Over the 2023–24 school year, HSMSE’s 10 sports teams shared moments of joy, success, and celebration. As we write the last issue of The Echo for this school year, we wanted to take a moment to highlight these teams and the seniors that are graduating from them.
Fall:
Girls’ soccer was coached by Mr. Tirado this season and their season was very impressive. Their record was 10–4, losing in the first round of playoffs 3–2. While Mr. Tirado and the players are already planning for this upcoming season, they want to take a moment for their three senior players. Charlotte Lecomte, Joyce Cheng, and Kehaploy Kamonpanyakul have brought so much to this team and the Dragons are sad to see important players of their back line leaving.
Boys’ soccer was led by Coach Ramirez, who had the honor of following in Mr. Choi’s footsteps. The boys had big shoes to fill after winning the 2022 championship, but it’s safe to say they did so easily. They ended the season 14–2–1 (wins–losses–ties). In their championship game they once again faced Hunter, and while they had lost twice during the regular season, they showed incredible talent and perseverance and came out on top with a 1–0 win. The boys’ soccer team is the one of two teams at HSMSE to have two championships, along with the girls’ softball team. Though everyone will miss the 5 graduating seniors (Rafael Corral, Luca Costa, Peter Efthimiou, Yogel Kellner, Harlan Plass, and Jonah Sandow), students are looking forward to seeing if the Dragons can keep their streak going.
Cross country continues to be the most popular fall sport at HSMSE with a total roster of 76 students between the girls’ and the boys’ teams. Cross country runners spend 4 days of their week running long distances at practice. The team shared many successes including Niccolo Biehl’s (‘24) performance at states. Phoebe Estep (‘27) also had an incredible performance and broke the school’s record for the 5000 meter. The Flying Dragons are looking forward to their summer practices at Van Cortlandt Park to get ready for the upcoming season but are sad to see their 11 seniors leave. Good luck!
Winter:
The girls’ basketball team, coached by Mr. Choi, finished the season 9–6. While they lost in the first round of playoffs to Frederick Douglass Academy (33–30), they showed immense improvements throughout their season. Farah Dackour and Kehaploy Kamonpanyakul are the graduating seniors on the team and while we are sad to see them go, we are so proud of them and the talent they’ve brought to the team. Hopefully the Dragons can continue to live up to their skill.
The boys’ basketball team is saying goodbye to 9 seniors this season, which will leave the Dragons with lots of open spots in the upcoming year. Unfortunately this season, they didn’t make it into the playoffs after finishing with a 6–8 record but the hard work from our boys basketball team and their coach, Mr. Epstein, doesn’t go unnoticed. Best of luck to Kwabena Acheampon, Oliver Bares, Justin De La Cruz, Papa Diene, Amir Messiah, Akram Obad, Alejandro Sanchez Clarke, Anand Schwabe, and Ameer Shah.
Indoor track had a roster of 95 students between the girls’ and boys’ team, and this season was exceptionally successful for them. Coaches Henning and Ramirez worked with the different track and field athletes who celebrated incredible performances during meets. The team shared many new school records along with many medals. For example, the freshman boys’ team placed first in New York City during their final meet. The 17 seniors on this team have been a part of the Flying Dragons for many seasons and will be missed.
Spring:
The girls’ softball team, coached by Ms. Downey went 15–2 with one loss to Lab during their regular season and once to Baccalaureate during the third round of playoffs. The softball team’s positive and dedicated players are proud of their improvements and incredible performance this season. Seniors Charlotte Lecomte, Kehaploy Kamonpanyakul, and Fatima Ndiongue were all vital to the outfield and we hope that the rising players can fill their footsteps. As always, the Dragons are already looking forward to the successes of next season and the high energy of home games at Schiff.
Boys’ baseball persevered through their many rainouts and played a wonderful season. Unfortunately, the rainouts didn’t cut them any slack and their second round of playoffs was rescheduled for the same day as the AP World History test. While that unfortunately marked the end of their season, Mr. Zara is incredibly proud of his team’s performance as they finished their season 7–5. The Dragons say farewell to some of their star infielders and pitching staff. Best of luck to Max Cavallaro, Mateo Gushue, Simon Kaminer, Mathew Leon, Raymon Morillo, Cooper Rodriguez, and Ameer Shah.
Boys’ volleyball worked incredibly hard during their season. They finished 6–5 and unfortunately lost during their first round of playoffs. However, they tried their hardest and hopefully left with no regrets. The boys’ volleyball team is saying goodbye to three seniors whose impact on the team was unmatched. Best of luck on their future endeavors and we can’t wait for them to come back next season and watch the Dragons’ successes.
Outdoor track had a roster of 86 HSMSE students this spring. With the largest numbers for a girls’ running team at HSMSE, track continues to be a favorite amongst students. Spring track and field offers athletes many different events, some of which aren’t available in indoor track such as steeplechase, javelin throw, and the 4×100 relay. Athletes, regardless of the weather, work to improve their skills and compete in various meets in the event of their choice. Farewell to the 8 seniors, who put a tremendous amount of effort into their last season.