Varsity tennis' Brooke Evans '20 and varsity cross country's Olivia Daneker '17 were selected by HAA as "Panthers of the Week."
Olivia Daneker had spent her last five autumns playing soccer for Holton, two years in Middle School and three in Upper School. It was a sport she had always played, but she realized after her junior year it was no longer a sport that she loved. Determined to find to a new passion, Daneker went out for the cross country team. She quickly embraced the sport, proving to be a versatile runner able to pick up new skills quickly. As a senior in a new sport, Daneker had a short window of opportunity to contribute to her new team and leave her mark on the program.
At the beginning of the season she was the seventh fastest girl on the team. Through hard work and countless hours of training, Daneker finished the season as the team's number three runner. At the recent Montgomery County Private School Championships, Daneker finished with a personal best time, earning 5th place overall, All-County Team honors and helping her team win the championship. "Throughout the entire season, Olivia set the example of what hard work, determination, sportsmanship, and commitment should look like. She is a good athlete and a great leader, a true role model for other athletes to look up to," comment the cross country coaches.
Holton tennis can be described as one of the most dominate teams in the ISL, winning 12 out of the last 14 ISL titles. In recent years, the competition has increased and challenged our program to hold onto our top spot. In 2014, we failed to win the regular season or championship. In 2015, there was a three way tie for the regular season, but once again Holton didn't take home the championship banner. This year, Holton was determined to end the season back on top. After an undefeated regular season, they were one step closer to achieving their goal.
Freshmen Brooke Evans started what would turn out to be a domino effect in the ISL Championship match against Bullis. Her coaches comment that, "She set the tone with a thorough deconstruction of a Bullis Senior much older, more mature, and more experienced than she. The score was a devastating 10/0 to begin the landslide that Holton unleashed." With the help of Evans, Holton is back on top of the ISL, proudly earning both the regular season and championship banners.
Congratulations Olivia Daneker and Brooke Evans for helping to bring home championships for Holton!