Athletics Archives

September 7, 2019

On a day that only distance runners and mosquitoes would love, you earned 12 personal best times and earned 6 t-shirts for finishing in the top ten of your grade level race!

Our middle school boys started us off on the right spiked foot. Ben ran his second mile faster than his first to move up to 8th place, earning a substantial personal best and a t-shirt. Eddie also moved up the second half of his race, finishing 26th. Liam, in his first cross country race, started a little too fast, but hung on for 30th place. Eilam ran well to earn 92nd place. He has improved a lot since he began cross country just over a year ago.

Our middle school girls, while fewer in number, ran well. Teagan earned 19th place, running as a 6th grader among mostly 7th and 8th graders. Abigail, running in her first cross country race, finished in 50th place and said it was fun. That’s the kind of attitude we like!

Henry G. was our only 9th grade boy. He ran very close to his personal best time to finish in 64th place. Margo was our only 9th grade girl. She ran side by side with another girl for most of the race before unleashing a powerful kick that left her competitor stumbling to the finish. She missed her personal best by a few seconds but earned a t-shirt for her win.

Our 10th grade boys began a long streak of personal records. Cullen started a little quick and had some trouble breathing the second half of the race, but managed to hang on for 6th place, earning a personal best time and a t-shirt. Evan improved his personal best by 49 seconds to finish 22nd. Noah improved his personal best time by a whopping 1 minute and 49 seconds!

Salma continued the parade of personal bests, improving her best 2 mile time by 17 seconds. She looked strong and said it felt good. Peter finished in 15th as our only junior boy, earning a personal best by 31 seconds.

Our 11th grade girls raised the bar a bit, finishing 3rd and 4th in their race. Katie improved her personal best by 27 seconds while staying pretty close to the leaders for much of the race. Izzy, in the first of two competitions today (she is playing soccer later this afternoon) improved her personal best by 4 seconds. Both girls earned t-shirts for their efforts.

Henry S. was our sole senior boy. Despite sore legs from all his recent hard work, he ran well to finish 5th and earn a personal best by 21 seconds. He earned our final t-shirt of the day.

Our senior girls wrapped things up for us. Skylar ran side by side with Izzy during most of the race before abandoning Izzy with her finishing kick. Not bad for someone who is running a bit low on iron. Well, more than a bit. Izzy did manage to improve her personal best by 32 seconds. Mari finished in 31st place while improving her personal best by 1 minute and 21 seconds!

This was just your first race, competing against many runners who were running their third race. But you were sharp, ran mostly evenly paced miles, and showed some competitive skills to win your piece of the race or win the race. This bodes well for the remainder of your season.

Next up, after picture day (smile!) is the Private School Invite. Maybe Goldilocks will determine the weather and it will be just right for a change.

Results are available at Gopher State Events.

Going The Extra Mile

September 5, 2019

by Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

Throughout middle and upper school, I was usually the tallest kid in the room. However, my coordination never seemed to be in sync with my height. Nevertheless, I was encouraged to play the center position on the basketball team and defensive end on the football team. There were many times I was discouraged, but I learned to push myself. In my junior and senior years, I saw very little playing time in basketball, but earned my place on the team in practices by playing center in scrimmages, going up against Pete. I was 6’3” and 160 pounds. Pete was 6’5’’ and 230 pounds. Over the course of two years, I sustained a broken leg, several sprained ankles, black eyes, bruised ribs, and other injuries … all thanks to my friend, Pete.

A great deal of the success I’ve had to date can be credited to lessons I learned from those experiences. For example, whether it was pushing myself to finish my doctorate, dealing with difficult problems at work, overcoming personal challenges, or running a 10K, I am stronger because of the endurance I have learned. While some may define endurance as suffering, I view it in a positive light—an indication of growth and accomplishment. Read More

Congratulations To Coach Biever!

August 29, 2019

Congratulations to MPA Boys Tennis Coach Bryan Biever! Coach Biever has been voted as the Class A Coach of the Year! The award will be given at a banquet in October.

Last spring, the MPA Boys Tennis Team won the State Championship and Parker Law ’19 finished as the 2019 MSHSL State Class A Singles Champion.

The MPA boys tennis program provides an opportunity for Panthers to learn a life-long sport, represent their school and community, and expand essential character skills through the game of tennis. MPA coaches strive to develop tennis players of all ability levels, improving their tennis skills and knowledge. An honor well deserved, Coach!

Try Something New On The MPA Sailing Team

August 29, 2019

from Stevie Olk ’21, MPA Sailing Team Captain

Fall sports have begun! Of course, you have all the normal sports to choose from, but here at MPA students in grades 7-12 also have something different—sailing. Did you know that we have been one of the top teams in the state recently? Did you know that we race locally, regionally, and nationally? Did you know that sailing is a co-ed sport?

If you are looking for a sport that has life-long potential and is tons of fun, come join the MPA Sailing Team. You do not have to know how to sail—we will teach you everything you need to know to be part of our team. Read More

Meet Brenna Bray ’02!

August 20, 2019

Meet 2019-20 Alumni Association Board member Brenna Bray ’02!

Brenna was an MPA student from grades 5-12, graduating in 2002 to attend St. Olaf for undergrad. Around 2011, Brenna lived back home in Minnesota after attending the Publishing Institute at Denver University, and was presented the opportunity to coach the MPA cross country running and ski teams. After an amazing coaching experience at MPA for two years, she went on to pursue her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences and Neuroscience at the University of South Dakota’s Sanford School of Medicine. However, she stays in touch with many of the Panthers she coached and cheers them on from near and far.

Now once again back in Minnesota, Brenna is looking forward to reconnecting with the MPA community, and wanted to further rekindle that connection. “The Alumni Association Board provided a very fun way for me to do that,” she said.

Brenna also adds that her role on the MPA Alumni Board has provided her with many opportunities to support MPA and get involved with the school and community she loves. As part of the Board, she hopes to continue supporting, fostering, and sharing the MPA community and spirit. Read More

MPA Alumni Homecoming and Reunion Weekend Details

August 13, 2019

Join fellow MPA alums on Homecoming weekend, September 27 and 28, to reconnect with friends, family, and faculty. Celebrate milestone reunions and participate in special, alumni-only activities. Welcome home, alumni, and we hope to see you soon!

Renovation Tour
Saturday, September 28, 11 AM
Lansing Lobby
Enjoy a meet and greet and tour of campus with Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school. Come see the newly renovated commons, cafeteria, + kitchen, and get a sneak peek of the library!

Co-ed Alumni Soccer Scrimmage
Saturday, September 28, 3 PM
MPA Stadium
Hit the field or cheer from the stands in our first-ever organized Co-Ed Alumni Soccer Scrimmage! Read More

Big Points For School Athletics

August 9, 2019

Building Character and Academic Success
Back to school also means back to sports, with many students reuniting with their fall teams, moving up to the next level of play, or trying out a new activity. Mounds Park Academy has been at the forefront of cultivating student athletes, with an emphasis on good sportsmanship and leadership that extends from the classroom to the courts, tracks, fields and stadiums where our Panthers compete.

Healthy mind, healthy body
MPA offers one of the broadest prep school athletic programs in the Twin Cities, including more than 20 Upper School teams and a range of competitive Middle School sports that begin in fifth grade. Our student athletes transform their gifts and talents into accomplishments that bolster their educational experience, with research showing that sports help create better students, and better citizens. For example, the University of Missouri’s Adolescent Medicine program highlights that many athletes do better academically and encourages all children to participate in sports, reinforcing that “physical exercise is good for the mind, body, and spirit. Team sports help teach adolescents accountability, dedication, leadership and other skills … [and how] to effectively communicate to solve problems.” MPA’s athletics embraces this theme, welcoming students to take part in sports at all levels of experience—developing commitment, character, perseverance, initiative, and teamwork. Read More

Now Offering Girls Swimming Swimming and Diving

July 2, 2019

Due to student interest, MPA is pleased to announce that it will offer an Upper School Girls Swimming and Diving Team starting this fall!

Details:

This four-day-per-week program is for students entering grades seven through 12 and no exceptions can be made.
This offering will be in addition to the Lower and Middle School Swim Club for boys and girls, which is offered in the winter. Swimmers may participate in both opportunities (correction from an earlier communication).
This will be an MPA-only team with no other school partnerships.
This team will be coached by Ms. Stacy, fourth grade teacher.
Practices will begin August 12, 2019 at the Maplewood YMCA. Meets will be determined at a later date.
Transportation to and from practices and meets will be the responsibility of the families.
A parent/coach meeting will occur later in July.
The cost for participation will be $175 per student.

To register for the team, email Dan Haase, athletic director, at dhaase@moundsparkacademy.org and include your student’s name, grade level, and preferred parent email address.

Go Panthers!

Panthers Recap: MSHSL Class A State Championship

June 19, 2019

With 13 athletes plus relay alternates qualifying for the state meet, it was a busy weekend for panthers track and field. On Thursday, MPA’s state qualifiers, alternates and coaches took a bus to Hamline University for the season’s final practice on the track at Hamline. After practice, the team enjoyed a stop at Jamba Juice on the way home!

On Friday, the boys 4x200m of seniors Tae’Vion Wilkins, Ian Olson and Flynn Opatz and junior Nathan Harvanko led off the state meet competition in the prelims of the 4x200m. Though they did not make finals, placing 14th with a time of 1:34.46, seniors Tae’Vion Wilkins, Ian Olson and Flynn Opatz got to conclude their track and field careers on the track at the state meet. Also on Friday, junior Henry Snider ran in the finals of the 3200m. In brutal heat, Henry ran his second fastest time ever to place seventh and earn all-state honors with a time of 9:53.34. Read More

Panthers Recap: Section 4A Championships

June 19, 2019

MPA Track and Field went toe to toe with the best competition in Section 4A and emerged with a record number of runners advancing to the state meet!

On the girls side, highlights include eighth grader Zoe M. winning her prelim heat in the 100m, advancing through her semifinals heat, and qualifying for finals, placing fourth with a season best time of 13.17. In the 400m, 8th grader Greta M. (Gentry) advanced to finals and placed fifth, running a near season best of 1:02.81. In the 800m, senior Sofia Walker’s dream of qualifying for the state meet came to fruition, as she won the 800m in 2:26.43, just off her personal best. Sophomore Izzy Quam ran near her season best to make finals in the 800m and finished seventh in 2:34.94. In the 1600m, Sophomore Katie Dahiya earned a medal with her sixth-place finish, running her second-best time of the season in 5:49.26. She added another medal in the 3200m, running 12:26.80 and finishing fifth with a personal best by nearly 30 seconds! She is now fifth all time in MPA history in the 3200m. In the 100m hurdles, 8th grader Emily B. qualified for the finals running a personal best time of 18.56 in the prelims (now eighth best all time at MPA) and took eighth in the finals.

In the 4x100m, the team of eighth grader Zoe M., ninth grader Ella Fruchterman, junior Catherine Moore and senior Ellie Quam made the finals and placed seventh, running 53.34. They are now sixth all time at MPA. In the 4x200m, the team of eighth graders Zoe M. and Greta M., ninth grader Ella Fruchterman, and junior Catherine Moore. ran 1:52.22 to earn medals with their fifth-place finish. Their time is now eighth all time at MPA. In the girls 4x800m, the team of seniors Sofia Walker and Gabby Law, tenth grader Izzy Quam and 8th grader Margo N. ran a heroic race to finish second and qualify for state! Their time of 10:05.06 is the second fastest ever at MPA and the fastest in 21 years. Read More