Boys’ Basketball
2006-07 Highlights—Overall Record: 7-14, Friends Schools League: 3-5
The Shipley boys’ varsity basketball team should be extremely competitive in the 2007-08 season. Last year the Gators had an inexperienced roster, with only one player who saw significant minutes the previous season.  With the core of last year’s team returning with an entire season of varsity basketball under their belts, the Gators expect to see improvement. 

First-year coach Andre Brown is extremely excited about the upcoming season and his team. Senior captains and last season’s top scorers, David Balderston and Charlie Dalrymple will lead the Shipley squad through a competitive schedule. 

Aside from tough FSL competition, including Academy of New Church and Abington Friends, the Gators will also face a number of competitive non-league teams, including three teams each from the Philadelphia Public League and the Inter-Ac. 

Along with Balderston and Dalrymple, fellow senior Aaron Summers, junior Max Kiely, sophomores Monty Leaks and John McCann, and freshman Bakari White are all expected to contribute heavily to the team this year.

Girls’ Basketball Team
2006-07 Highlights—Overall Record: 22-6, Friends Schools League: 11-1
The varsity girls’ basketball team is looking forward to a competitive and successful season in the Friends School League under the guidance of new Shipley coach and former Rutgers University star, Jennie Hall. The team is returning six of the top players from last year’s team and adding some new talent from the middle school, as well as some local transfer players.

Last year’s team had a very successful season in the FSL and Independent School League, making it to both league championship games. Shipley finished with an overall record of 22 - 6 last year and have set their goal to make it back to play-off competition once again this season. 

Without any seniors, a junior captain and a new coach at the helm, the upcoming season will be a rebuilding year with high expectations.

The challenging schedule, both FSL and Non-league, will test the Gators with each game; with no time to rest on last year’s accomplishments. The season opener is November 30, 2007 @ Conwell – Egan (JV) at 6:00pm and (V) at 7:30pm.  Please come out to support the team.   

Boy’s Varsity Squash   
2006-07 Highlights—Overall Record: 13-4, 1st Independent League
The Shipley boy’s varsity squash team is looking forward to another very competitive year in the Independent League of the Mid-Atlantic Squash Association. The team is returning only three of last year’s top players who helped lead their team to a total win-loss record of 13-4. Last year’s team was 7-1 in league competition and will strive to repeat as league champs in their division this season.

Peter Stokes, coaching in his 16th season, will rely on junior captains Kit Norris and Ryan Archer to lead this young team on and off the court. Players to watch are seniors Austin Anderson and Robbie Thompson, along with sophomore Andrew White, who all will battle for the top five spots on the team ladder.

The tough league schedule includes competition from The Hill School, Lower Merion High School, Malvern Prep, and Germantown Friends School. League rivalries run deep with The Hill School and Germantown Friends, which the team plays in both home and away matches. The challenging schedule also includes Inter-Ac powerhouses, Haverford School, Penn Charter, Chestnut Hill Academy, and Episcopal Academy.  Many of the home matches will be played at the new Fairmount Athletic Club in Gulph Mills.

The outcome of the season will come down to the overall teamwork effort and health of our individual players.

Girls’ Varsity Squash
2006-07 Highlights—Overall Record: 4-13
This season will be interesting as the Gators graduated five players at numbers 2, 4, 8, 11, and 12 on the roster. The team’s #1 will be Clare Kuensell, who returns at this position for the fourth year and who is currently ranked in the top 20 nationally. She is also Shipley’s co-captain with returning senior Jenny Kley.

Other players to watch will be junior Ginny Wheeler, sophomore Tara Stokes, and  freshmen Sara Birmingham and Julia Tyson.  Although the Gators lost five players last season, the team has gained six as the Shipley girls’ squash program continues to grow steadily. Shipley now has a large group of girls playing in middle school, who will help to build a JV squad next year after a loss of seven seniors.  

Co-ed Diving Team
Entering its sixth season, Shipley’s 2007-2008 diving team will return at full strength. The Gators added four new divers to their team last year, creating Shipley’s largest team ever. Although they were short on experience and practice time, the team made great strides and should enter this year’s season ready to score well and set their own personal, as well as School, records.

Second-year captain, senior Elise Mercier, is Shipley’s first four-season diver, and she has been invaluable to the team both as a diver and a captain. The team’s other returning senior, Norah Maxwell, as well as Will Strathmann (also a co-captain of swimming), both turned in strong performances at the Hill Invitational last year, which bodes well for them this season. Of Shipley’s returning juniors, Drew Gardner’s medal-winning performance at the Hill Invitational and sixth-place finish at Inter-Acs, should spur him on to qualify for the Eastern Diving Championships this year.

In addition to increasing the number of points scored, the Gators are also striving to bring all of their divers to the Hill Invitational, and to send several divers to the Eastern Diving Championships for the first time.

Girls’ Swimming
2006-07 Highlights—Overall Record: 5-8-1, Friends Schools League: 1-3-1
Shipley will have a balanced and experienced team this year and plans on improving last year's record of 1-3-1 in the Friends League. 
Leading the team this year are senior captains Emily and Laura Butera. Both are school record holders and members of the 2nd All Main Line team.  Emily is among the team’s most versatile swimmers, while Laura is a leader in the backstroke.

Other returning school record holders are senior Brittany Boesenhofer, junior Elizabeth Maltz, and sophomore Kelly Sullivan. Boesenhofer and Sullivan share the school record in the 50 free, while Maltz holds the record in the 500 free.

Sullivan and Maltz were selected for the first All Main Line team, while Boesenhofer received an honorable mention.  Combinations of these five girls will have excellent chances to break one or more of our school relay records. 

Boys’ Swimming
2006-07 Highlights—Overall Record: 6-8, Friends Schools League: 2-3
The 2007-08 season will be a rebuilding one for boys’ swimming.  Four members of last year's All Main Line team were lost to graduation.
Junior captains Will Strathmann and Robbie Walzer will lead a relatively young team that hopes to at least match last year's 2-3 Friends Schools League record.  Robbie swims a variety of events and is part of Shipley’s diving squad.

Strathmann, who also dives, leads the team in sprint freestyle and breaststroke and was selected honorable mention for the All Main Line team last year.  Also returning is junior Ian Dombroski, who leads the school in the butterfly.  Strathmann and Dombroski are members of two freestyle relay teams that hold school records.  

Girls’ Volleyball
2006-07 Highlights—Overall Record: 8-6
Despite losing four starting seniors last season, the Shipley girls’ volleyball team is looking forward to another great season. The team finished the regular season 8-6, one of the best records in recent years, and also ended up tied for 3rd place in the playoffs. The girls are looking to improve their record in the 2007-2008 season.  

The team will be led by senior captains Helen Edwards and Christina Zipf.  Edwards was an All-Team selection last year and is expected to be a big force at the net this season. Zipf will be called upon to use her leadership in her position as setter. Also returning is last season’s MIP, Jessica Stokes, an up-and-coming sophomore.