More than 60,000 books arranged in 63 categories were featured at the annual Bryn Mawr-Wellesley Book Sale, held last Wednesday through Sunday at Stuart Country Day School. Attendees share what they found at the event in this week’s Town Talk on page 6. (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)
By Donald Gilpin
As the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education (BOE) prepared to approve the recommendation of Kathie Foster as Princeton High School interim principal, replacing Frank Chmiel, at Tuesday night’s BOE meeting, held after press time, a growing opposition movement had other ideas.
The meeting, held in person at the Princeton Middle School and also livestreamed on YouTube and recorded and posted on the district website, was expected to draw hundreds of students, parents, and other community members, most in support of the dismissed Chmiel and in opposition to PPS Superintendent Carol Kelley and the BOE.
There were two hours available for public comment, one early in the meeting and one at the end.
In a statement issued on Monday, March 27, Chmiel’s lawyers asserted that the BOE can choose to reinstate Chmiel as PHS principal over any opposition from the superintendent, provided they follow certain procedural requirements. more
“DEMOCRACY,” “SHAME”: About 60 demonstrators gathered outside the Princeton University Center for Jewish Life (CJL) on Monday evening to denounce anti-democratic forces in the Israeli government and at Princeton, as a right-leaning visiting professor was preparing to deliver a speech at the CJL.
By Donald Gilpin
As unrest in Israel reached a peak on Monday before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a pause in his efforts to gain control over the country’s judiciary, a crowd of 60 demonstrators outside the Princeton University Center for Jewish Life (CJL) voiced their opposition to the Israeli prime minister and to a visiting professor from Israel who was speaking at the CJL.
“Democracy” and “Shame,” the protestors chanted in English and in Hebrew, as they sang, waved Israeli flags, and carried placards stating “Save Israel’s Democracy,” “Democracy for Israelis and Palestinians,” “Save the Supreme Court,” and “Bibi — You are messing with the wrong women.”
Demonstrators, led by Princeton History Professor Yair Mintzker, claimed that Ronen Shoval, a Princeton University lecturer in politics and associate research scholar in the James Madison Program, espouses right-wing views akin to fascism. Shoval spoke Monday evening, March 27, as the demonstration was winding down, to a CJL gathering of about 50 on the subject of the reform of the Israeli judiciary.
He is the dean of the Tikvah Fund, which, Mintzker states, is a major supporter of an organization called the Kohelet Policy Forum, which, Mintzker claims, is “one of the main instigators of the ongoing judicial coup in Israel.” Shoval is teaching a freshman seminar at Princeton this term on Virtues and the Meaning of Life in Different Cultures. more
By Anne Levin
Two upcoming public meetings at Witherspoon Hall have some residents confused about their purposes.
On Thursday, March 30 from 4 to 7 p.m., a community engagement open house will focus on future plans for Community Park South. On Monday, April 3 at 7 p.m., a scoping hearing is being held to gather public comment on a “diversion request,” which — contrary to what some believe — will create additional open space at a location in Princeton, rather than taking any away.
It seems that in 2002, the municipal building on Witherspoon Street was mistakenly constructed on land designated for open space. The diversion is an effort to correct the error. Confusion about the purposes of the meetings likely stems from signage for the scoping hearing, placed around Community Park South, leading some to assume that it is related to plans for the park, and might turn some of the existing open space into a parking lot. more
STEWARDSHIP IN ACTION: Under the aegis of the Ridgeview Conservancy, a group of high school students has been spending Sundays removing invasive species and creating and managing public trails in Princeton’s forests. Recently, they helped out at the newly-preserved property on the corner of Great Road and Cherry Valley Road.
By Anne Levin
A collaborative effort of local land preservation organizations has saved 14 acres of mature forest and historic farmland at the corner of Great Road and Cherry Valley Road from development.
Ridgeview Conservancy and D&R Greenway Land Trust announced last week that the two properties will stay green, with trails eventually open to the public. The acreage will be linked to a ring of conserved forests to help create Princeton’s Emerald Necklace, a concept based on the network of parks created by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in Boston, Mass., over 150 years ago.
The collaboration was driven not just ecologically, but historically. The two properties being preserved are a small part of what was originally 500 acres of farmland owned by Paul Tulane, founder of Tulane University. Silvia DuBois, a formerly enslaved Black woman who reportedly lived to be close to 120 years old, worked on the farm and is a key figure in the history of Black people in Princeton and the Hopewell Valley. Previous to that, “the Lenni Woodland Indians, ancestors to the Lenni Lenape who inhabited the area between 1,000 and 1,500 AD, fished and hunted along Cherry Run Stream as part of their seasonal migration,” reads a press release from the Ridgeview Conservancy. more
ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS: Littlebrook Elementary School students help McKayla, played by a McCarter Theatre Center actor educator, to resolve her conflict over the school spelling bee in an exchange during McCarter’s anti-bullying program in Gita Varadarajan’s fourth grade classroom last Friday.
By Donald Gilpin
The volume rose rapidly in what sounded like a heated exchange among angry students in Room 40 at Riverside Elementary School last Friday.
Conflict, anger, peer pressure, and decision-making were all in the lesson plan, as three actor educators from McCarter Theatre Center’s anti-bullying program enlisted 20 fourth graders as a “student leadership team” to help resolve a raging dispute between two finalists in the school spelling bee.
The interactive drama exploring an incident at a fictional elementary school led the eager students to discuss the potential dangers of impulsive decision-making, as the actor educators moved in and out of character to talk with the children and reflect on the story. Managing emotions in a safe and responsible manner was the goal, and the Riverside students enthusiastically took on their roles as student leaders, giving advice to the characters to help them make better decisions to arrive at a positive outcome. more
By Anne Levin
At its meeting Monday night, Princeton Council passed a resolution related to the sale of Hinkson’s, the longtime office supply store on Spring Street. The governing body voted to authorize consent to the assignment of a lease, as the family that owns the shop sells to a new owner.
The original Hinkson’s was located at 74 Nassau Street, and later moved to 82 Nassau Street, current home of Nassau Diner, before relocating to its current spot.
“This is probably the longest-running retail establishment in town,” said Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros, who worked at the store as a teenager. “It was bought in 1919 by Harold M. Hinkson, and then by Bert Roberto in the 1960s. So, it’s bittersweet to see the family sell the business. On the other hand, I’m glad to hear it’s going to continue as a stationary store. I urge residents to continue to patronize this very important store for us.” more
By Stuart Mitchner
…when we read a book, it is as if we were with a person.
—W.H. Auden
You could say that I met Helen DeWitt, the person, in the prologue to her novel The Last Samurai (New Directions 2016), having read the introduction to the first edition (Miramax/Talk Books 2000), which is included in the reprint. After being alerted to it by a friend, my wife introduced me to The Last Samurai, which I’d have read even without her recommendation had I seen a September 2022 interview with Helen DeWitt on exberliner.com. There she recalls watching her ex-husband argue with a fellow academic at Oxford about Sergio Leone, whose films For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly became a passion for me at a time when most “serious” film people were dismissing the director as a maker of Spaghetti Westerns. After going to a video store and renting “all these Leone films,” DeWitt, who before that had “hated any Clint Eastwood movie” or “any movies where people got beaten up or killed,” suddenly had a revelation — “that moment where something I’d started out hating suddenly had me saying, ‘Oh, my God, this is absolutely amazing.’ ” Which is what my wife and I said to each other after our first experience of Leone. The ex-husband, Professor David Levene, introduced DeWitt “to all these different things — Leone, Kurosawa, bridge and poker …. Suddenly all of this was amazingly interesting.”
Readers of The Last Samurai will appreciate the connection to Akira Kurosawa, whose film Seven Samurai not only inspired Leone’s Man With No Name westerns, but is as central to DeWitt’s novel as the Odyssey is to James Joyce’s Ulysses. Besides providing a skeleton key to the book, Kurosawa’s film becomes a life text with a profound impact on Sibylla, the single mother who narrates the first 180 pages of the novel, and her polymath young son Ludo, who takes over the bulk of the narration later. more
By Nancy Plum
It is difficult not to bask in the music of late 19th-century Italian opera master Giacomo Puccini. The soaring melodic lines and lush orchestrations of Puccini’s operas captivate listeners, even if they are not opera fans. Boheme Opera NJ brought operatic simplicity and Puccini’s opulent music to the stage of The College of New Jersey’s Kendall Hall Theater this past weekend with a new production of the timeless Madama Butterfly. Conceived and directed by Stefanos Koroneos and sung in Italian with English supertitles, this performance was highly entertaining and gave the audience more than a few thrilling moments of singing.
As with all their productions, Boheme Opera NJ compiled a cast of experienced performers, including both singers returning to the company’s stage and those making a debut. In Friday night’s performance (the opera was repeated Sunday afternoon), conductor Joseph Pucciatti began the opera overture quickly and with breathless musical energy, as the curtain opened on a modest set of Butterfly’s house bathed in black and shadows.
As lead character Cio-Cio-San (Butterfly), soprano Ashley Galvani Bell brought operatic experience going back to her childhood as a member of the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus. Bell showed a ringing upper register, especially in Butterfly’s signature aria “Un bel dì,” as she maintained eternal hope that her beloved Pinkerton would return. Clearly a woman who knew what she wanted, Bell’s Butterfly demonstrated a wide range of emotions through the music — teasing with Pinkerton, calming with her son and demure at the right times. more
COMEDY AND MORE: Princeton students in rehearsal for the upcoming Lewis Center production of Lauren Yee’s play “King of the Yees.” (Photo Credit: Jon Sweeney)
King of the Yees, a semi-autobiographical play by 2018-19 Princeton University Hodder Fellow Lauren Yee, will be presented April 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15 at the Berlind Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place.
For nearly 20 years, the playwright’s father, Larry, has been a driving force in the Yee Family Association, a seemingly obsolescent Chinese American men’s club formed 150 years ago in the wake of the Gold Rush and the building of the transcontinental railroad.
But when her father goes missing, Lauren Yee must plunge into the rabbit hole of San Francisco Chinatown and confront a world both foreign and familiar. The play is at once funny and honest, exploring what it means to truly be a Yee.
An audience talkback is being planned to follow one of the performances. The show is open to the public and tickets are $10-$17. Visit mccarter.org.
American Repertory Ballet presents a triple bill, “Movin’ + Groovin,” at McCarter Theatre on Saturday, April 1 at 7 p.m. Pictured are Aldeir Monteiro and Ryoko Tanaka in Caili Quan’s “Circadia,” which shares a program with commissioned pieces by Claire Davison and Ja’ Malik. Visit arballet.org or call (609) 258-2787 for tickets. (Photo by Rosalie O’Connor)
Golden Oldies: Felix Cavaliere and Gene Cornish, founders of The Rascals, bring their music to the State Theatre New Jersey on April 8.
State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick presents The Rascals, with founders Felix Cavaliere and Gene Cornish, on Saturday, April 8 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $29-$99.
As Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, Grammy Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and Songwriter Hall of Fame members, The Rascals have 17 Top 20 hits, seven Top 10 hits, and three No.1 hits that include “Groovin’,” “People Got To Be Free,” and “Good Lovin’.” more
Peruvian guitarist David Galvez is soloist with the Capital Philharmonic on Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton. The program includes music of Joaquin Rodrigo, Arturo Marquez, and Jose Pablo Moncayo. Visit capitalphilharmonic.org for tickets. Special discounts for veterans, groups, and students are available.
Choreographer and director Raja Feather Kelly and musician and interdisciplinary artist eddy kwon have been named Princeton University Arts Fellows for 2023-2025 by the Lewis Center for the Arts and will begin two years of teaching and community collaboration at the University in September.
The Arts Fellows program of the Lewis Center provides support for early-career artists who have demonstrated both extraordinary promise and a record of achievement in their fields with the opportunity to further their work while teaching within a liberal arts context. Fellows are selected for a two-year residency to teach a course each semester or, in lieu of a course, to undertake an artistic assignment that deeply engages undergraduate students, such as directing a play, conducting a musical ensemble, or choreographing a dance piece. Fellows are expected to be active members of the University’s intellectual and artistic community while in residence, and in return, they are provided with the resources and spaces necessary for their work. more
Cécile McLorin Salvant (Photo by Shawn Michael Jones)
As part of the Princeton University campus-wide celebration of the 30th anniversary of Toni Morrison winning the Nobel Prize in Literature, Princeton University Concerts has joined the McCarter Theatre Center in co-commissioning MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist and composer Cécile McLorin Salvant to create a new work inspired by Morrison’s archives.
These archives are housed at the university and are currently on display in an exhibit called “Sites of Memory” at the University’s Firestone Library. McLorin Salvant, alongside her partner in life and music, pianist Sullivan Fortner, make this Princeton University Concerts (PUC) debut Wednesday, April 12, at 6 and 9 p.m. more
“NEURAL PATHWAYS: EMBRACING THE UNKNOWN”: This work by Adriana Groza is featured in “Coloring the Mind: A Journey through Neural Pathways,” on view April 5 through May 2 at Small World Coffee, 14 Witherspoon Street. An opening reception is on April 7 from 5 to 7 p.m.
“Coloring the Mind: A Journey through Neural Pathways,” a solo show of abstract paintings by Adriana Groza, will be on view April 5 through May 2 at Small World Coffee, 14 Witherspoon Street. An opening reception is on Friday, April 7, from 5 to 7 p.m.
The exhibit features over 25 original artworks from the “Neural Pathways” collection, which explore the intricate connections and patterns that exist within our minds. The artist has used innovative techniques to capture the beauty and complexity of neural networks in a series of bold abstract paintings. Each artwork is a unique representation of the artist’s interpretation of the underlying structures of the human brain, translated into vivid and dynamic visuals. more
“REFLECTIONS IN AN AUTUMN POND”: This work by Wendy Wilson is featured in “Member Show: Yesterday Today Tomorrow,” on view at West Windsor Arts through June 3. An opening reception is on Friday, March 31 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Life revolves around change, the passage of time, and hope. Change is a constant that occurs everywhere and has so throughout time. Perhaps most importantly, time and change result in something new, different, and beautiful, and often with hope for the future. For this exhibition, West Windsor Arts invited their member artists to explore and express the idea of change and the passage of time as they relate to personal experiences or observations in the springtime art exhibition, “Yesterday Today Tomorrow.” The art is on view at West Windsor Arts through June 3 during operating hours or by appointment. The juror was Katie Truk, a New Jersey-based artist and teaching artist. Awards for Best in Show, Best Use of Medium and Exhibition Committee Choice will be announced at the opening reception on Friday, March 31 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. more
“INN AT PHILLIPS’ MILL”: This photograph by Sue Ann Rainey is part of the 30th annual “Phillips’ Mill Photographic Exhibition,” on view April 2 through April 21 at Phillips’ Mill in New Hope, Pa. The juried show features 138 images selected from over 1,200 submissions received from more than a dozen states.
The month of April brings a celebration of fine art photography to Phillips’ Mill with two shows. The annual juried “Phillips’ Mill Photographic Exhibition” marks its 30th anniversary of showcasing excellence in the photographic arts. Rounding out the month, the “Not Your Run of the Mill Photo Show” will feature works by the volunteers of the Mill Photo Committee.
At the juried exhibition, which runs April 2 through April 21, 138 images will grace the walls of the historic mill, selected by juror Jill Enfield from over 1,200 submissions received from more than a dozen states. From traditional to digital, the photographs highlight the range of talent encompassed by what is considered the premiere juried photography show in Bucks County, Pa. Enfield, an internationally renowned fine art photographer, curator, author, and educator, shared her expertise in assessing this year’s slate of submissions. She said, “The range, diversity, creativity, and experimentation presented in this larger body of work is exceptional. Whether it was nature, landscape, art, portraiture, street photography, there was just so much high-quality work it made narrowing down the prize winners a very painful but rewarding experience. Kudos to all the accepted entries.” more
IN THE ZONE: “Our parks are full of one-of-a-kind attractions designed to push your limits, allow you to fly higher, and just have tons and tons of fun! The only way to understand it is to come experience it. So rally your crew and let’s go!” This invitation is from Sky Zone Trampoline Park in Hamilton Township. Shown on the right is a photo of the popular Air Court, where players can practice trampoline-assisted soccer and basketball. This is just one of the many popular activities available every day.
By Jean Stratton
Fun is everywhere at Sky Zone Trampoline Park in Hamilton Township. This special place offers opportunities for kids and adults to fly high, float free, and just jump up and down on springy floors and ubiquitous trampolines.
And if that is not enough to keep you moving, you can also climb walls and towers, navigate obstacle courses, hit and miss at classic trampoline dodge ball, drop into thousands of foam-filled cubes, play trampoline-assisted soccer and basketball on the Air Court, and have endless fun with foam-filled Boulder Balls.
An independently owned franchise, Sky Zone opened in 2018 at 17 Quakerbridge Plaza Drive.
“We are set apart,” points out General Manager Joshua Harry. “There is nothing like us in Mercer County, and we have been very encouraged with the response. We see more and more people coming all the time, and we have lots of repeats.” more
END OF THE RUN: Princeton University men’s basketball player Tosan Evbuomwan drives to the hoop in recent action. Last Friday, senior standout Evbuomwan tallied 24 points in a losing cause as 15th-seeded Princeton fell 86-75 to sixth-seeded Creighton in the NCAA Sweet 16 at the South Regional in Louisville, Ky. The defeat left the Tigers with a final record of 23-9 and ended a magical run which saw the Tigers advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 1985. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Last Friday night, the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., was transformed into Jadwin Gym south as the 15th-seeded Princeton University men’s basketball team faced sixth-seeded Creighton in the NCAA Sweet 16 at the South regional.
The arena was a sea of orange and the Princeton fans were in full roar, serenading their squad with chants of “let’s go Tigers” as tip-off approached.
In the first half, Princeton gave its fans plenty to cheer about as it built a 38-35 lead with 4:28 to go before halftime. more
FIGHT TO THE FINISH: Princeton University men’s basketball player Ryan Langborg, left, drives around Penn’s George Smith in the Ivy League postseason tournament. Last Friday night, senior guard Langborg scored a game-high and career-high 26 points as 15th-seeded Princeton fell 86-75 to sixth-seeded Creighton last Friday in the Sweet 16 at the NCAA South Regional in Louisville, Ky. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
His eyes were reddened but Ryan Langborg managed a smile after the Princeton University men’s basketball team fell 86-75 to Creighton last Friday night in the Sweet 16 at the NCAA South Regional in Louisville, Ky.
Reflecting on Princeton’s magical run which saw the 15th-seeded Tigers upset second-seeded Arizona and seventh-seeded Missouri before losing to the sixth-seeded Bluejays, senior guard Langborg focused on the bonds with his teammates rather than the sting of the defeat.
“As much as you guys see us having fun on the court, we have even more fun when we are off the court, hanging out and playing video games together in the hotel,” said Langborg, standing in the Tiger locker room at the KFC Yum! Center a half hour after the loss that left the squad with a final record of 23-9. “We play a little trivia game all of the time; it just laughing and hanging out with my best buddies.” more
AMAZING JOURNEY: Princeton University men’s basketball player Jack Scott, left, a Hun School alum, and Tiger assistant coach Skye Ettin, a former Princeton High and The College of New Jersey standout, show their joy after upset victories in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament. Last week, the pair were in Louisville, Ky., as the Tigers played in the Sweet 16. While the 15th-seeded Tigers fell 86-75 to sixth-seeded Creighton last Friday night at the South Regional, they will have special memories of the historic 2022-23 campaign. (Photos provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)
By Bill Alden
Jack Scott and Skye Ettin honed their basketball skills by toiling in gyms all over New Jersey.
Scott played three years for the Hun School boys’ basketball team from 2019-22 while Ettin starred at Princeton High before going to The College of New Jersey where he served as a team captain for three seasons, culminating with the 2014-15 campaign.
Last week, the pair was 700 miles and worlds away from their Garden State roots as they arrived in Louisville, Ky., for the NCAA Sweet 16 as members of the 15th-seeded Princeton University men’s hoops squad that had captivated the nation with stunning upsets of second-seeded Arizona and seventh-seeded Missouri in the first weekend of March Madness on the way to the South Regional.
For Tiger freshman guard Scott, the highlight of the run, which saw Princeton advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 1985, has been the bonds developed with his teammates. more
GOAL-ORIENTED: Princeton University men’s lacrosse player Coulter Mackesy goes to goal in a 2022 game. Last Saturday, sophomore attacker Mackesy fired in a career-high eight goals to help Princeton defeat Yale 23-10 and snap a four-game losing streak. Mackesy, who also added two assists to reach a career-high 10 points and become the ninth player in program history to reach double figures in a game, was later named the Ivy League Player of the Week. Princeton, now 3-4 overall and 1-1 Ivy, hosts Brown on April 1. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Justin Feil
Although the Princeton University men’s lacrosse team’s matchup with Yale last Saturday came halfway through the regular season, it had a must-win feeling as the Tigers challenged themselves from top to bottom.
“All our groups — coaches, players, staff, everyone — put a ton of pressure on themselves this week to have a better sense of urgency and clean it up a little bit,” said Princeton head coach Matt Madalon. “And then get yourself in a position to execute on game day. I’m really impressed with our seniors and captains again. We went at those guys pretty hard and had them teetering — you’ve gotta believe or not believe. Those guys did a really good job of believing and getting it back. You’re a couple opportunities, a couple bounces away from not feeling like that.”
The Tigers were coming off four straight losses, including back-to-back deflating overtime defeats to Rutgers (14-13 on March 11) and Penn (9-8 on March 18). It would have been easy for Princeton to tighten up further when they fell behind 1-0 to the Bulldogs over the first eight minutes, hit a pair of pipes, and saw top face-off specialist Tyler Sandoval go down with an apparent knee injury.
Then sophomore attacker Coulter Mackesy, whose shots had been the ones to clang off the pipe, including one from midfield with the Yale goalie scrambling back into cage, scored to tie it. Barely a minute later, he tallied another to help Princeton go ahead. Mackesy ended up scoring five straight to help the Tigers grab an 8-1 lead and control of the game on their way to a record-setting 23-10 victory over the visiting Bulldogs at Class of 1952 Stadium on otherwise dreary Saturday. The 23 goals scored were the most the Tigers have ever had against Yale in the 108 meetings in the series.
“If you get a hot hand, keep shooting,” said Mackesy, who finished with a career-high eight goals and two assists for 10 points, making him the ninth player in program history to reach double figures in a game. “I was just playing free and loose. Shooting to score is kind of the biggest thing. Playing relaxed out there and having fun, it made it easier for me. There was high energy from the whole team.” more
MAKING WAVES: Princeton High boys’ swimming star Daniel Baytin displays his breaststroke form in a race this past winter. Senior Baytin produced a memorable final campaign, setting a school record in the 100-yard breaststroke and getting named as the Most Valuable Swimmer at the Mercer County Swimming Championships as PHS won its second straight team title. He helped the Tigers reach the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North 2, Group B sectional final and culminated his PHS career by placing third in the 100 breast at the Meet of Champions. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
Daniel Baytin liked what he saw from the Princeton High boys’ swimming team heading into the winter.
“Our team is a lot faster this year,” said PHS senior star Baytin. “When I was here as a freshman we were fast but nowhere near as fast as this team. The younger guys are growing, they are a lot bigger.”
Baytin, though, proved to be the fastest of the Tiger boys’ swimmers. He set a school record in the 100-yard breaststroke in a meet against WW/P-South in early January, clocking a time 57.22, breaking his previous mark of 58.48.
“It is my main event, I have been swimming it for four years,” said Baytin, who also took first in the 50 freestyle in the meet as PHS topped previously undefeated WW/P-S 126-44. “It is good to drop time definitely. It is still going to get knocked down. It means a lot to me, it is a legacy. I hope my brother (Stephen) one day will beat it.”
In Baytin’s view, he was just scratching the surface of what he could accomplish this winter with the record swim.
“I have just been getting back in shape, the season is far from over,” said Baytin. “The fun stuff is still coming.” Over the course of the season, Baying ended up having a lot of fun. more
POWER SOURCE: Hun School softball player Lexi Kobryn smacks the ball in a game last season. Senior Kobryn enjoyed a huge junior campaign last spring, hitting .500 with team highs in homers (7), RBIs (28), and runs (30) in addition to being the team’s pitching ace with six no-hitters and 190 strikeouts in 87 innings. Kobryn’s heroics helped Hun go 18-1 and win its first Prep A state title since 2017. Picking up where they left off, the Raiders started their 2023 campaign by sweeping a doubleheader from Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) last Sunday, winning 16-0 and 15-0. Hun defeated Springside Chestnut Hill (Pa.) 8-0 last Monday to improve to 3-0 and will be playing at the Lawrenceville School on March 30, at Penn Charter (Pa.) on April 1, and at the Peddie School on April 4. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Bill Alden
There is a target on the back of the Hun School softball team as it comes into its 2023 campaign.
Having rolled to an 18-1 record last spring and winning its first Prep A state title since 2017, Kathy Quirk warned her players that they will be getting the best efforts of their foes this spring.
“As we told them, every team is going to be out to get you,” said head coach Quirk, who is entering her 48th season at the helm of the program.
In order to prepare for that challenge, the Raiders headed south to Vero Beach, Fla., for their annual preseason trip and some bonding.
“It was a great experience that way; the girls had a lot of time together, we went golfing one day,” said Quirk. “It is one of these places where you are stuck on a compound where we do everything together.” more
