teams to have unlimited runners in one race as long as each student qualified. This hindered Masterman’s abilities, as larger schools boxed out smaller schools to win races. Despite this inequality, the Blue Dragons persevered at the PPL Championships. Grace O’Connell (‘28) won silver in the 3200 meters, Nora Heiskell (‘26) won bronze in the 1600 and 3200, and Grace O’Connell, Charlotte O'Connell (‘28), Nora Heiskell, and Jordan Bellosi (‘27) won bronze in the 4x800 relay. However, their commitment is far from over. Not only are they competing at states, but Jana Liu (‘28) explained, “We will stay dedicated in the summer. We have a summer workout plan and two new coaches helping us find track clubs to run with during the summer.” The track team’s hard-core mindset and encouraging nature will continue to push them for years to come!

Mr. Roache

As athletic director and head of the roster office, Mr. Roache managed Masterman’s twenty-two high school sports this year. He noted, “We have 450 kids in the high school, and to make so many sports happen, we have over 270 of those 450 participating. Given the size of our school, the athletics are thriving because of our students.” Despite his diligent work behind the scenes, he credits the students for keeping the sports program alive, especially in the face of many obstacles. Due to Masterman's location, athletes take public transportation to practice fields located twenty to thirty minutes away, limiting their training time. This also impacts home games, for which spectators must travel a significant distance to support players. However, Mr. Roache acknowledged the special qualities of Masterman students that allow them to push through these challenges and reach success. He remarked, “Almost every team has made strides and has grown… we have a lot to be proud of here.”