Bryn Mawr School - Athletics

Athletics

On November 25, 1901, Bryn Mawr and St. Timothy's School began what is believed to be the longest continuous girls' high school basketball rivalry in the country, with a silver cup dedicated to the game passed between the schools. The game was quite different from basketball today, played nine on nine on a court divided into three sections, with groups of three in each section. The uniforms were high-collared white blouses over heavy corduroy skirts that came almost to the ground, black stockings and white athletic shoes. The game was played outdoors without a backboard, on a dirt field which would be covered with straw to absorb dampness if necessary. The headmistresses of both schools agreed to a list of rules and conditions, which included prohibiting male spectators (with the exception of William Marston, the Headmaster of Marston School who officiated the game) and guaranteed that none of the girls' names would be published in the newspapers, considered unseemly at the start of the 20th century. The game was finally moved inside in 1928 as interest in field hockey as an outdoor fall sport grew. In December 2011, the two schools played a game in the old-fashioned cloths and rules to remember the first game played between the two schools.

In 1926 Rosabelle Sinclair established the first American women's lacrosse team at The Bryn Mawr School, bringing the Native American game to the United States from St Leonards School in Scotland (where it had arrived from Canada). In 1992 she was the first woman inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The first game was held against Friends School of Baltimore. Since 1999, Bryn Mawr has shared Norris Field with the Mount Washington Lacrosse Club, one of the most successful amateur lacrosse teams in history.

The athletics program today provides a wide range of offerings for competitive play including cross country, track, volleyball, basketball, softball, crew, squash, ice hockey, swimming, and dance. There are 17 sports in the Upper School available on the varsity and junior varsity levels, and 13 sports at the Middle School level.

Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track showed great improvement during the 2008–2009 year. For the first time in years, track (both indoor and outdoor) managed to place very well on average in meets. This was done under the instruction of Coach Paul Vece and other assistant coaches. In 2010, the Bryn Mawr Ice Hockey team won their first championship, finally defeating Holton Arms. The varsity soccer team, led by Coach Tina Steck, won three back-to-back IAAM championships in 2009, 2010 and 2011.