A light breeze rustled the trees as the area by the snack bar building at George L. King Field began to fill with parents, siblings, and athletes on the girls track and field team. May 5 was a lot of the team’s last practice of the year and their senior night celebration.
The track team is one of the largest teams that Haven has with over 70 athletes, and this year’s 12 seniors were celebrated with tie-dye t-shirts, pizza, posters, speeches, and photos with their teammates and families. Unlike other sports teams that hold senior night before games, track’s senior night was held after practice to accommodate the large crowd and prioritize the location.
During the day leading up to the ceremony, the team wore tie-dye shirts that were color coordinated for each grade. They had tie-dyed them outside after practice on April 28.
“I really like that every grade has a different color, because it just shows how many people are here to celebrate the seniors,” junior Mara Carey said.
Juniors — and some sophomores — wrote speeches for seniors they’ve been close to. Junior Ella Brook has known senior Lily Newport for four years. Brook spoke about their memories together and Newport’s kindness and positivity.
“I sat down after my AP Bio exam and just thought of all the memories I had with Lilly and how she’s always made me feel so included and welcome, and done the same for everyone else,” Brook said.
Carey wrote a speech for senior Sam Spector. The two of them have done both cross country and track together since Carey was a freshman.
“I just tried to think about all the happy memories and everything I can remember about my senior, and just how good of a person she was,” Carey said.
The long bus rides, hard practices, and meets that mostly consist of waiting to run, mean that many athletes have strong connections with seniors. Senior Claire Donovan appreciates these relationships more than anything else about the sport.
“Everyone is so sweet and supportive, and we all have so much fun together, even during the awful workouts,” Donovan said.
The girls travel to Radnor on May 8 for their last JV meet before Districts begin on May 15.
DISCLAIMER: Both reporters are members of the girls track team.
![The girls varsity lacrosse team shouts during their pre-game huddle at their playoff game against Villa Maria Academy on May 19. The team lost 5-15, but the athletes had a lot of great saves and plays. "Coming off of a season losing a lot of valuable players, I think we really adjusted well, and we came together [and] did the best we could," Tessa Dignazio (10) said.](https://shpantherpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GEBHARDT-GLAX-5.19-19.jpg)
![The varsity softball team chants during their pre-game huddle at the Division I playoff game against Phoenixville on May 18. The girls ended with a 14-7 record. “I think it was a really good season, especially [since] we went into the season with positions being moved around and losing a lot of important seniors from last year,” catcher Alyssa Bisordi (10) said.](https://shpantherpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GEBHARDT-SOFTBALL-PLAYOFFS-5.18-2-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Alice Rieger (10) explodes to reach the frisbee during the game against Garnet Valley on April 28. Rieger scored multiple points for Haven and was excited to see the younger players in the game. "We put a lot of effort into our defense, and we spent a lot of work putting on some players who are less experienced, so that they could work on their own game. We could get a lot of good chemistry with the team and [get] in some players who don't get to play as much,” Rieger said.](https://shpantherpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/3D7A9038-1200x800.jpg)
