By Eva Mandelbaum
The sports scene at WPHS is a core piece of the White Plains Community. Many students and families come to games in support of our tigers, and now that spring is here, many prominent sports are in season.
Coach Fugarino, the new Varsity Head Baseball Coach at WPHS, says he is “excited for a great season with the boys,” and notes that his staff, John Bivas and Henry Hirsch share this excitement. Returning players include #4 Nicky Vendola, SS (11th grade), #10 Mason Lang, CF (12th grade), #3 Jesse Alfalla, 2B (12th grade), #7 Leon Marrano, C (12th grade), and #9 Jay Biondi, P/1B (12th grade). “We are a very athletic and fundamentally sound defensive team,” Coach Fugarino explains. “On the mound, we are young but have the components in place to challenge hitters with a variety of arms and pitch variations.” Despite being young in age, the Varsity Baseball Team “[has] the potential to make noise in our league and beyond.”
This year, the Varsity Tennis team is composed of 13 boys, 6 returning Varsity Tennis players, and 7 new boys to the team. There is 1 Senior, but there are 6 Juniors, 4 Sophomores, 1 Freshman, and 1 8th Grader. Coach Golden, the Boys Varsity Tennis Coach explains, “The team has 2 very strong players, including Callum Markowitz (Soph) who has a chance to win the State Tennis Championship. In addition, our 2nd singles player, Jack Halperin, can contend to make it to Sectionals this year. The rest of the team are very good athletes ready to challenge and help our team win our league this season."
The Boys and Girls Varsity Track Teams have not named their captains yet, but Sean O’Donnell, Eric Antonecchia, Mia Priore, Rina Stanghellini, Sophia DePietro, and Skylar Roberts-Harris are returning captains from the winter season. With over 75 boys on the boys' team and 58 girls on the girls' team, Coach Furry and Coach Hidalgo share their excitement about the accomplishments made by many WP runners. “We are excited to build on the indoor season with accomplishments,” shares Coach Furry. The track teams have gotten awards including Scholar Athlete Team, League 1A Championships, Westchester County Runner UP, Sectionals 6th place, and Eric has been the State Qualifier. The girls' team has a plethora of accomplishments as well. “We're excited to see what this season brings us as in the indoor season we saw the girls team make 3rd in the league. Mia Priore and Sophie Ginsberg named to the All-County Team (both running in the state meet and at nationals) and Mia Priore named All-Section, as well as breaking the school record in the walk,” explains Coach Hidalgo.
With this copious number of accomplishments in addition to the crowd-drawing Loucks games later in the season, there is no doubt that the track teams at White Plains High School are a force to be reckoned with.
Coach Armogida, the White Plains Lacrosse Coach for the past 34 years, is excited to share that this year’s boys' team of 30 varsity lacrosse players is made up of 18 seniors. The captains are Nicholas Spisga and Rudy Defilippis. “We are a veteran group with some experience and look to continue to work hard every day. Look on improving from our 10-5 record from last year while improving our schedule and playing tougher teams,” he says. With the help of Howie Rubenstein, Coach Armogida feels that this year’s team is unstoppable.
The Girls Lacrosse Team has 24 players including 4 seniors. The captains are Lucy Barest and Kristen Russo, both 4-year Varsity starters. “The team will be relying on their leadership as we aim to stay competitive throughout our tough non-league games early in the season,” explains the team’s coach, Coach Robles.
Armed with captains Alexa Galligani and Natasha Mendez, this year’s Girls Softball Team is a force to be reckoned with. Both talented captains have committed to college for softball: Alexa is committed to USF and Natasha is committed to UAlbany. With these powerhouses as leaders, the softball team has lots of success in store this season.
Ready to represent their tiger stripes and make the WPHS Community proud, there’s no doubt that the spring sports teams at WPHS are prepared for a successful season.
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