Athletics: Spring Recap
As school is coming to a close, spring sports seasons are ending. The sports — baseball, softball, tennis, track and golf — are all offered in the Spring season. This is the first spring season without the athletic contribution and leadership from the Class of 2016, and we caught up representatives from each team to hear how their season went.
From the East River Fields to Florida, the Varsity Baseball team had quite the season. Gabe Lopez ‘18, an avid baseball player, told “The Grace Gazette” that this season has been going well. He explained this was the team’s first year in their new league, the ACIS, after making it to the league championships. “We are 4-4 and have been holding our own in our new league. For the last part of the season we have been trying to get as many wins as possible in order to qualify for states. We just recently won against packer. Our last game is against Dwight on the 17th so hopefully a win against them will help us qualify.” Gabe discusses the role of the Seniors on the team and explains how much of a huge impact they have in addition to the team’s one-of-a-kind dynamic. “They are the leaders of the team and help mentor the other players. Our captain Archie (Brydon ‘17) also helps motivate us. They will be sorely missed next year. That isn’t to say though that we won’t win without them because we still have a very strong team discluding the Seniors. Our team dynamic is great. We all get along with each other and we have many inside jokes and nicknames for each other. Our team chemistry is one of our best qualities and it helps us play better on the field.”
Stepping off the E train, Preston Wilson ‘18, the tennis captain, leads the team to practice in Forest Hills. The team has finished second in the ACIS. When asked about the team’s strategy, Preston answered that the team doesn’t have a precise strategy, just that the coach works on improving each team member’s game. According to Preston, “The team’s dynamic has been good, as we have been switching some positions (we have 3 singles teams and 2 doubles teams) to best set our self up for success in matches. We have all had strong opinions on which positions we think would work best and the coaches have mostly accommodated to them.” Trouble in paradise?
Spending every day running and training after school right on the East River, the track team has had an amazing season this spring. The team participated in many meets, and even got second at the Avenues meet for the 4×400. Some members of the team are moving onto the state tournament. Langston Henry ‘18, a Junior on the team, explained that the team has learned to work well together throughout the season. He said, “We have developed a sense of closeness, and as the season went on we grew closer, and I feel that we have become something reminiscent of a family.” When asked about the team’s strategy for the last part of the season, he said that the key for the team to still succeed is to stay humble. He said “We can’t let success go to our heads. if we let that take over we can become cocky and lackadaisical and that would cause us to lose our strength.”
Introduced this year for the first time, Grace finally has its very own golf club! This past fall, golf was introduced as a club, but next year the club will turn into an official team, and will compete against other schools. Julia Kramberg ‘20, a freshman in the golf club, has been golfing for the past five years. She explains that the season has been going extremely well, and the team has been working on improving their golfing skills. She told the Gazette that “It’s an amazing team, with some very talented golfers, and Mr. Quinn, our coach is great.” She also explained how though the team is small, it can be a very good thing, as she says “We are very close, and we all get along with each other. There are only eight of us, so we are all closely bonded.”
Last but not least, the softball team has been working extremely hard, competing in games, and practicing at both the fields and working out gym throughout the spring. Julia Sebastia-Lopez ‘18, has been on the softball team since freshman year. She told the Gazette that “This season was a little rough for us in terms of wins but we had a lot of new members on the team and we’ve all really bonded as a group.” Julia also explained how important to the team the Seniors are. She explains “For a few of us, including myself, we have always had the Seniors by our side on the team so we are definitely going to miss them.” The team was kept motivated by the coaches, who Julia said made the season special. She said “The team this year is really great; our coaches are amazing which makes the team eager to go to practice and do our best. The team is great, they’re all super sweet and funny, which is great on the days where we have long bus rides to Long Island.”