Family ties bind together Mount stick squad

Posted 8/21/17

Mount St. Joseph's 2017 field hockey captains: (from left) Ashley Moore, Mary Kate Stefanowicz, and Grace Wallis. (Photo by Tom Utescher) by Tom Utescher When Mount St. Joseph Academy field hockey …

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Family ties bind together Mount stick squad

Posted

Mount St. Joseph's 2017 field hockey captains: (from left) Ashley Moore, Mary Kate Stefanowicz, and Grace Wallis. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

by Tom Utescher

When Mount St. Joseph Academy field hockey coach Tina Reinprecht (mother of Mount grads and two-time Olympians Katie and Julia Reinprecht) stepped down from her job as the Magic's mentor, it took the school awhile to fill the vacancy.

In the end, it was more Mount mothers who came to the rescue. Mary Beth Stefanowicz, mother of current senior Mary Kate, had already been in the program as a varsity assistant and JV coach. She is joined this fall at the helm of the team by Jeannie Wallis, the mother of another senior, Grace.

In addition, Susan McGinley was immediately pressed into duty as the new JV coach before her twin freshman daughters Meghan and Erin ever stepped into a Mount classroom for the first time.

Last fall, Mount St. Joseph was the runner-up team in both the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies and in PIAA District 1. The Magic ended their season with a loss in the Class AA state tournament quarterfinals to the eventual state champion, undefeated Donegal High School.

The Mount team has a number of strong returning players. The younger Wallis already made a verbal commitment to the University of Virginia several years ago, and Stefanowicz will play for Bucknell. More recently, the team's third senior tri-captain, Ashley Moore, decided she'll join up with the University of Scranton.

The other seniors back from last year's varsity are Norwood Fontbonne Academy grad Jax Nyzio, Bridget Boyle, Nora Denton, and Emma Ferraro. Rising juniors Ellie Maransky and Julianna Kratz already earned starting spots for the Mount as freshmen, and another Norwood alum, Mari Kniezewski, has committed to Colgate University. Two of their classmates, Claire Maguire and Maeve McCarthy, both saw action as goalkeepers on the Magic squad last fall.

Overall, 31 players were chosen for the squad last week, and the coaches are now waiting to see some scrimmage action before deciding which of the younger players are varsity grade and which will play primarily for the JV. With the maternal coaching staff and with seven sets of sisters on the combined varsity/JV roster, Mount hockey will truly be a family affair this fall.