Homecoming welcomes alumni from many generations back to campus
Monday, October 02, 2006
St. Andrew's welcomed scores of alumni back to campus this Saturday for
a day of competition, School spirit and reunions with friends and
former teachers. In spite of occasional rain, the Saints played well on
the athletic fields, achieving a 5-2 victory over Bo Manor in girls'
soccer and beating Layton Prep in girls' cross-country. Marina McGrail
'08 set a new school record for the St. Andrew's course, breaking the
2004 course record by a full 19 seconds. The Saints narrowly lost to
tough rivals Tower Hill in field hockey, the Academy of the New Church
in football and Westtown in boys' soccer. For more details on the day's
games, read the recent results here. For more pictures of the day's games and spectators, visit the photo album of Alumni Day here.
Meg Waldron '81 chats with Chesa Profaci '80 on the sidelines.
Current students reconnected with
recent graduates at the football game. Pictured here (l to r): Sarah
Haroldson '09, Sarah Anne McShan '09, Corrine Armistead '09, Phil
Wilson '06, Katherine Belk '09,
Chris Lyons '06 and Colinford Mattis '06.
Hadley Roach '07 takes a swing, while teammates Ruby Cramer '08 (l) and
Behle Holbrook '07 provide support.
Much of the energy on the athletic fields, however, took place before
the varsity teams took to the fields. On Saturday morning, players from
the 1981 boys' soccer team -- the only soccer team in the School's
history to win the State Championship -- challenged all comers to one
more game on home turf. Coached by then-junior faculty Tad Roach and
Will Speers, the former State Champions still exhibit some of the
skills and dexterity of their younger days, with intensity and grit to
rival many younger players.
Headmaster Tad Roach and Dean of
Faculty Will Speers received these framed photographs from the '81
players, who were among the first students the then-young faculty
coached together.
Seventeen players from the '81
team donned their cleats, and although the outcome was 2-0 against the
State Champions, the Alumni All-Stars had a distinct advantage by
drawing players from the 1972 to 2006 seasons. While youth was a
determining factor in the outcome, that didn't stop Scott Sipprelle '81
from scoring the decisive goal in a brilliant one-on-one match-up
against the outstanding goalkeeping of R.J. Beach '82.
The "Alumni All-Stars" (in black) pictured with the
1981 State Championship soccer team.
Championship players (l to r) Brian Shockley '83, Ned Groves '82, John
Austin '83 and
Jay Cogswell '83 take a breather after Saturday's
intense match.
Gordon Brownlee '75, director of leadership giving, spoke for all the
returning soccer players when he remarked, "It was great fun to be part
of this game and to help the '81 team celebrate their amazing year 25
years ago." For pictures of the '81 Alumni Game, visit the photo album
of the event here.
Over 30 of St. Andrew's youngest alumni from the class of 2006 were
back on campus, reconnecting with each other and chatting with former
teachers about their classes and first weeks of college life. Following
the day's athletic matches, alumni gathered for a cook-out and some
characteristic St. Andrew's camaraderie at Rodney Point.
Members of the class of 2006 joined their older alumni counterparts at the Saturday evening pig roast at Rodney Point.
Classmates Ty Jones '92 (l) and Rob Toomey '92
enjoyed the roast pig and other fare at Rodney Point.
"This was another great day for alumni,
students, faculty and everyone who cares about St. Andrew's," said
Chesa Profaci, director of alumni relations and planned giving. "We
look forward to seeing St. Andreans at games and other events on
campus, or at regional events around the country. Everyone should stay
tuned to the alumni Web site to learn about upcoming St. Andrew's
gatherings near them."
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