Boys’ Volleyball

Annie Kotsadam, Varsity Boys’ Volleyball Coach, values commitment as the most important aspect of the game. After their preseason clinics, Kotsadam has hopes for the team to win their conference championship this year. In comparison to last season, she wants the team chemistry to blossom through the players’ dedication to the game.

“Hard work, and putting in 100 percent effort every day is essential to the success of the team,” Kotsadam said. “Teamwork, working together, trusting each other, and respecting each other leads to the best outcomes.”

Senior Cooper Evans, outside hitter, echoes Kostadam’s sentiments and is excited to play with all the underclassmen on the team.

“We lost ten seniors last year,” said Evans. “But in the practice, we’ve had so far, I think we’re going to be pretty good!”

Boys’ Tennis

Chris Thomas, Head Varsity Boys’ Tennis Coach, is looking forward to getting to know the team and building relationships with all the boys. Thomas hopes to instill a passion for the sport within the team as he believes tennis is invaluable.

“I am feeling very excited,” Thomas said. “I’ve been looking forward to this season all year. Tennis is such a great sport and I want the boys to love playing. It’s a lifelong sport that I hope they all continue to enjoy even after high school.”

Senior Ilan Shelest, varsity tennis player, is also looking forward to a fresh and young team with only four returning varsity players. Shelest said that he is excited for the opportunity to meet new players as well as improve as both a player and a leader under a new coach.

“It’s an opportunity for me to prove to myself that all the work I put in was worth it and that I have improved during my high school tennis career,” Shelest said. “I am [also] very excited to learn and grow under Coach Thomas, he seems like an amazing, genuine guy who cares about all of us.”

Shelest also is looking forward to playing doubles again as he values communication and challenges the style of play presents.

“There’s a lot more communication and many other ideas and principles involved in doubles, which is great,” Shelest said.

Girls’ Track

Senior Co-Captain Saanya Shah is a part of one of the largest track programs in the team’s history. With over 140 members, the girls have placed well at early meets, Shah said.

Currently, the girls’ long jump, high jump, and the 4×400 meter relay hold strong chances of success in getting to state during the outdoor season state meet on May 21 Shah said.

“Our 4×200 meter relay is ranked eighth [in] state right now,” Shah said. “[And] we can definitely get it higher than that. We’ve had three meets, two of them have been home meets, and one was a competitive away meet, which we placed first.”

Currently, the team’s priority is improving strength and sprint mechanics as the season progresses, Shah said. The team pushes forward with a dedication to improve as their larger conferences draw closer, Coach Daniel Zapler said.

“Everything in track is building towards the end,” Zapler said. “What happens now [in meets], Is more like practice in terms of just getting used to competing in public. What we’re really gearing towards is the big invitational conference, sectionals, and then the state meet.”

Zapler also notes that through the team’s learning process – a lot of potential talent for the upcoming season has been revealed which he is very excited about.

Softball

Senior Alex Azara, starting catcher for the girls’ varsity softball team, is one of a few returning players from last season. She hopes the new team will maintain a winning season and compete well at the team’s conference. Azara plans to be a leader, and she wants the rest of her teammates to follow by example.

“I think the most difficult aspect will be learning to play together and for each other in an environment that is positive,” Azara said. “[However,] I will be there to support [my teammates.]”

Dana Boehmer, Varsity Softball Coach, said each season the team has focused on setting achievable goals, and together the team plays their hardest across the field. Boehmer is excited for new additions to the team and hopes to discover new leaders.

“We lost some key players from last season, so I’m looking forward to [seeing] who is going to step up into those leadership roles and perform when the going gets tough,” Boehmer said.

Girls’ Lacrosse

Senior midfielder Reagan Koh is eager for a strong start to their upcoming season after the girls’ lacrosse team competed at state finals last year. She hopes the team can build off of last year’s success.

“We were able to make it to the state finals [last year],” Koh said. “It got off to a little bit of a rocky start, but then I think by the end [of the season] we all got way closer. [It] would be exciting [if we returned to state].”

The team plans to continue to improve as their season progresses, particularly on defense, and communication, junior midfielder Lily Christophersen said. Christophersen is also looking forward to seeing the team improve their possession of the ball against difficult opponents. Christophersen feels that these improvements can help the team immensely.

“When the ball goes down to attack and we lose possession [we] need to read defend,” Christophersen said. “I think that we should work on defending and [our] overall communication.”

Baseball

Stephen Stanicek, Varsity Baseball Coach, is looking forward to coaching his players through another season. Despite the challenges of a competitive conference and a grueling schedule, Stanicek said he is optimistic about his team’s strength.

“We play in a very competitive conference,” Stanicek said. “We have a very competitive schedule, which is all a good thing as we start trying to compare ourselves to the other teams in our area, [and when] we move into the state playoffs.”

In the upcoming conference season, Stanicek said the team plans to build a strong dynamic with for players deeply committed to the sport. Stanicek said the team plans to build a strong dynamic and improve their skills on the field by practicing abundantly.

“I think the things that we look for [are]: their ability to be there every day, [the ability] to improve, [and] how they relate to their teammates,” Stanicek said. “How do they perform on the field? And then can they serve the role that’s being asked of them?”

Senior shortstop James Hackett, has high hopes for the team to work together as one unit after losing key players last year. Hackett sees great potential within all the guys and is ready to compete.

“I’m ready as ever to compete and the team is also ready to compete,” Hackett said. “I think if [the team] plays the way we know we can then we can win both conference and sectionals.”