The beginning of the 2022-2023 school year carries new opportunities for the fall season sports teams. The fall is generally the most spirited time of the year, with the excitement of the new school year and an extensive preseason period, where teams train together prior to the beginning of the school year. Girls Tennis, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Field Hockey, and Cross Country inspire a heightened sense of community and morale in the student body and have kicked off with a successful start.

TENNIS
Girls Varsity Tennis is coming back from an undefeated season and is led by senior captains Sami Rowbottom and Grace Rainero. David Sykes has coached varsity for the past 12 years and is excited about the upcoming season. The small team is made up of five seniors, two juniors, two sophomores, two freshmen, and one eighth-grader with only half the team returning. To encourage team bonding with new members, they went to Orange Theory, a workout class in Tarrytown, and the US Open.
They have played and dominated four league matches beating Dalton, Horace Mann, Riverdale, and Poly Prep. This year they lost two very strong players, first singles Samantha Rainero ’22 and first doubles Maya Miller ’22.
“All returners have improved dramatically since last year and the new players are helping to solidify the team,” Sykes explained. While the team is always looking to improve, they also have many strengths. They have a very strong feeling of family and cohesiveness and are “committed not only to being the best tennis players they can be but also being the best teammates, best friends, and best supporters,” he said.
While Sykes enjoys winning and loves seeing the girls reap the benefits of their hard work, he also measures success based on the girls playing their best tennis, trying their hardest, supporting one another, and putting the team before themselves. These are his main goals and winning is just the icing on the cake.

FIELD HOCKEY
After an emotional and uniting last season, the Hackley Varsity Field Hockey (HVFH) team returns with amassed spirit and force. Senior captains Catie O’Rourke, Lucia Monteleone, Avery Leighton, and Gabi Kalapoutis rally the team and inspire the fighter spirit. There are also two new freshmen on the team and four new sophomores.
After a tough loss against King during their preseason out-of-league scrimmage, HVFH has bounced back with a 7-0 season so far. They have seized a 3-2 win against Pleasantville, a 7-0 against Riverdale, a 6-2 against Fieldston, and a win against King, beating them 2-1 in an exciting redemption game, and many more.
“The season is going well so far,” captain Catie O’Rourke said. “I was nervous in the beginning, but after our most recent game I think our team gained the confidence it needed.”
Catie has been on varsity since she was a freshman and her hope is for their team to go undefeated and win NYSAIS. While she recognized communication as one of their challenges, she said it is also one of their biggest strengths. “We are all like one big family and we know we can rely on each other.”

BOYS SOCCER
The soccer team is led by seniors Dan Paridis, Fritz Lauerwald, Cole Joseph, and JT Goswami. Off to a strong start, they have played in four games and their Sting game under the lights on Pickert Field was one of the highlights of the Hackley Spirit Week.
Dan Paridis has been on the team since his freshman year and is optimistic about this year’s season. He credits preseason to being an effective part of improving their team’s chemistry, a common trend amongst all of the fall teams.
“Sting was amazing with everyone there,” he said. “We just need to continue to build off this momentum for the games to come.” Dan hopes to go undefeated in the Ivy League and win NYSAIS this year. “These are lofty goals, but as a team, we do believe we can achieve them.”

GIRLS SOCCER
The nine seniors of this year chose a quote that they felt best embodies their team’s blazing spirit and goals: “fuel the fire.” Four new girls this year bring the total of players to 18, led by seniors Welyn Waterhouse, Callie Duggan, and Sophia Petriello. So far their record this year is 4-1, their only loss accredited again to their rival Poly after last year’s season.
Junior Edele Brennan said, “We want to do this for our seniors if not for ourselves.”

CROSS COUNTRY
The cross country team is captained by Asher Beck, Willow Quatrone, and Ella Rodriguez and is comprised of mostly eighth graders, freshmen, and sophomores (26 in total). The eight upperclassmen are vital team leaders. During preseason the team has a scavenger hunt around Tarrytown. Though the team has an extremely young core of runners they have dramatically improved in the small amount of time the team has been together.
Coach Seth Karpinski has been coaching for 17 years and said, “We are setting up to outperform expectations!”

While Coach Karpinski recognizes that their team faces challenges of “lack of experience and age,” they thrive because of their grit, confidence, and family-like bond.  “We expect all our runners to continue to put in the work, take chances, and support one another,” Karpinski said.

He believes they will be a force in the Ivy League if they are able to accomplish these things.