Montclair Kimberley recalls the 2021-22 sports memories, championships
It was another successful year for Montclair Kimberley Academy sports. We’ve looked at each team and taken a moment to highlight its accomplishments.
FALL
Cross-country boys/girls
Both the boys and girls cross-country teams did well last fall. The girls had a great year, taking the 2021 Super Essex Conference Liberty Division championship, where they finished 31 points ahead of second-place West Orange High School. Rebecca Herrick finished second overall, with Emma Burd and Lindsay Driever taking fourth and fifth places respectively and Ella Martin finishing ninth. Olga Shandarivska finished 12th, and Martine Gulliver ended the race at 14. Having so many runners in the top 15, and especially the top 10, put MKA in the position it needed to be in to win the title.
Field hockey
The Cougars had a very successful 2021 season, compiling a record of 15-7-1 (3-1-1 in Essex/Union – White Division) with a 2021 NJSIAA Prep B state championship title as well, beating Stuart Day 1-0 on Oct. 27. They were led by senior Kate Weinstein’s 17 goals, and by junior Caroline Murphy and sophomore Mimi Temkin, each of whom had 12. Weinstein was also named to the nj.com All State third team.
Football
This past fall was a roller coaster for the 4-5 Cougars, who opened the season against a buzz saw Immaculate Conception team heading to a 9-1 season but bounced back to beat rival Newark Academy. They also won their NJSIAA regional crossover against Palisades Park, 26-12. Senior Jake Pryor had his second 1,000-plus-yards season in a row, throwing for 1,222 yards with nine passing touchdowns and adding 417 yards on the ground with seven rushing touchdowns. Senior Mahmoud Hassaneen led the team with five sacks on defense, with junior Nic Lembo collecting 50 solo tackles.
Soccer boys/girls
Both the boys and girls soccer teams had solid seasons, as the boys finished 12-6-1 with an NJSIAA Prep B state title while the girls finished 12-7-2, with an appearance against Rutgers Prep in the Prep B finals (which they lost 1-0) and a 1-0 win over crosstown rival Montclair High School. Senior Koome Murungi led the boys with 13 goals, while junior Bella Douglas led her team with 12.
Omar Martinez and Sean Cadigan were named to the SEC first team, with Zach Seeve named to the second. Senior captain and Montclair resident Chloe Skipper landed on the nj.com All State second team to represent the girls.
Girls tennis
It was a big year for the girls team, as the Cougars took home titles in the 2021 SEC American Division, 2021 NJISAA Prep B state tournament and the 2021 Essex County tournament. It was the second year in a row the team had just one loss.
The sophomore doubles duo of Chiara Frungillo and Hannah Lewis were named to the All Non-Public second team by nj.com, with junior Hannah Ganchi getting third-team honors.
Girls volleyball
The Cougars were undefeated in the SEC Liberty Division, going 12-0 with an overall 20-3 record, gaining them the title of 2021 SEC Liberty Division champions. Their record also placed them at No. 8 in the final nj.com Non Public rankings for the season, while they placed second in the SEC rankings. Junior Samiyah Abdur Rahim was named to the All-Group Non-Public third team.
WINTER
Basketball boys/girls
The boys basketball team struggled overall, finishing with a 6-9 record but ending up with a 6-5 record in the SEC-Freedom Division. Meanwhile, the girls finished 13-8, with an impressive 9-2 record in SEC-Independence.
Fencing boys/girls
Both teams had tough seasons, as the small MKA squads faced some dominant competition such as McNair, crosstown rival Montclair High School and eventual state champion Newark Academy.
Hockey
After a very rough 2020-21 season, the Cougars improved tremendously, compiling a 9-5-3 overall record while finishing 6-3-3 in the Kelly Division. Sophomore Sam Rotella led the team with 20 goals, with fellow sophomore Jack MacEvoy just behind him with 18.
Indoor track boys/girls
Both teams had solid seasons this year, but the ladies rose to greater heights, capturing the 2022 NJSIAA Prep B state championship.
Swimming boys/girls
The Cougars swimming teams had a very nice 2021-22 season, with the boys finishing the year with a 6-2 record (3-0 in SEC-Liberty), and the girls finishing 5-3 (2-1 in SEC-Liberty). Raghav Cholappadi received All SEC honorable mention for the boys, while Lindsay Driever did the same for the girls.
SPRING
Baseball
The Cougars had an outstanding season, finishing the year with a 17-7 record, including a 9-1 record in SEC-Colonial and taking the NJISAA Prep B state championship.
Jack Amirata, John Testa, Luca Sieger and Quinn Carlesimo all gained Colonial All-Conference first-team honors.
MKA was represented on the second team as well, by Max Nussbaum, Mike Bronstein and Jake Rendino. Nic Lembo gained an honorable mention.
Softball
The squad rebounded from an off 2021 to finish 11-10 (9-4 in SEC-Colonial). Its tenacity was rewarded with several individual awards. Alex Berra and Ellie LoPiccolo were named to the All Colonial first team, with Lara Pramanik and Hunter Levine landing on the second team and Amanda West gaining honorable mention accolades.
Lacrosse boys/girls
Both teams stumbled a little this season, with the girls finishing 10-10 (3-3 in Freedom South) and the boys ending 5-14 (1-6 in Waterman). The boys did fight their way to a slot in the NJSIAA Non-Public B Tournament finals, falling to Rutgers Prep, 11-4, while the girls took down rival Montclair High School, 8-4.
The boys saw Jake Pryor and Jordan Fishback take second team All-American Division honors, with Jake MacEvoy gaining an honorable mention. The Cougar girls had a pair of All American Division first-team players in Orly Sedransk and Patricia Columbia-Walsh. Aeryn Curren and Caroline Murphy were named to the second team, and Ava Moore got an honorable mention.
Golf boys
The golf team had a season well above par (so to speak), finishing 14-3 (13-1 SEC-Liberty). Their in-division record was good enough to take the 2022 SEC Liberty Division title, with some big wins over division foes West Orange (188-197), Verona (175-217) and Cedar Grove (191-201) as well as crosstown rival Montclair High School (162-175).
Tennis boys
The team had another sharp season on the courts, finishing with a 15-6 overall record while going undefeated in SEC-Liberty. The Cougars’ 8-0 run in the division was enough to give them the division title. As of this printing, the SEC all-star selections had not been announced.
Track and field boys/girls
Both teams competed hard this spring, with the girls capturing the Prep B state championship on May 23. This came a week after the girls took the SEC Colonial Division championship.
On top of the team result, several Cougar girls took individual Prep titles to help propel the team to the championship. They were Kitty Williams in both the javelin (103-feet-5 inches, personal record), and the discus (111-feet-5, both a personal and school record), Remy Ronen (400 meter dash, 1:00.43, personal record) and Maggie Horn (800 meters, 2:24).
The boys had some strong performances at the event as well, with Isiah Udofia taking first in the 400 meters. Freshman Kalvin Thomas took second in the 100 meters, and sophomore Immanuel Udofia placed second in the 200 meters (with Thomas in third right behind him). Thomas also did well in field events, winning the triple jump and placing second in the long jump, while Isiah Udofia took second in the discus.
Individually, Isiah Udofia became one of only seven boys in the history of the NJSIAA group meet to take first in four events. Udofia won the 100, 200, triple jump and long jump at the Non Public B meet this spring.