Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/10/16
This is one of a series of previews for the 2016 Philly lacrosse season
Agnes Irwin School
League: Inter-Ac
Head Coach: Jenny Duckenfield, 4th season (58-12)
Last year’s record: 23-1,11-1 Inter-Ac, Inter-Ac Champions, Pennsylvania Independent School Athletic Association Champions, Nike/Lacrosse Magazine #10 in the country, STEPS Lacrosse North America #3 in the country, LAXPOWER.com #1 team in Pennsylvania. Defeated three defending state champions (Florida/Vero Beach, New Jersey/Moorestown, and Pennsylvania/Garnet Valley). Defeated 2015 PIAA Champion, Garnet Valley, and 2015 PIAA Runner Up, Conestoga.
Lost to Graduation: attack Emma Hill (playing at Gettysburg)
Key returnees: senior attack Hannah Keating (Harvard), senior midfielders Laura Pansini (Princeton), Emily Fryer (Brown), and Kristin Burnetta (Harvard), senior defenders Kate White (Dartmouth) and Sarah Platt (University of Virginia), junior attackers Lila Barker (University of Virginia) and Daniela Wright (Arizona State), junior goalie Hailey Andress (Cornell), junior defender Alicia O’Neil (Cornell), sophomore defender Maria Pansini (Princeton).
Others to Watch: junior attack Olivia Carey, junior defender Emmie Kiely (Brown), sophomore attackers Ellie Kirkpatrick (Vanderbilt), Sydney Wolfington (Penn State) and Alex Hark (Boston University), sophomore defenders Kate Chernitsky, Meredith Murphy (Bucknell), Lily Emery-Baum,(University of Virginia), Emma Macaione (Dartmouth).
Other information: Agnes Irwin faces what is perhaps the most challenging schedule in the country. In addition to an always-competitive Inter-Ac slate, the Owls will compete against four high school lacrosse programs ranked in the STEPS lacrosse 2016 Pre-Season National Top 25: #2 Good Counsel (MD), #3 St, Stephens and St. Agnes (VA), #16 Bishop Ireton (VA) and #18, perennial New Jersey powerhouse, Moorestown. The Owls will also take on the 2015 Ches-Mont League and District 1 Champion and PIAA Semi-finalist, Great Valley, in the annual Katie Samson Festival.
Jenny “Coach Duck” Duckenfield is in her fourth season at Agnes Irwin (58-12). In 2015 she guided the Owls to their second straight Inter-Ac title, first-ever PAISAA State Championship and a school record 23 wins. Coach Duck was named PhillyLacrosse 2015 Coach of the Year in recognition of her efforts to build the Agnes Irwin program since her arrival in 2013. Duckenfield helped develop the school’s first-ever National Player of the Year, Hannah Keating, and saw a school record four Owls earn first team US Lacrosse All American honors in 2015 (Sarah Platt, Laura Pansini, Hannah Keating, and Kate White).
Coach’s outlook for 2016: “We have a very strong schedule and are looking forward to competing with some of the best teams in the country.”
The Episcopal Academy
League: Inter-Ac
Head Coach: Josie Ferri (3rd season)
Last year’s record: 21-5 (PAISAA Championship Finalist)
Key returnees: Colby Gallagher (Sr. M), Sydney Gagnon (Sr. GK), Julia Hondros (Sr. M), Claudia Becker (Sr. D), Meghan Manley (Sr. D), Grace Norley (Sr. A), Corinne Zanolli (Jr. A/M), Taylor Lucey (Jr. A) Katie Crager (So. A), Olivia Cunningham (So. A)
Coach’s outlook for 2016: “I am confident that the strong leadership from our upperclassmen combined with the speed of our underclassmen will lead to another successful season. We will be playing a rigorous out of league schedule and are excited for the challenge. This is a very special group and I can’t wait to see all they will accomplish together this season!”