Spring of 2016 has an abundance of sports to offer: lacrosse, golf, soccer, track, tennis, baseball, and softball. Currently teams are going through intensive practices to ensure they are in top condition for upcoming competitions. Both players and coaches are hard at work, with a shared goal of improvement.

Men’s Lacrosse

Coach John Fernandez hopes to lead the men’s lacrosse team into a new and successful season, coming off a 6-9 record last season. Fernandez hopes to implement the lessons learned from last season, after losing in the first round of the playoffs. With great potential, Fernandez believes that if they work hard, stay focused, and come together as a team, they will improve from last year’s record.

Women’s Lacrosse

Last season the women’s lacrosse team finished with a 18-1 record and won the Cap 8 Conference Championship. This season, their goal is to win the conference again, as well as to advance to the State tournament. After only losing four seniors, the team is planning to pick up right where they left off.  According to Coach Deena Grasso, the team is returning with a talented and experienced group of starters, along with younger players that will fill in key roles. The team is looking forward to what the season has in store.

Men’s Golf

Finishing fifth in the conference last season, the men’s golf team is hoping to improve by making the top four this year so that they can qualify for regionals. The team has some new faces, as well as returning ones. Coach James Doyle is optimistic that the mix of new and old players will give them a good chance of meeting their goal. The first match for the season is on February 29 at North Ridge Country Club, and the team is enthusiastic for the matches that will follow in the Cap 8 Conference.

Women’s Soccer

After finishing fourth in the conference last year, the women’s soccer team is connecting as a team on and off the field in order to improve. The team’s goal is to make it far, or potentially win, States. Coach Komons will help the team to work together more efficiently in big games, like Broughton and Millbrook, in order to win the conference.

Track

The track team will be starting this spring season with not only team goals, but personal ones as well. Coach Graham will be using practice time to build the runners’ endurance and strength. Although there are mostly individual events, the runners will be working together to help each other improve with hopes to win as a team.

Men’s Tennis

After being undefeated for the past two seasons, Coach Stewarts will lead the men’s tennis team into this season with the aspiration to defend their two time state title. Consisting of both old and new players, the team will work to prove their potential on the courts. With the support of the student body during tough matches, like Millbrook High School, the team plans to make it through the State Finals while staying on top.

Baseball

This year the baseball team is excited to start the season out with a new head coach, Chris Keown. Last season the team had a 7-13 record, which Keown is looking to improve by competing at a high level. He has high expectations for the players this year, and is looking forward to what the ten seniors have to offer in their final year. Games to watch out for are Wake Forest and Heritage. According to Keown, victories against these schools will be achieved by seeking collective success rather than individual success.

Softball

The softball team plans to finish first in the conference and make a deep run in the state playoffs this season. To do this they will need to prepare themselves for their toughest match ups, such as Wake Forest, Heritage, and South Central. Coach Danny Inscoe is preparing the team by teaching them to keep good, consistent pitches, be more aggressive on the bases, and hit the ball throughout the line-up. With the most talented infield in the conference, the team hopes to do big things again this season after ending with a record of 11-8 last season.

All of the spring sports teams and coaches are eager to have successful seasons, as well as bring home a number of victories. According to the coaches, positivity is all that can be expected for the 2016 season.