With the fall officially here, the Townsend Harris fall season sports teams are now busy competing. The Classic spoke to one representative from each team, who each provided a window into what their respective teams are working towards this season. This is the second part of this series, which focuses on all remaining teams. 

Girls Volleyball 

The Girls Volleyball Team ended their season strong last year by reaching semifinals. This season, the team has developed plans to further improve. Senior Varsity Volleyball Captain Nicole Saenz said, “Last year the team felt more divided, but this year it’s the complete opposite.” With better teammate dynamics, she said, practice feels more united. Considering the team building atmosphere, she set her expectations high, hoping for the same place or higher than last year in the playoffs. 

Boys Fencing

Similarly, the Boys Fencing Team is focused on bettering their performance from last season. Senior Captain Yugesh Kumar said they are focused on “refining footwork and practicing a variety of techniques.” Despite losing some of their experienced players, the team hopes to remain within the top three performing schools in Queens. To achieve this, Yugesh said that the team is preparing to make it past some of the elimination round brackets. 

Girls Cross Country

Last season, the Girls Cross Country team placed eighth at the City Championships, with their Junior Varsity team placing fourth. Senior Captain Stephanie Martinez said, “I’m confident in my teammates and confident that this season, they can defeat any competition through hard work.” Preparing to meet or exceed their previous achievements, she said, “Our team has been preparing through pre-season morning practices. Seeing each other work this hard motivates us to keep pushing through.” 

Girls Bowling 

The Girls Bowling Team ended their last season with eight wins, which is a standard they are hoping to reach again this season. Senior Captain Ditya Mehta said, “the senior [players] left quite a legacy behind.” Currently, she said that the team is focusing on improving their form, as it’s one of the most important parts for getting better at bowling. Apart from this, the team is glad they have a full roster this year. Ditya said, “Having a full roster allows us to have more flexibility during games and practices, as well as keeping everyone in the team involved.” 

Girls Tennis

The Girls Tennis team finished their last season with nine wins and only one loss. Even with this high standard, they have plans for improvement. Coach Stephen Mazza said, “Most of the girls played during the summer, and they have all gotten even better.” The girls’ individual improvements show their dedication to maintaining their high level of performance, even when compared to their flawless record. The girls already began meeting their goals with their 5-0 sweep against John Bowne High School this week.   

Boys Tennis

The Boys Tennis team finished their last season with ten wins and no losses. Although they have the same coach as the girls team, Dr. Stephen Mazza, their goals are different. Dr. Mazza said, “The boys need to find some new players to the roster.” Losing several of their starters from last year leaves the team in need of finding “a few boys with some experience to add to the roster.” The team is now focused on addressing this need and maintaining their competitive roster. 

Boys Badminton

The Boys Badminton team is focused on the individual strengths and weaknesses of each player. Their coach Matthew Lemanczyk said that they like to “focus on improving the areas that they need to work on and then work on even bettering their strengths.” Other than this, their doubles teams want to work on their chemistry. Their returning players, which Mr. Lemanczyk said demonstrate tremendous skill and strategy, are prepared to get their newer teammates comfortable.