Independent Schools Are Having a Strong Season

Area private schools once again are yielding exceptional athletes, especially the girls’ teams. Westtown School is leading the way in girls’ basketball, ranking #1 of Pennsylvania’s 723 teams at mid-season. In addition, among the state’s field hockey teams, Villa Maria Academy was ranked #1 of 157 teams in Pennsylvania. And Tower Hill School girls were ranked #1 in volleyball of 62 teams in Delaware.

The boys’ side was also impressive. In football last season, Malvern Prep was ranked #3 among 567 schools sporting teams.

Girls’ Winning Teams

Looking more closely, you’ll find some real stars. For example, the Westtown girls’ basketball team was 22–3 in late January. Jordyn Palmer, the team’s 6’2″ forward, who won a gold medal in the 2024 Under-17 World Cup and was named as a member of USA’s 2024 under-17 team, averages 23 points per game. She’ll be heading for University of Colorado … eventually. She’s only a sophomore!

Villa Maria’s field hockey team was 18–1 last fall, 9–0 in its conference and ranked 11th nationally. Its senior captains, Gabby Balzano and Ella Cellini, were outstanding. Balzano, who played defense and was part of a defensive unit that allowed only 5 goals in 8 post-season games, was named All-State and has signed with St. Joseph’s University. Cellini was also named to the All-State Team, and she plans to head to the University of Delaware.

Overall, Tower Hill’s girls’ volleyball team was 19–1 and undefeated in the Independent DISC league. Its top two athletes are Lydia Spencer, a senior, and Lily Leung, a junior. Spencer was ranked the #2 player in Delaware by Delaware Online and has hit 265 kill shots during the season, served 34 aces and led the team with a 2.38 server rating. On defense, she had 15 blocks and 179 digs. On Spencer’s leadership skills, Coach Michael Sachs commented, “As a team we were never rattled, in part, because Lydia was never rattled.”

Leung, ranked the #6 player in Delaware, focused on defense. She’s known for her “spectacular digs,” scoring 276 digs, 45 aces and 52 assists over the season. She was an “enthusiastic leader when things went well and a steadying force when we were working through difficult matches,” according to Coach Sachs.

More Basketball

Extraordinary performances are not limited to the top teams. Friends’ Central School, for instance, is 19–7 overall, ranked #14 in Pennsylvania — not bad out of 723 teams. Senior Logyn Greer, a 6’3″ forward, has been dominant. Through the start of the season, she’d scored 1270 points, 796 rebounds, 301 assists and 212 blocks and was named to the All-City team and twice to the Friends League First Team. Coach Vincent Simpson said of Greer, “Her leadership skills took us to the championship game two years straight, and it also took us around the world to compete at a national level.” Ranked at #80 nationally by ESPN, she’s been recruited by the University of Colorado next year.

Academy of Notre Dame de Namur is sitting atop the highly competitive Inter-Ac league as of early February with a record of 22–2 overall. Its leading scorers are both sophomores: Riley Davis, averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and Grace Nasr, averaging 11 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. Davis is also getting attention as a lacrosse recruit, while Nasr is getting interest from Ivy League and other Division I schools. Coach Terry Mancini credits them and their senior co-captains, Catie Kelly and Sophia Hall, with the team’s outstanding performance.

Girls’ Volleyball

Bishop Shanahan High School was ranked 7th in Pennsylvania with a record of 22–4–2 in girls’ volleyball and was undefeated in the Ches-Mont league. Maddie Metcalf, one of four senior captains, led the Eagles this fall with almost 489 digs — 140 in the six-match playoffs! Coach Greg Ashman reported that she led the team with “her relentless work ethic. I can’t say enough good things about Maddie. Every time you see her play, it’s a joy.”

Also stellar was senior Cat Detweiler. A major force at the net, a very dangerous hitter and dominating blocker, she recorded 260 kills, 53 blocks and maintained a hitting percentage of .308. Ashman said, “She worked very hard to be the best she could.” Detweiler was an All-State first team selection and All-District 1 4A first team pick.

Girls’ Soccer

In soccer, Episcopal Academy and Agnes Irwin had strong seasons. Episcopal scored 9 Inter-Ac wins and were 15–3–1 overall. Agnes Irwin wasn’t far behind, with 8 Inter-Ac wins and a 16–6 overall record.

For the third time, Maya Bright, Episcopal senior, was selected to the first team All Inter-Ac, All-Main Line and All-Delco. For the season, she scored 6 goals and had 3 assists and is now committed to the University of Pittsburgh.

At Agnes Irwin, freshman forward Dylan Ohm had an impressive total of 32 goals and 14 assists across all games, accounting for over half her team’s total goals. Ohm was recognized as Main Line Athlete of the Week and was awarded First Team All-Inter-Ac, All- Delco and All-Main Line honors as well as Team MVP. Recently, she’s been ranked as the 10th best player in the 2028 recruiting class by Top Drawer Soccer.

Field Hockey

Wilmington Friends School had a superb field hockey season, finishing 15–2–1. There were, however, no individual stand-outs, and Coach Scott Clothier credits “excellent chemistry” among the school’s 15 players for its success. Four players scored at least 10 goals, while the defense allowed only 9 goals during the regular season.

As for the Boys’ Teams

Though clearly a major year for the girls, the boys’ teams also had some excellent performances.

Malvern Prep won the top football title in the Inter-Ac league, and was ranked #3. Senior Andrew Pelicciotta rushed for 618 yards on 78 carries — an average of almost 8 yards per carry. He caught 20 passes for 298 yards and scored 8 touchdowns. Named All Inter-Ac MVP, he’ll join Duke University next year. Linebacker Jake Bauer, headed to the University of North Carolina, also distinguished himself and accounted for 42 points plus 2 interceptions.

In basketball, Zane Conlon, a 6’5″ senior playing small forward for Devon Prep, itself ranked #18 of 763 in Pennsylvania as of the end of January, averaged 16 points and 8.9 rebounds. Devon Prep was 11–4, finishing second in the Philadelphia Catholic League.

As a team, Haverford School’s basketball record is 16–4 and ranked #32 at the end of January. Its stars are sophomore Silas Graham and senior Jacob Becker. Graham is averaging 14.9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals per game and became the first freshman since 1975 to earn first team All Inter-Ac honors. Becker is averaging 10.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and is being recruited by many Division III schools.

Senior Ryan Tattersall plays small forward for Wilmington Friends, ranked #22 in Delaware at the end of January. At 6’5″, he averages more than 14 points per contest and leads the team in rebounding. He was All-Conference in 2023 and 2024 and will attend Harvard next year, playing wide receiver on its football team.

Sanford School is currently ranked #3 of 62 teams in basketball, posting a record of 12–4, in Delaware. Khareem Hart and Jayden Taylor, both seniors, are leading the team with 15 and 14 points each. They’re shooting about 50% from the field. Taylor has over 11 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.

In field hockey, soccer, volleyball and football … some true stars emerged. In basketball, the schools have made some amazing players. And, as their seasons end, you still can root for all of them.