June 17, 2021
MPA’s 2007 Girl’s Tennis state championship, the Panthers’ first in girl’s tennis, was the final, and most difficult step in Beth Larson’s illustrious and successful prep tennis career. But the story does not start at the beginning of the 2007 season. It starts much earlier.
Larson began her journey in the fall of 2002 as a seventh grader on the varsity tennis team. Over the next six years, she helped change the culture of MPA girl’s tennis forever, becoming the leader that finally brought a championship team together. Read More
Brendan Connolly loves basketball. When he came to MPA in fourth grade, it marked the start of an eight year basketball journey, that in the end, brought him to places even he couldn’t have imagined. During his four year career as a varsity starter for the Panthers, Connolly became something truly special.
Brenna Bray’s MPA athletics experience came full circle. A member of the class of 2002 and former Nordic ski and track and field and cross country athlete, Bray rejoined MPA athletics as a cross country running and Nordic skiing coach in 2012 and 2013.
By the time Andrea Heil ’10 finished her career as one of the top throwers in the history of MPA track and field, she learned that top athletes commonly share one quality: resilience.
Before Brenna Kelly was ever team captain, MVP or Panther Award winner, before she was an athlete of the week, or a state champion, before she helped build Mounds Park Academy girl’s tennis into a dynasty, she was just a middle schooler with a do what’s best for the team mentality. That brought her a long way.
Mounds Park Academy won its first state team championship in any sport in school history thanks in large part to Bryan Kelly.
Caitlin Coomes ‘01 starred in both soccer and track and field at Mounds Park Academy. Her experience playing at MPA nurtured her love of athletics in general, which stayed with her through her entire playing career. Much of that love she credits to one source. “The quality of the coaching at MPA was excellent,” Coomes said.
An MPA lifer, Chad Hanson grew up watching a variety of Panthers’ sports. As he got older, Hanson had the opportunity to try out a number of those different including cross country running, basketball, golf and football. But baseball was his true love, and by the time he entered Upper School, he was playing virtually year round.
Cooper Olson is among the most talented and accomplished basketball players in Mounds Park Academy history, yet ask his teammates, coaches, classmates or teachers, and they’re more likely to bring up who he is off the court than his achievements on it.
The youngest of three Dahlberg siblings, Declan Dahlberg watched his older brother and sister grow up as three sport athletes at MPA. When he got his turn in blue and white, he made the most of it. A cross country running, Nordic skiing and track and field athlete, Dahlberg’s name dots the record books in each sport.