Sally Foley (right) with PC teammate Sabrina Shaffer.
Two Penn Charter student athletes made verbal commitments to Duke University this week. Sally Foley, a rising senior, will swim for the Blue Devils, and Vincent Fattore, a rising sophomore, will play baseball.
During the 2018-19 season, Foley earned First Team All Inter-Ac honors, broke four school records, and won the 100 Breaststroke outright at the Eastern Interscholastic Championships—her fourth career medal at the event. Foley's leadership helped the PC girls team secure its second consecutive championships in both Easterns and the Inter-Academic League. Foley also competes on the national circuit as a member of the Penn Charter Aquatics Club. She finished 10th in the 200-Meter Breaststroke and 18th in the 100-Meter Breaststroke at last summer's Junior Nationals.
Vincent Fattore
Fattore's college commitment comes on the heels of a strong debut season with the Quaker varsity squad. A remarkably well-rounded player, Fattore made significant contributions on the mound and in the outfield this season and was frequently a leader at the plate. He was awarded Second Team All Inter-Ac honors and won a Coach's Award for baseball at Penn Charter's spring athletics banquet.
Three is a welcome crowd for the Penn Charter baseball players who were selected in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Because of the presence of Major League Baseball scouts at home games this spring, Penn Charter fans were aware that one of our players was being scouted by the big leagues. And, when the MLB scouts kept multiplying, we recognized they were serious about him.
Imagine the surprise when the not only one PC player was selected in the MLB Draft last week — but also two Quakers who graduated in 2017 and have been playing college ball.
"It has been a great few days for Quaker baseball," said Justin Hanley, PC's head baseball coach. "Having three players from the same high school selected in the same draft, and having top-four-round picks in consecutive years, rarely happens in this part of the country.
"I'm beyond thrilled for Sammy getting the chance to achieve his lifelong dream of playing professional baseball. And having Brendan and Joey getting the call the next day was the cherry on top. These are three special young men who work tirelessly at their craft. What I'm most proud of is how Sammy, Joey and Brendan have been amazing ambassadors for not only our program, but the Penn Charter community," Hanley said.
Sammy Siani OPC '19 was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the 37th overall pick. Siani, an outfielder, committed to Duke University in November 2018.
Brendan Cellucci OPC '17, a pitcher at Tulane University, was selected by the Boston Red Sox as the 377th pick.
Joey Lancellotti OPC '17, a pitcher at the University of North Carolina, was selected by the New York Yankees as the 1,035th pick.
Middle School students, faculty and coaches gathered in Balderston Commons for Assembly, and raised up the hard work, dedication and sportsmanship of spring sports teams.
Congratulations to the student-athletes who were recognized by their coaches!
Softball, already the Inter-Ac champs, beat Notre Dame 5-1 on Friday to win the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association Championship. Maddie Solow kick-started the offense in the first inning when she hit a single, stole second and third base, and then scored on a passed ball. Lucianna Boggi batted in Abby Manion during the first inning, taking the Quakers to an early lead of 2-0. In the third, Abbey Quinn hit a sacrifice fly and brought in Solow. Boggi followed up with another RBI single, taking the Quakers' lead to 4-1. Boggi went three-for-three at the plate and scored the Quakers' final run after hitting a triple in the sixth inning; Quinn earned the RBI. Anastasia Lewis was on the mound during Friday's win, which marked the Quakers' fourth PAISAA title in five years. View photos from the championship game here.
Penn Charter crew raced three boats in the SRAA Nationals in Ohio this weekend and brought home one medal. Juniors Gabriela Mancini and Riley McDade raced to a third-place finish in the girls JV doubles. Julia Veith, only a sophomore, placed fifth in the varsity singles race. Seniors Cole Frieman and Matt Groshens had a strong second-place finish in the qualifying heats, but failed to advance past the semifinals. The Chestnut Hill Local chased down the details.
In round two of PAISAA baseball competition, Sam Siani went 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs in a13-7 win over SCH. The Quakers earned that spot against Inter-Ac challenger SCH by beating Westtown 11-3 in round one of the tournament, but PC's season ended in the PAISAA semifinals with a loss to Upper Perkiomen. PC finished the season with a solid overall record of 21-11-1.
Penn Charter recognized three coaches and dozens of student-athletes for notable achievements this year and in their Penn Charter athletic careers.
Spring teams — baseball, crew, lacrosse, softball, tennis and track — were celebrated, along with three-sport athletes, team captains and students who will play their sport in college.
Coaches announced the winners of their Coach's Awards, which honor athletes who have excelled as scorers, defenders, teammates, and for multiple reasons brought distinction to themselves and to their school. The list appears below, along with Inter-Academic League honors. Fall sports and players were celebrated in November, and winter sports in February.
Three PC coaches — Crystal Keelan, Pete Shaifer and Andy Zuccotti — took a special curtain call. (Photo below.)
"As athletic administrators we are always appreciative of the good work done by all of our coaches, it is particularly rewarding when statewide and national organizations recognize the outstanding work done by our coaches," Ed Foley, associate director of athletics, told the students, parents and coaches who attended the end-of-year banquet.
Crystal Keelan, PC swimming coach and PCAC head coach, has been named head coach of Team USA at the World Junior Championships this summer in Budapest.
Pete Shaifer guided PC wrestling to its best finish in the last 25 years and was honored by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools as its wrestling coach of the year.
Andy Zuccotti coached PC girls cross country to a state title this past fall; along the way they were undefeated in league matches, won the George School and William Tennent Invitationals and had the best season in the history of our girls cross country program. Zuccotti was chosen as the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools coach of the year.
Congratulations to all the athletes and coaches who represented Penn Charter in the three seasons of the 2018-2019 academic year!
