May 21, 2019
A group of former MPA girls soccer players, some of their partners, eight little ones, and coaches Mike Scinto and Al Greimel recently got together for an MPA soccer reunion!
Thank you to Caitlin Coomes ’01, Beth Dunbar ’01, Victoria Simmonds ’01, Anna Kelly ’02, Karli (Gastezoro) McGill ’03, Kate Allen ’03, Clare Halloran ’03, Kelsey Suddard ’03, Stephanie Eyerly-Webb ’03, Amelia Lyle ’03, Mary Brainerd Dujovski ’05, and Sara Coomes ’07 for the group photo!
Undefeated Panthers Win IMAC Championship
May 15, 2019
Congratulations to the MPA Girls Softball Team for winning the 2019 IMAC Conference Championship! This is the first championship title to be won by MPA’s softball team in school history. This year’s team composition has been tremendously successful, as it features a variety of grades and even a few players from Gentry Academy, who MPA has a co-operative partnership with this year. There are two seniors, four juniors, six eighth graders, and three students from Gentry Academy. All the players showed a commitment to the team from the beginning, such as eighth grader Siri S., who chose to play on MPA’s team along with her traveling softball team.
“The wide range of ages, along with the partnering of two schools, make logistics (practice times, game times, early dismissal and transportation departure times) somewhat challenging,” says Dan Haase, one of the coaches and director of athletics at MPA, “This group, however, has responded well to these challenges. Team competition and expectations have skyrocketed with our early success. The girls respect each other and support each other, which creates a fun team atmosphere and makes coaching even more enjoyable. I’m so proud of their success thus far and look forward to the continuing competition and athletic growth, both this year and in the years to come.”
Congrats on this incredible success, Panthers!
Isak Nightingale Honored With Invitation
May 13, 2019
After his performance at March’s US Nordic Skiing Junior Nationals race in Anchorage, AK, freshman Isak Nightingale was one of just 40 youth nordic skiers invited to the US Skiing National U16 Nordic Camp this July at the College of St Scholastica in Duluth. The camp brings together the top U16 Boys and Girls talent from across the country for a week of intensive training and education as one of the first steps towards the US Skiing national team development pipeline. Congratulations, Isak!
May 9, 2019
MPA Track and Field traveled to Blake for the IMAC relays on Thursday and had a number of terrific performances. Notable results for the girls team include 10th grader Katie Dahiya placing third in the 1600m run with a new personal best time of 5:39.78, now eighth best all time at MPA. In the 1600m medley relay, the team of seniors Gabby Law and Sofia Walker, junior Catherine Moore and eighth grader Greta M. (Gentry Academy) placed third with a time of 4:42.20, now ninth place all time at MPA. In the 4x100m relay, the team of junior Catherine Moore, ninth grader Ella Fruchterman, and eighth graders Zoe M., and Greta M. (Gentry Academy) placed third with a time of 53.64, now seventh of all time at MPA.
In the high jump relay, seniors Sofia Walker (4’4) and Gabby Law (4’4), and junior Zoe Hutton (4’0) combined for a total of 12’8, good for third place and are now third all-time at MPA. Sofia and Gabby’s jumps of 4’4 move them into a tie for eighth place on the high jump top 10 performances list. In the long jump, eighth grader Greta M. (Gentry Academy) placed sixth with a personal best jump of 15’1 ½, good for seventh all time at MPA.
In the shot put relay, the team of sophomore Izzy Quam and ninth graders Olivia Lantz and Rose Thompson-Nelson totaled 67’ 0 ½, now eighth on the top 10 list all time. In the discus relay, the team of junior Catherine Moore and ninth graders Olivia Lantz and Rose Thompson-Nelson totaled 173′ 11, led by Catherine’s fourth place throw of 81’1, and are now eighth on the top 10 all-time list. The girls team finished in fifth place with 57.5 points.
Athletic Achievements This Week
May 9, 2019
While it may not feel like spring sports weather today, we have some exciting MPA athletics results to share from earlier in the week!
At the Section 4A True Team Meet on May 7, the Boys Track and Field Team finished in fourth place out of 14 teams and the girls finished fifth! The teams had seven event winners in sprints, distance, jumps and relays. Senior Yahya Madar earned a personal best and school record of 6’7” in the high jump. Seniors Tae’Vion Wilkins and Dylan Dickinson both set personal records in the triple jump. Senior Henry Snider won the 1600m race.
The Panthers Softball Team got the win against Providence Academy to stay undefeated this season! MPA eighth grader Siri S. pitched five innings with 10 strikeouts. Read More
May 2, 2019
Congratulations to MPA senior Ellie Quam for receiving the Athena Award for Mounds Park Academy! She was honored for her athletic achievements at the St. Paul Area Athena Awards ceremony at the Vadnais Heights Commons. Laura Bush, the executive director of USA Volleyball, was the guest speaker, and the Master of Ceremonies was Randy Shaver from KARE 11.
The award is named after Greek goddess Athena, known for her wisdom and skills, and thus the Athena Award honors female high school seniors for their athletic achievements. Dedication, confidence, achievement, and motivation are all taken into consideration when choosing a recipient. We are so proud of Ellie for representing MPA with all of these traits!
MPA Triangular Track and Field Meet Results
April 29, 2019
MPA Track and Field hosted SPA and Minnehaha at the Schilling Track on a partly sunny, cool afternoon. On the girls’ side, notable performances included eighth grader Zoe M. winning the 100m dash in 13.2 (all times are hand timed). Eighth grader Greta M. finished third in the 100m in 13.7. In the 200m, that same eighth grade duo finished in first and fourth, with Zoe winning in 27.8 (10th all time at MPA) and Greta fourth in 29.2. In the 400m, 12th grader Sofia Walker finished second in 1:05.8, in the 800m, sophomore Izzy Quam finished second in 2:35.3, and in the 1600m, Katie Dahiya finished second in 5:49.0. In the 100m hurdles, Senior Ellie Quam won in 18.3 seconds, and in the 300m hurdles, Ellie was second in 53.2 and eighth grader Emily B. was tied for fourth in 55.5. Read More
Panthers at Heidi Kunz Invitational
April 29, 2019
MPA Track and Field athletes opened up the outdoor season strong on a beautiful day at Mahtomedi High School.
On the girls’ side, notable finishes included eighth grader Zoe M., who placed fifth in the 100m dash in her first ever varsity race. Her time of 13.40 places her fourth all time in MPA history in the girls 100m dash and is the fastest 100m dash by an MPA girl since 2002! Zoe also added a seventh place finish in the 200m, just off the top 10 in a time of 28.27. Eighth grader Greta M. finished eighth in the 200m with a similarly impressive time of 28.35.
In the 400m, Greta M. ran to a fourth place finish, crossing the line in 1:03.56, sixth best all time in MPA history and the fastest since 2007! Senior Sofia Walker, making her track and field debut, finish seventh in the 400m, with a time of 1:05.43, just .12 seconds outside the 400m top 10 all time. In the 800m run, Sophomore Izzy Quam ran a strong debut of 2:40.32 to place third. Read More
Yahya Madar Qualifies For Hamline Elite
April 24, 2019
Congratulations to MPA senior Yahya Madar on qualifying for the Hamline Elite Meet! The Hamline Elite Meet, Minnesota’s most prestigious high school track and field competition, features a small number of elite qualifying athletes from both Class A and AA. Yahya is one of only a handful of MPA athletes to ever qualify for the invite only meet. He placed 4th at the 2018 MSHSL Class A Track and Field Championships, has a personal best of 6’6, and holds the IMAC Conference and Section 4A high jump records. Though undecided on his college choice, Yahya plans to compete in track and field at the collegiate level. He competes this Friday, April 26 at 7 PM at Klas Stadium, Hamline University. Good luck on Friday, Yahya! Go Panthers!
Karli McGill ’03 Plays in Coaches vs Cancer
April 9, 2019
Karli McGill ’03 was selected to play in the Coaches vs Cancer NCAA basketball game this past weekend! The game was hosted by the American Cancer Society, and is for cancer survivors, caregivers, researchers, and healthcare providers. The game was held at the US Bank Stadium with two retired NCAA coaches, Jim Calhoun and Bo Ryan.
When she played basketball for MPA her number was 13, so she chose that number for the game. Congratulations Karli on a game well played! To watch a video of the event, click here.