Arndt the perfect choice to take over at Hun

When Kathy Quirk stepped down as the field hockey coach at Hun, the administration didn’t have to look far to find the perfect fit in Tracey Arndt.

Arndt, who is also the Co-Director of Athletics at Hun with her focus being of the women’s side of athletics, has been around the game for many years and previously coached at Princeton Day and area club teams.

“I loved my time working at the club level through Princeton Field Hockey Club over the last few years,” said Arndt. “I loved being able to grow the game and work with our youngest players as they learn to love the game. Getting back into the high school level is exciting for me because it is a chance to help the team create goals and work hard to achieve those goals while competing at high level within our area.”

The Arndt Era got underway Tuesday when the Raiders dropped a 1-0 decision to Springside Chestnut Hill in Princeton.

Arndt is looking for the opportunity this season to follow in Quirk’s legacy.

“Kathy Quirk will always be synonymous with Hun, and the ripple effect of her legacy will be felt for years to come,” said Arndt. “I have respected her and her program for a long time, and I admire how passionate she is about the important work she does. I have been very lucky that even as Kathy gets ready for her next adventure, she has been extremely helpful in my transition to Hun. I will never be able to fill her shoes, but I will work tirelessly to keep up the tradition of excellence in athletics at Hun that Bill and Kathy Quirk have pioneered.”

Working with the Princeton club and also at PDS, Arndt has come to recognize the impact Hun has had in the area.

“I have lived and worked in this area for a while, and I have always respected the Hun School and the opportunities it provides to its student athletes,” said Arndt. “Bill and Kathy Quirk have worked tirelessly to provide these opportunities. As a former student athlete who was lucky enough to have had a positive student athlete experience, the opportunity to give back in this way made it very exciting.”

Defense Sets the Tone at South

First year coach Tracy Klugerman is a stickler for fundamentals, and one of the most important is the ability to play defense and it has shown in the early going for the Pirates.

“We have a nice strong defense,” said Klugerman after the season opening 4-0 win over Hightstown. “They did a really nice job stepping up and just being patient on the ball. When somebody gets beat there is somebody right there to take their place.”

The Pirates defenders are, Phoebe Elias, Skylar Simon, Cynthia Hansen, Heather Butler, Kaila Shah, Saanya Bhargava and Sanjana Chimaladinne.

Davis Comes Back Home

The Ewing hockey season hasn’t started the way Lauren Davis would’ve hoped, but she is glad to be back at Ewing after coaching at Mount St. Mary’s

“Coaching at Mount Saint Mary’s was the perfect place for me to start as a young coach,” said Davis, who was the NJSIAA Coach of the Year at MSM. “But there is not better feeling than returning home. Once a Blue Devil always a Blue Devil.”

Inside the Circle

• Allentown, under co-coaches Dana Schleider and Mary Ellen McCarthy, is off to a fast start. One of the reasons has been the emergence of Kerri McCarthy as a weapon on the forward line.

McCarthy has six goals and 12 points in three games. The 3-0 Redbirds have scored 13 goals in the three games with two tough ones on deck against Lawrence and Notre Dame

• Notre Dame is off to an impressive start under first-year coach Cheryl Harris. This Irish are 3-0 and have outscored the opposition 18-0.

While the defense has been excellent, the duo of Sara Daniels and Cate Buecker have been magical on the forward line.

Daniels, who has five goals and five assists, is coming off a four-goal effort against West Windsor-Plainsboro North. Buecker has five goals and four assists.

• What a great start for Lawrence, which had a test on Wednesday against Allentown, as the Cardinals are 3-0 and yet to be scored upon.

Talia Schenck has picked up right where she left off after a great freshman season. The Lawrence forward has 11 goals in three games.