June 17, 2021
When Amber Washington ’12 first joined the tennis team at MPA as a seventh grader in 2006, she could not have known the record setting career she would go on to have. Washington’s older sister Taylor had played tennis at MPA and led the Panthers to two state team championships, and the younger Washington knew she had big shoes to fill. Those shoes would take her far.
Fast forward to 2011. Washington had just made history by winning her sixth state championship and setting a state record for most tennis championships in a career with four in doubles and two in singles. Read More
To be a great rower, tremendous upper and lower body strength is key. Nordic skiing, helps aspiring rowers develop those exact skills. Just ask Ana Manolis, who parlayed a highly successful Nordic ski career at MPA into a spot on the rowing team at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
Andrew George has never been a stranger to working hard. When asked what advice he had for future MPA students, he said, “Work hard. Education is an important tool in today’s society as well as the in future.” Academically, as well as athletically, George has always been one of the hardest workers. “MPA prepared me for college by conveying the importance of putting in the work, as well as giving me deep passion for the sport of running and the atmosphere a sports team provides.”
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.
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.