Athletics Archives

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

Panthers Shine In State Tennis Individuals

June 11, 2019

MPA senior Parker Law entered the 2019 Class A Singles State Tennis Tournament as the #1 seed. Parker’s path to the State Championship included four matches, in which he defeated Worthington High School’s Blaine Doeden in the opening round of 16, St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s Kai Sih, the #4 ranked player from the Breck School Ishan Nadkarni in the final four, and the #2 ranked player from Redwood Valley Rikard Wilkens in the Championship match. After these crucial wins, Parker finished as the 2019 MSHSL State Class A Singles Champion!

Freshman Justin Prochnow entered the 2019 Class A Singles State Tournament as the #3 seed. Justin’s path to the third place medal included four matches, beginning with his victory over St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s Nathan Sobotka and Benson/KMS’s Eric Hoium. Redwood Valley’s Rikard Wilkens defeated Justin Prochnow, placing Justin in the third place match, where he then defeated the Breck School’s Ishan Nadkarni for the third place medal in the 2019 MSHSL State Class A Singles Tournament. Read More

Panthers Excel At State Track & Field

June 10, 2019

Congratulations to all of the Panthers who participated in the State Track & Field Meet, held June 7-8. These seven athletes all earned All-State Honors and were medalists by placing in the top nine in Minnesota, Class A:

Isak Nightingale, Cullen Moore, Henry Snider, Matthew Bourne – Ninth in Boys 4 x 800m Relay, 8:20.17
Henry Snider – Seventh in the 3200m Run, 9:53.34
Sofia Walker – Fifth in the 800m Run, 2:18.40 with a new school record!
Yahya Madar – First in the High Jump, 6’ 10 with a new school record and tied the MN Class A State Record! Only 18 high school students have jumped this high in the United States this year.

Others qualifying for the State Meet, competing, but not placing in the top nine include:

Katie Dahiya, Gabby Law, Margo N., Izzy Quam – 17th in the 4 x 800m Relay
Tae’Vion Wilkins, Ian Olson, Nathan Harvanko, Flynn Opatz – 14th in the 4 x 200m Relay

They all had remarkable seasons! Go Panthers!

Photos by MN Prep Photo/www.mnprepphoto.com and Nate Bander ’09.

Panthers Win State Tennis Championship

June 5, 2019

The Mounds Park Academy Panthers defeated the St. Paul Academy Spartans 4-3 in the Class A State Tennis Tournament at the Reed-Sweatt Indoor tennis facility in Minneapolis Wednesday. MPA secured wins in first singles, second singles, first doubles, and the deciding win came in a three hour and 30+ minute marathon match in fourth singles. Vlad Vutov (Nova Classical Academy) secured a Panther victory with a 6-4 third set win. This was MPA’s second State Boys Tennis Championship—the last time was in 2006. Congratulations, Panthers!