Oak Knoll is proud to celebrate the diverse talents of its students in academics, the arts, and athletics. The winter sports season showcased exceptional dedication, teamwork, and spirit, bringing moments of thrilling victories, challenging losses, and remarkable individual achievements. On Friday, March 14, the Upper School came together in a special assembly to honor the accomplishments of students from grades seven through twelve who competed in basketball, fencing, ice hockey, swimming, and winter track.

Highlights of the season include:

• Grade 7/8 Basketball — The team had an 11-2 winning season. Stand-out wins included victories over Kent Place and Pingry. 
• Junior Varsity Basketball — Though ending the season with a record of 5-15, the team faced a challenging schedule against very competitive teams. Highlight victories included schools such as Dayton, Newark Academy, and South Plainfield, which resulted in their highest-scoring game at 53-19. 
• Varsity Basketball — Varsity Basketball has enjoyed one of our best seasons since 2018, with a record of 14-12 and a trip to the second round of the state tournament. The season included major victories against Summit on two occasions, Arthur L. Johnson High School, and Governor Livingston. Senior Milan Jones surpassed her goal of achieving 1000 career points, becoming one of only nine athletes in school history to do so
• Varsity Fencing —The team achieved an impressive final record of 222-144, with a Saber record of 98- 28, a Foil record of 53-64, and an Epee record of 71-52. Amelia Pace, Vida Connolly, Vittoria Gentile, and Victoria Wint competed in the NJSIAA Individual State Championships against the best fencers in the state. Vittoria placed 6th overall at the NJSIAA Individual State Championship for Sabre. The sabre squad took first in the preps championship, and the overall team finished second.
• Varsity Ice Hockey — The team faced top programs such as Pingry, Morristown-Beard, Princeton Day, and Immaculate Heart and battled to the quarterfinal round of the state tournament, ending the season with a 3-13 record. Their three victories included two against Pingry and one against Immaculate Heart.
• Varsity Swimming — With a closing record of 5-9, the team had some standout performances during the meets against Elizabeth and Union and a thrilling senior night victory over Mother Seton. 
• Varsity Winter Track — After a stellar season with record-breaking teamwork and individual bests, Oak Knoll is firmly on the map as a track and field powerhouse. Starting with a bang, the team secured second place at the Union County Relays, followed by another second-place finish at the Non-Public A Relay Championships. The Distance Medley Relay team, consisting of Ally Sparno ’26, Anna Wojie ’25, Caroline Burr ’27, and Reagan Moore ’27, made history, finishing first in New Jersey and third in the entire U.S. At the Union County Individual Championships, the Royals found themselves in the runner-up spot. At the Ocean Breeze Invitational, Moore took first in 800m and 400m, and Danya Spoor ’25 took first place in the Pentathlon. At the Prep Championships, the team finished second. Moore set a new school record in the 1600m with a lightning-fast time of 4:52. They garnered another second-place finish at the Group Non-Public A and B Championships, where Gaelle Jones ’26 set a new personal best and broke her school record in the 55m, running a scorching 7.42. The moment of triumph came at the prestigious Meet of Champions — where simply qualifying is a remarkable achievement — Moore took first in the 800m, setting a new school record, a new personal best, and a meet record while also becoming the third fastest indoor 800m runner in state history. The team ended their season competing in the Nike Indoor Nationals, where Morre exploded in the final lap of the 800m to secure the national title, stopping the clock at 2:05.05!

The end-of-season sports assembly also acknowledges our supportive fans. Sofia Wilches ’28, Winnie Ohene-Olago ’28, and Emma Ward ’27 were commended for their dedicated support of winter teams. Congratulations to all our winter-season athletes and their friends and families for cheering them on.