Making room in the trophy case for more awards will not be a problem!
Pictured above in front row (l-to-r) Trent Gidman (boys soccer), Jensen Stroinski (girls soccer), Danielle Frank (girls cross country), Julia Nafe (girls cross country), and Matt Evans (boys cross country), and back row (l-to-r) Penn High School principal Steve Hope, Thomas Gifford (boys tennis), Tim Porsche (boys tennis), Penn High School athletic director Aaron Leniski.
Penn High School is one of two schools in the state of Indiana with four teams competing in Indiana High School Athletic Association semi-state events this weekend (Oct. 23-25), as well as being represented in the IHSAA tennis individual state finals.
Penn’s boys and girls soccer teams each won regional championships last weekend, and the boys and girls cross country teams also qualified for berths at the semi-state level. Doubles players Thomas Gifford and Tim Porsche will wear Kingsmen colors in the IHSAA individual tennis state finals this weekend. Center Grove also has four teams in semi-state action this weekend, and has a tennis state finalist.
Penn’s girls golf team was also a state finalist earlier this season, placing 11th. The Penn volleyball team begins sectional play at home on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Penn’s football team on Friday, October 23, also at home.
“The Penn community is proud to be represented by dedicated student-athletes who have our athletic teams competing at the highest levels in the state,” Penn High School Principal Steve Hope said. “The outstanding work of the coaches, and the tremendous support of the parents, families and fans of Penn's student-athletes is greatly appreciated.
“This weekend is just one example of Penn High School's commitment to academic and athletic excellence,” Hope said. “On behalf of Penn High School, I wish the best to all of our student-athletes as they represent our school.”
Penn athletic director Aaron Leniski expressed pride in the accomplishment by the Kingsmen Fall Sports teams. “I am very proud and excited for these teams,” Leniski said. “This is a major accomplishment for each of these programs and a reflection of the hard work, dedication, and commitment put in by these student-athletes and our coaching staff since the completion of the 2014 season.
“Penn High School is dedicated to striving for excellence in everything that we do, and our athletic programs seek to represent the P-H-M community to the highest degree,” Leniski continued. “I look forward to a great weekend witnessing outstanding teamwork and dynamic sportsmanship while facing fierce competition. Go Kingsmen!”
BOYS TENNIS: Thomas Gifford and Tim Porsche (17-3) play against Goshen’s Luke Rush and Logan Troyer (19-1) in the first round of the state finals on Friday at 2 p.m. on the Park Tudor courts in Indianapolis.
Gifford and Porsche won last week’s LaPorte Regional championship by defeating Andrean’s Evan Galindo and Jarron Tatum, 6-0, 6-0, and Westview’s Zach Schrock and Jeryl Weaver, 6-2, 6-1.
Gifford and Porsche were unbeaten in Northern Indiana Conference regular-season action (7-0), and won the NIC Tournament championship.
Eric Bowers is the Penn tennis coach.
State finals action is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Penn has one state championship in boys tennis individual doubles. Thomas J. Snelson and Gautham Vaidyanathan won the state title in 2006.
A ticket for the tennis state finals is $5 per person.
GIRLS SOCCER: Penn plays Leo in the South Bend St. Joseph Semi-state at noon on Saturday, Oct, 24. If the Kingsmen win, they play the Fishers-Munster winner at 7 p.m. Saturday night for a berth to the state championship game at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis.
Penn defeated arch-rival St. Joe, 1-0, last Saturday to win the Goshen Regional. It was the eighth regional championship in program history, and first since 2013.
Coach Jeff Hart’s Kingsmen are 19-0-2 and have racked up 15 shutouts. Penn has outscored its competition 21-0 in state-tournament play.
Five Penn players have already committed to play college soccer.
Sophomore Kristina Lynch has committed to defending national champion Florida State, sophomore goalie Mackenzie Wood has committed to Northwestern, senior Kamra Solomon has committed to Furman, senior Jensen Stroinski has committed to IPFW, and senior MacKenzie Mason has committed to Wittenberg.
Penn has two semi-state championships in girls soccer – 1996 and 2007. The Kingsmen are seeking their first state title in girls soccer.
Tickets for the semi-state are $7 for one session, or $10 for both sessions
BOYS SOCCER: Penn takes on Fort Wayne Canterbury at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, in the Warsaw Semi-state. If the Kingsmen win, they play the winner of the Lake Central-Harrison match at 7 p.m. on Saturday. At stake is a berth to the Class 2-A state championship game at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Carroll Stadium in Indianapolis.
Penn claimed the South Bend Regional championship with a thrilling 2-1 sudden-death victory against Elkhart Memorial. It was the fifth regional championship in program history, and first since 2009.
Penn has one state championship in boys soccer (1999), and one semi-state championship (1999).
Coach Josh Nakayama’s Kingsmen are on a 12-game winning streak. Penn suffered losses in its first three games of the season, and has roared back from the 0-3 start to take a 15-4 record into the semi-state.
Mac Smith leads the Kingsmen with 9 goals and eight assists.
Cost for a ticket to the semi-state is $7 for one session, and $10 for two sessions.
Penn’s all-Northern Indiana Conference selections were:
1st Team: Colorado Kruggel (senior) defender.
2nd Team: Noah Craig (senior) midfielder; Trent Gidman (senior) goalkeeper; Anderw Fulmer (junior) defender.
Honorable Mention: Mac Smith (senior) midfielder; Riley Smith (junior) midfielder.
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY: Penn’s Lauren Frank won the individual regional championship, and the Kingsmen qualified as a team for the semi-state with a second-place finish in the Elkhart Regional.
Coach Michael Clements’ Penn girls cross country team competes in the semi-state at the Plexx athletic complex in Fort Wayne on Saturday. The semi-state race is slated to start at 1:45 p.m.
Penn is seeking its first championships in girls cross country at the semi-state and state levels.
Admission to the semi-state is free.
Each of Penn’s seven runners earned all-NIC honors this season:
Lauren Frank – first team; Conference MVP, Individual NIC & Regional Champion.
Ellie Jankowski – first team all-NIC.
Emma Jankowski – first team all-NIC.
Sybil Kurian – second team all-NIC.
Lorena Daugherty – second team all-NIC.
Stella DiMarzio – second team all-NIC.
Danielle Frank – honorable mention all-NIC.
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY: Penn stunned Northridge by one point to win the Elkhart Regional championship and qualify for the semi-state. Penn finished with 61 points, and Northridge came in second with 62 points.
It was the 15th regional championship in program history, and Penn’s second boys cross country regional title in a row.
Semi-state action at Fort Wayne’s Plexx athletic complex is set for 1 p.m on Saturday, Oct. 24.
Penn is seeking its first semi-state championship in boys cross country on Saturday. The Kingsmen are also pursuing their first state championship in boys cross country.
Sophomore Colton Shail led Penn’s regional championship effort by placing third in the race. Shail was named the Northern Indiana Conference MVP after placing first in the conference meet.
Admission to the semi-state is free.
Coach Tom Miller’s Kingsmen placed all seven runners on the all-NIC team:
Colton Shail – first team all-NIC and Conference MVP, Individual NIC Champion.
Matt Evans – second team all-NIC.
Chad Piatt – second team all-NIC.
Curtis Cornell – second team all-NIC.
Daniel Hardman – second team.
Nick Scheel – honorable mention.
Cameron Nagle – honorable mention.
