MKA Girls meet with State and National Success
Congratulations to MKA’s varsity girls’ track and field and fencing teams, who ended their successful seasons with great results on the state level, and for one athlete, on the national level.
On February 13, the girls’ track and field team, coached by Tom Fleming, came in overall 5th place in the Non-Public B State Championships in Tom’s River (having previously taken 4th place overall at the Colonial Hills Championships) and enjoyed a season that was notable for some exceptional individual performances from freshman Hallie Earle and juniors Laura Placentra and Sheridan Watson. Earle was the runner-up in both the CHC and NJ Prep 55 meter Championships (setting a new 55m MKA indoor school record of 7.59) took 3rd place in the NJSIAA Group Meet, 5th place in the Essex County Championships, and recorded the fastest Frosh 200m time in Essex County at 27.10. For the second time in two years, Laura Placentra became the NJSIAA Group Pole Vault Champion as well as taking the NJSIAA Group 4th place in High Jump, and Sheridan Watson became the 2009 NJ Prep Shot Put Champion (and MKA school record holder at 34'10") as well as taking 2nd place at the CHC Championships and 4th place at the NJSIAA Group Championships.
On February 28, the girls’ foil fencing team, coached by Kerry Verone, took 3rd place in the State Squad Championships at North Hunterdon High School. The squad, comprising seniors Lily Shepard and Katie Davis, junior Chrissy McIntosh and freshman Alisha Bhatia, finished one place ahead of State powerhouse Columbia High School. On A strip, Shepard’s record for the day was 13-2, and on B strip, McIntosh’s record was 14-1. After fencing all day, Shepard and McIntosh headed to the airport in order to compete in a North American Division II Cup Tournament in Atlanta. Finishing first out of 116 foil fencers from all over the country, Lily Shepard won this national tournament, earning her “B” rating (the second highest rating in fencing) and capping her impressive career as an MKA fencer.