GOOD KALL: Emily Kallfelz competes in the U.S. women’s 4 in action this spring. Kallfelz, a 2019 Princeton grad, will be making her debut in the Olympics later this month when she rows in the 2024 Paris Games. (Photo by Row2k, provided courtesy of USA Rowing)

By Justin Feil

Emily Kallfelz had a great excuse to miss Princeton University Reunions in this May.

The 2019 Princeton graduate was in Lucerne, Switzerland, securing a spot in the U.S. women’s 4 boat to row in the Paris 2024 Olympics, no small achievement given her ups and downs over the last five years.  more

NET GAIN: Jonathan Gu prepares to hit a backhand in action this spring during his freshman season for the Carnegie Mellon University men’s tennis team. Former Princeton High star Gu posted a 9-7 overall record in singles and 1-3 in doubles during his debut campaign for the Tartans. (Photo provided courtesy of Carnegie Mellon University Athletics)

By Bill Alden

While Jonathan Gu struggled a bit individually as he started his college career with Carnegie Mellon University men’s tennis squad, he was buoyed by support from his teammates.

“I wasn’t playing too well in the fall, it was a new feeling playing college tennis and just being on a team environment,” said Gu, a former Princeton High standout who won the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) state singles title in 2022 and came in second a year later as a senior. “It is really different from high school where everybody is on a team but at the same time we all have our own responsibilities. In college, everybody is cheering as much as they can, everybody is really energized. In high school, it is more individual.” more

FORCE FIELD: Members of the Wilberforce School girls’ track team 4×800 relay quartet are all smiles after they took 10th overall at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet last month at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Pictured from left, are Laura Sallade, Maria Madigan, Gwen Mersereau, and Eve Szeliga. (Photo provided by Lois Szeliga)

By Bill Alden

Although the Wilberforce School girls’ track team only had six runners this spring, that didn’t keep them from accomplishing a lot.

The Wilberforce girls took seventh out of 18 schools at the Mercer County Championships and then took third at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public B championship meet. more

ON POINT: Princeton High boys’ lacrosse player Patrick Kenah, left, races upfield in a game this spring during his senior campaign. Star attackman and Lafayette College commit Kenah tallied 108 points on 61 goals and 47 assists as he helped PHS go 11-8 and advance to the Mercer County Tournament final. Kenah ended up with 372 points in his Tiger career on 217 goals and 155 assists. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As Patrick Kenah prepared for senior season with the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team, he put his nose to the grindstone.

“This offseason was super crucial, I wanted to put in the work,” said Kenah. “I knew I needed to have a good season. I wanted to help the team and be a leader of this team. I think I have set myself up well to do that, and I have been put in a good position.”

Senior attackman and Lafayette College commit Kenah achieved that goal, triggering the PHS offense.

After tallying four points in a 15-4 opening day win over WW/P-North, Kenah exploded for nine points on five goals and four assists to help PHS defeat Hopewell Valley 17-11.

After a tough stretch in mid-April which saw PHS go 2-3, Kenah helped the Tigers get back on track with a 21-11 win over Notre Dame High under the lights at Mercer County Community College, piling up five goals and six assists. more

SETTING THE PACE: Princeton Day School star runner Emily McCann competes in a cross country race during her stellar Panther career. The recently graduated McCann, a Northeastern University track and cross country commit, has been a driving force for the fledging PDS track program as it has grown by leaps and bounds over the last four seasons. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

From its humble start in 2021 as a club program with about 20 athletes that competed in some varsity meets, the Princeton Day School track and field squad has certainly picked up the pace.

This spring, the PDS varsity track team saw its roster swell to 50 with the Panthers finishing third in both the boys’ and girls’ team standings in the Prep B state championship meet. At the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public Group B championships, the PDS boys and girls each finished 10th in the team standings. The Panthers also sent two girls’ relay quartets to the Penn Relays. more

NO QUIT: Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball player Nano Sarceno launches the ball in recent action. Last Thursday, Princeton High rising senior Sarceno went 1 for 3 with one run to help Post 218 defeat Trenton Post 93/182 8-5. Princeton, now 2-13, plays at South Brunswick Post 401 on July 5, hosts Hamilton Post 31 on July 7, and then plays at Bordentown Post 26 on July 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Even as the losses piled up this summer for the Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball team, Pete Nielsen never lost faith in his players.

“We have the ability,” said Post 218 manager Nielsen. “That has been my message throughout the whole season.”

After starting the 2024 season with 12 straight losses in Mercer County American Legion League (MCALL) action, Post 218 displayed its ability, posting a 13-9 win over Broad Street Post 313 on June 23. more

By Bill Alden

For Jay Jackson, playing for the SpeedPro team in the Princeton Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League this year has been a reunion tour.

Jackson, who went to Princeton High for three years and starred in football, basketball, and lacrosse before transferring to the Pennington School, was excited to team up with SpeedPro, which is comprised of recent PHS alums like Judd Petrone, Jack Suozzi, Matt Rinaldi, Brendan Rougas, and Tim Evidente.

“It has been awhile — I grew up with them and we have been playing for a while,” said Jackson, who graduated from Pennington in 2021 and has gone to play college lacrosse at Frostburg State University where he will be a senior this fall. “It is just being able to hang out with the guys on the court. It is nice to be able to get back out on the court with these guys.” more

UNITED WAY: Members of the Princeton FC 2009 United 15U pose for a team photo as they took a break from competing in the United States Youth soccer (USYS) Eastern Regional Presidents Cup in Barboursville, W. Va., last month. PFC ended up going 1-1-1 in group play at the competition as they narrowly missed advancing to the semifinals of the tourney. Pictured in the front row, from left, are Griffin Short, Cesar Carrera, Anthony Morales, Dani Da Costa, Dani Ludewig, Oscar Klein, and Gregoire Stefani. In the back row, from left, are Michael Habingreither, Jason Lee, Kingston Lipsey, Macintyre Jerdonek, Michael Caceres, Rayyaan Mohiuddin, Riccardo Meloni, and Nicolas Savard. Not pictured are Simon Danos, Yash Thakur, David Gajewski, Vivaan Ravindran, and Raphael Borentain.

By Bill Alden

Coming off winning the New Jersey Youth Soccer (NJYS) Presidents Cup in May, the Princeton FC 2009 United 15U boys’ soccer team headed to the USYS Eastern Regional Presidents Cup 2024 in Barboursville, W. Va., in mid-June where they battled hard before getting knocked out in the group stage.

The draw for the regional put the United in the same group with two strong foes from Eastern Pennsylvania and Maryland.

PFC United opened the competition by facing the Southern Chester County Dragons, ranked fifth in the Eastern Pennsylvania region. United got off to a slow start, conceding three goals in the first half on the way to a 5-0 loss. more

WILL TO SUCCEED: Will Doran prepares to fire a shot in recent action for the Williams College men’s lacrosse team. Former Princeton High star Doran tallied 38 points on 20 goals and 18 assists this season, emerging as a star during his sophomore campaign for the Ephs. (Photo by Shiv Patel, provided courtesy of Williams College Athletics)

By Bill Alden

During his senior season for the Princeton High boys’ lacrosse team in 2022, Will Doran was the main man for the Tigers, leading New Jersey in scoring with 128 points on 55 goals and 73 assists.

Heading to Williams College that fall to start his college career with the Division-III program, Doran found himself as a member of the supporting cast for the Ephs, struggling to make an impact at the next level. more

HART AND SOUL: Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse player Hart Nowakoski, right, looks to pass the ball in a game this spring. Junior Nowakoski led PDS is assists this spring with 25 and added 12 goals as the Panthers went 7-12 and advanced to the final of the Mercer County Invitational. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Making the final of the Mercer County Invitational, the ‘B’ bracket of the county tournament, wasn’t the goal for the Princeton Day School boys’ lacrosse team at the beginning of the season, but the tourney run proved valuable for the young squad.

“Being able to play in the finals was really good for us,” said PDS first-year head coach Nick Taylor, whose team fell 8-7 to Lawrence High in overtime in the MCI title game. “You look back at our season and where we are at — we have some returning guys that are going to play a lot of minutes next year, so it was great to have that experience this year.” more

By Bill Alden

Working a number of new faces into its lineup this spring, the Princeton Day School boys’ tennis team saved its best for last.

PDS posted wins over Allentown and Ewing to wrap up regular season play and then topped St. Rose 5-0 in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public South Jersey tournament. Facing second-seeded Morristown Friends in the quarterfinal round, the seventh-seeded Panthers battled valiantly as they tried to extend their season but fell 3-2.

“The match against Friends was on a knife’s edge until the end, Steven [Li] was neck and neck with his opponent at second singles,” said PDS head coach Michael Augsberger, whose team ended up with a final record of 10-8 this spring. “That was the deciding match. His opponent hit a drop shot that Steven ran after and he lost his balance. He had been dealing with a wrist injury and as he reached for the drop shot he fell and landed right on it. He played the rest of that match with it. In the second set he was up 2-1 and he played the rest of that set without a backhand. It was an incredibly tough decision that he made — he didn’t want to be the one to retire the match, that would end it.” more

RAISING CANE: Hun School boys’ lacrosse player Danny Cano, right, looks to unload the ball in a game this spring. Senior star and Hobart commit Cano tallied 23 goals and eight assists this spring to help Hun go 8-9. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Although the Hun School boys’ lacrosse team went 8-9 this spring, the program made strides as it battled a gauntlet of high-powered foes.

“It was a successful season with the competition that we played — we put the best possible teams on our schedule that we could and for the most part competed in every single game,” said Hun first-year head coach Alex Lopes, whose squad faced Lawrenceville School, the top-ranked team in the nation, along with the Episcopal School (Pa), the Westtown School (Pa.), Gill St. Bernard’s, St. Augustine, and Academy of New Church (Pa.). more

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YOUNG AND STRONG: Freddie Young Jr. goes up for the ball for YSU as it faced 1911 Smokehouse last Monday night at Community Park in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League. Former Princeton Day School and Trenton Catholic standout guard Young tallied 16 points to help YSU defeat Smokehouse 66-37 as it improved to 4-0. In other action on Monday, Novi Wealth Partners edged Jefferson Plumbing 63-62 in double overtime and Lob City topped Speed Pro 54-41. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Freddie Young Jr. wasn’t happy as his YSU team found itself in an 11-11 tie with 1911 Smokehouse last Monday night in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League.

“We came out here kind of lackadaisical,” said Young. “It should never have been an 11-11 game.”

With former Princeton Day School and Trenton Catholic standout guard Young triggering the offense, YSU went on a 16-0 run to seize momentum and build a 34-15 lead at halftime.

“We made the change, we stepped on the gas and we kept stepping on the gas,” said Young, who starred this winter for the Lincoln University men’s hoops team. “We kept going, kept going. We played defense and turned our defense into offense. It turned out to be successful.” more

HATS OFF: Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball player James Schiavone gets ready to bat in recent action. Princeton High rising senior Schiavone starred with his bat and arm last Sunday as Post 218 defeated Broad Street Park Post 313 13-9 to earn its first win of the summer. Schiavone went 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs and then produced a strong relief outing, striking out five and yielding just one hit in 2.0 innings of work to secure the win. Post 218, now 1-12, was slated to play at Allentown on June 25 before hosting Trenton Post 93/182 on June 27 at Smoyer Park. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Ending its 12-game losing streak this summer with a bang, the Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball team pounded out 17 hits as it topped Broad Street Park Post 313 13-9 last Sunday at Hamilton High.

Princeton High standout Travis Petrone led the hit parade for Post 218, going 4 for 5 with a double, one run, and three RBIs. Nate Nydick went 3 for 4 with one run and one RBI, while Nano Sarceno went 2 for 5 with a run and three RBIs. James Schiavone, Ray Nault, and Anders Hedin each contributed two hits in the win for Princeton. more

STEPPING UP: Princeton High girls’ lacrosse player Joci Lee races upfield in action this spring. Senior defender Lee helped PHS show marked improvement this season as it went 12-9 after going 7-12 in 2023. The Tigers edged Montgomery 9-8 in overtime in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey Group 3 tournament to post their first win in the state tourney since 2021. PHS ended its season by falling 11-5 at Northern Highlands in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Although the Princeton High girls’ lacrosse team ended its 2024 campaign with a tough 11-5 loss at Northern Highlands in the quarterfinal round of the state tournament, that defeat can’t diminish what the program accomplished as it regained its winning ways.

After struggling through a frustrating 7-12 season in 2023, the Tigers posted a 12-9 record this spring.

“Last year was a hard year for all of the girls, but it was a growing year,” said PHS head coach Katie Federico. “It really allowed a lot of them to mature. The seniors really took on that leadership role this year. It was the confidence and trust in each other — they played so well as a unit. That year of rebuilding really did help, as hard as it was.” more

COMING THROUGH: Hun School girls’ lacrosse player Olivia Kim, center, looks to elude two Lawrenceville defenders in the Mercer County Tournament semis. Senior star and Williams College commit Kim enjoyed a big final campaign, talking 57 goals and 11 assist to help the Raiders go 9-8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Although the Hun School girls’ lacrosse team ended the spring by losing nail-biters to local foes Princeton High and Princeton Day School, Geoff Chrisman appreciated the intensity and skill level displayed in the rivalry clashes.

“It was a lot of fun, it was definitely good Princeton crosstown lacrosse which is always awesome,” said Hun first year head coach Chrisman, a 2003 PHS alum who played lacrosse and football during his high school days. “You want to see it doing well. There is so much on the line, it feels like. Having played in games when I was here and now coaching in them, you get to feel that emotion. You are going to see those kids at Hoagie Haven. The girls are neighbors, they grew up with each other. They play club together.”

In the 14-10 loss to PHS, Hun was tied 6-6 with the Tigers at halftime but couldn’t close the deal in the second half. more

QUICK ON THE DRAW: Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse players Kelly Christie, left, and Shelby Ruf go after a draw in a game this spring. Senior star Christie and junior standout Ruf starred in the midfield this year for PDS as it went 15-6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As Lucia Marcozzi took the helm of the Princeton Day School girls’ lacrosse program this spring, it was all hands on deck.

“It was so much fun, I am lucky with such a good group of girls,” said Marcozzi, a former Bucknell University women’s lax standout who has been coaching in club programs for several years. “It was such a small team that everyone had to do anything.”

That lack of depth hurt the Panthers as the fifth-seeded Panthers fell 14-9 to fourth-seeded to Saddle River Day in the quarterfinal round of the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Non-Public Group B tournament. more

FAMILY AFFAIR: Tommy Parker, center, the longtime manager of the Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball team, enjoys the moment with members of his family last Thursday afternoon as the baseball field at Barbara Smoyer Park was dedicated in his honor. The dedication was memorialized by the unveiling of a plaque citing Parker’s “hard work and dedication to the lives of Princeton’s youth,” listing his contributions as founder/GM/coach of Post 218 from 1990-2022, a longtime coach of youth baseball and youth football, and a local leader in civil rights, worker rights, and youth athletics. It marks the first time that Princeton has dedicated a field in someone’s honor. (Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Recreation Department)

By Bill Alden

With the sun shining brightly midway through last Thursday afternoon, the soccer fields and baseball diamond at Barbara Smoyer Park were quiet with practices and games hours away.

But there was a buzz around the pavilion building in the center of the park as a crowd of around 100 had gathered to honor Tommy Parker, one of the shining stars of the Princeton community.

The throng was on hand for a ceremony dedicating the park’s baseball field in the honor of Parker, the longtime manager of the Post 218 American Legion baseball team and a community activist. The dedication was memorialized by the unveiling of a plaque citing Thomas A. Parker’s “hard work and dedication to the lives of Princeton’s youth,” listing his contributions as founder/general manager/coach of Post 218 from 1990-2022, longtime coach of youth baseball and youth football, and local leader in civil rights, worker rights, and youth athletics. more

IRON MIKE: Mike Kane of Princeton Supply looks to unload the ball during a 2023 game in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League. Last Friday night, Kane tallied 14 points to help Princeton Supply defeat Lob City 61-52 in its season opener. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Mike Kane enjoyed a superb career with the Drew University men’s basketball team and a memorable graduate season this winter for Widener.

Former Notre Dame High standout Kane totaled 698 points in his four seasons at Drew and then averaged 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds a game this winter as he helped Widener go 24-5 and advance to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Division III tournament.

But while Kane produced many highlight moments in his college career, taking the court last Friday night for Princeton Supply as it faced Lob City to open its campaign in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League held a special meaning for him. more

SWINGING AWAY: Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball player Travis Petrone follows through on a swing in recent action. Last Monday, Petrone, a rising Princeton High senior, had a hit in a losing cause as Post 218 fell 7-1 to Hamilton Post 31. Princeton, which moved to 0-9 with the defeat, hosts Bordentown Post 26 on June 19, plays at North Hamilton on June 21, hosts Lawrence Post 414 on June 22, plays at Broad Street Park Post 313 on June 23, and at Allentown on June 25. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Having lost its first six games this summer, the Princeton Post 218 American Legion baseball team was primed for a breakthrough as it hosted Broad Street Park Post 313 last Thursday evening at Smoyer Park.

“It has been a tough stretch coming into this game,” said Post 218 manager Peter Nielsen. “I see the hunger in these kids. They are ready to get that first win.”

Post 218 built a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth inning on run-scoring hits by Mike Prete and Gavin Lauer. more