Spring Sports Seniors’ Last Hoorah

Girls Lacrosse 

A main goal for this season’s varsity girls lacrosse team was to improve together as a team, and the girls certainly did so this year, doubling their win total from last year from 3 to 6. Coached by Coach Miller and new assistant coach, Coach Menzella, the team has grown together and played their hardest in each game. Senior Olivia Foulke comments, “We’ve made a lot of improvement since last year and doubled our win record from last year which was exciting. Our biggest win was against Kittatinny where we came out with a tight win 14-13. There was still some bad blood from losing against them in the soccer state sectional finals this past fall so that was very exciting for us to have a get back.” Foulke leads the team in goals with 58 this season and has reached 150 goals in her career. Foulke also tied a school and state record for single goals in a game, was nominated for player of the week twice, and has had a lot of honors mentioned in the articles. Other key offensive contributions to the team include sophomore Nicolina Altonjy, freshman Mia Rivela and junior Anella Cavalieri, who has scored 28 goals this season. Some defensive lockdown players include senior Ella Eckert and her freshman sister Ava Eckert, and sophomore twins Casey and Mackenzie Cipriani. Foulke continues, “I’ve just enjoyed spending so much time with the girls!” All the girls get along together as a family no matter if they are on the field and off the field, which helped them build the chemistry they had this season. The team seeks to continue to push hard to reach their full potential and end the season on a high note.

Current Record: 6-5

 

Boys Lacrosse

The Boys Lacrosse team, coached by Coach O’Conner, has had an up and down season. They started off hot, winning their first four games and tying their total from last year, but eventually cooled down as they lost the next few. Leading the team in goals this season is senior Justin Vitale (42), sophomore Michael Snudden (18), and senior Zach Fasset (17), which has been a key contribution to their success. Senior Justin Vitale comments, “ I’ve been able to score some goals and just had a lot of fun throughout the season so far.” Luke Festa has continued his success as being the team’s goalie, adding to his already impressive save total. On the defensive end, juniors Gavin Hicks, Michael Guazzo, and Tyler McAleer have helped the Braves keep the score close in each game. There have been some impactful wins this season, beating PCTI 4-3 and Dwight-Englewood 11-9. With the state tournament coming up, the Braves need to return to their drive to win from the start of the season, their first step: beating Bergen Tech, in which they were victorious 13-2. With an increased amount of team bonding this season, the remainder of the season looks to be in reach for the Braves who look to make a deep run in the NJSIAA tournament.

Current Record: 5-6

 

Boys Volleyball 

Indian Hill’s Boys Volleyball team had a much improved season this year. Last year the team had no wins, but this year they had a total of four wins and were competitive in most matches. Coached by Coach Anzano and new Coach Taylor, the Braves got their first road win since 2021 along with back to back wins for the first time since 2021. Junior Michael Tompkins reached 100 career kills this season and will return for more next year, as senior Tal Yoffe reached 300 assists in his 3 year varsity career. Yoffe comments, “Our new strategies were the ‘Tompkins and Yoffe link up’, where Michael Tompkins was going to spike the ball after I set him the ball. That was the plan every single game and it worked.” Senior Federico Cela Pagola and junior Nick Carreria were also key contributors to the success of the program this season. As the two seniors were honored on senior night on Tuesday, May 6th, they fought their hardest against Lakeland and won the first set. Yoffe continues on his thoughts looking back at his years at Indian Hills, “I achieved my goal of getting 300 assists and giving my 100% every game, diving after the ball every time and being at the bleachers many times. On senior night diving to the bleachers where all my friends were, it was very fun and exciting winning that first set.” Indian Hills lost the next two sets against Lakeland on senior night, bringing the season to a close.

Final Record: 4-13

 

Girls Golf

With the girls golf season coming to a close, there are some great moments of the season to look back on. Coached by Coach Hartig and captained by Gaby Becker, Kate Giletta, and Claire Giletta, the Braves had a successful season, placing 7th of 16 at the Big North Girls Conference Tournament and setting a new 18-hole team record of 379. The record-breaking 18-hole team included seniors Gaby Becker (80), Claire Giletta (98), Kate Giletta (99), and Sam Marker (102). Gaby Becker comments, “As one of the team captains, I helped keep the team positive and pumped up for matches by blasting music on the speaker on the way to tournaments.” Becker, a committed D2 athlete at Bentley University tied the school 18-hole record with 80 and beat her previous year’s 9-hole average with 40.4. This season was a special one, and the team is sad to see such a great senior class go off to college, but celebrates their accomplishments.

Final Record: 10-3

 

Boys Golf

Indian Hills’ boys golf team, coached by Coach Stahl, had lots of success to look back on even after unfortunate weather conditions in the beginning of the year. The freezing temperatures, cold strong winds, and rain caused some matches to be cancelled, making it tough for the team to initially get into the groove of the new-born season, but they eventually figured it out. Sophomore Luke Burgess has taken first place 3 times this season, and has additionally reached the podium much more. For practices, the new indoor driving simulator at the school was a key addition for the weather struggles in the beginning of the year, but when they could, the team practiced together at the ranges as usual. Brody Lenc, a junior on the team, comments, “I definitely hope we can work hard as a team this off season, and come into next year as a very strong team.” With so many promising rounds towards the end of the season, the team is excited for what’s next.

Final Record: 6-4

 

Track & Field

The Indian Hills Track & Field team has had a ton of success this season led by a heavy senior class including Max Daniels, Truman Lorenz, Tristan Casella, Summer Myrhen, Camryn Finn, Gabby Robayo, Brendan Pelonero, and much more. Max Daniels has consistently had top 3 finishes in the 200-meter sprint, 110-meter high hurdles, and the long jump, as he looks towards the future in running Track & Field in college. At the Bergen County Track & Field Championship on May 10th, Daniels placed 1st in both the 110-meter high hurdle (14.30) seconds, and the long jump (21 ft, 7 in.), along with being the runner up to sophomore Bryce Roberts in the 200-meter sprint. Bryce Roberts also had an outstanding day, as he finished 1st in the 200-meter sprint with a new school record-setting amount of seconds: 22.27. Roberts also placed second in the 100-meter sprint. For the long distance races, senior Summer Myhren placed fourth place in the 3200-meter with a new personal record of 11:48 and fifth place in the 1600-meter with 5:24. Sophomore Frank Coppa placed first in both the 1600-meter and the 3200-meter while Lukas Kertesz came in sixth for the 3200-meter. The 400 meter relay race where each of the 4 runners, Max Daniels, Bryce Roberts, Matt Delano, and Truman Lorenz, get to run 100 meters, has had a lot of success with multiple podium finishes. Also at the Bergen County Track & Field Championship, junior Luke Traficant placed fourth and sophomore Mark Havel placed sixth in the pole vault, while Brendan Pelonero placed sixth in the javelin. Another successful season for the Braves spring Track and Field season, and with many great athletes leaving Indian Hills for college next year, the future has big shoes to fill in the upcoming few years.

 

Baseball

Coach Hill’s Braves had some big shoes to fill in after a great record last season, and certainly filled them in to the best of their ability with the help of their seniors LJ Renshaw,  Dylan Biernacki, and Nico Speciale. Pitcher and catcher LJ Renshaw leads the team in batting average, hits, runs, walks, and slugging percentage while being one of the teams’ key pitchers. Renshaw comments, “My personal season has gone very great so far and definitely wouldn’t be possible without my teammates supporting me the way they do. I am trying something new this year so far by hitting in the leadoff spot and pitching a lot more. After a couple appearances I think that I have really settled into the pitching role that I sometimes have to play and throughout the season so far, I’ve hit pretty well in the leadoff spot.” Sophomore Jack Birrer and senior Kenny DeFeo have also contributed to the pitching success this season, with over 25 innings on their statistics. At home the Braves had some of their biggest wins this season, as they took down division rivals in Ramsey and Mahwah. The Braves have had lots of close games against many challenging opponents but have always kept it close and competitive. Renshaw continues, “My personal goal is to be selected as an All-State catcher for the state of New Jersey. So far I have been nominated for the All-State Game but we won’t know about All-State honors until after the season is over.” The state title for Group 1 baseball is in sight as a final goal for the team, after being placed as one of the top seeds available for the state tournament.

Current Record: 10-9

 

Softball

Coach Leicht’s 2025 Softball team got off to a hot start this season, reaching 9 wins in their first 11 games of the season. The first game of the season against Wayne Valley ended in a 7th inning walk-off 3 run home run by junior Audrey Amoruso, which also secured her 100th career hit. Amoruso continued to be an elite pitcher and hitter as juniors Elizabeth Silletti and Victoria Basich also contributed with key hits. Other highlights during the start of the season is when sophomore Sarah Cerchio hit a 3-run home run against River Dell to give the Braves the lead and eventually the win. Victoria Basich reflects, “One of our biggest accomplishments came during our Northern Highlands game, a rival team. We were tied 0-0 until the 4th inning where I hit a single and Kayla Curtin hit another single to drive in that run and give us the 1-0 lead. We continued to shut them out the rest of the game and Audrey threw her first no hitter of the year.” After a strong 9-2 record to start the year, there were some ups and downs after junior Audrey Amoruso suffered a concussion against Immaculate Heart. As Amoruso approaches her return to the team, there are high hopes ahead for the end of the season.

Current Record: 9-9

 

Flag Football

The Indian Hills flag football team, coached by Coach McCartan, has shown lots of life towards the end of their season, going on a 2 game win streak against Lakeland on May first and Paramus on May third. Sophomore Zafina Ajka comments, “This year’s season has shown just how much we have improved since last year.” A new strategy this season to make the team play better together on the field was to have frequent pasta parties and have the team become more connected. Ajka continues, “I definitely think that Coach McCartan has had a huge impact on us and pushes us to be the best we can be on game day.” As the Braves grow together as a team, their perseverance and hard work will start to pay off more and more.

Current Record: 2-8

 

Boys Tennis

The Indian Hills Tennis team, coached by Coach Dunbar, has had an up and down season, with a few memorable wins and tough losses. Led by seniors James Sabino, Joseph Corcan, and Evan Wands, the team has worked hard all season long to reach their goals and improve together as a team. Evan Wands, who has been hurt most of the season, comments, “My only goal was to play this season since I broke my collarbone. Luckily, I achieved it and I’ve been back at it for a few weeks.” On April 23rd, the Braves faced West Milford and swept them for their first win of the season. Two matches later, the Braves once again swept another opponent, this time being Lakeland. As a team everyone has improved their personal skills as a tennis player, focusing on footwork, team bonding, and serves.

Current Record: 2-12