The start of the new school year brings with it the beginning of fall season sports, which many students have already started training for.

Bowling

The girls bowling team had success last year, finishing with a noteworthy record of 12-1. The Hawks finished at the top of their respective division by a margin of five games and even enjoyed an 11 game win streak, which ended in their final match of the season with a tight loss to the Stuyvesant Peglegs. They hope to add on to their previous strong season by following up with another this upcoming year.

The boys bowling team also hopes to build on last year’s season, where they finished fifth in their division with a 5-7 record. Senior and Captain Kennis Kong explained,“I feel confident that the next season will be extraordinary because we all had time to be comfortable with each other and with bowling. Many of us had several years of experience, and we know what to expect since we’re playing in the same division again, so I believe we can do even better than last year and advance further in the playoffs. If we stick to our coach’s advice, which is to focus on ourselves and look ahead, we can achieve great things regardless of our history.”

Cross Country

Last year, the boys cross country team won their first ever Queensborough Champions, and expect to do so again this fall. Senior and cross country co-captain Muhamed Bicic spoke about his expectations of the team this fall season. “I look forward to our team defending our title as Queens Champions for the second time in a row. I am confident that my team members have trained hard and will continue to so that we can hit new personal best times,” he said. Sophomore Jairo Reina added, “I have great expectations for the team and myself this year. All of us have something we want to work towards and the simple fact that we’re willing to work enough for it means that we’ll be able to get those results. A personal goal that I have is to go sub 18:30 in the 5k event.”

The girls cross country team also fared well last year, finishing second in the borough by a mere 12 points.

Senior Maressa Cumbermack explained, “I’m really excited, but I think we might struggle this year because we lost a lot of key runners from last year. But I definitely think that we all have worked extremely hard all year and that we can step up, and hopefully achieve the triple crown throughout Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track. We will have to work harder because we are lacking these people, but I definitely think that we can do it.”

With training having began in late August, the Hawks seem prepared for another robust cross country season.

Soccer

The girls soccer team is also enthusiastic for their upcoming season, looking to improve upon their 7-5-1 season in 2015. Last year, the Hawks played miles above their previous season, accumulating nearly five extra goals for the season, and a better overall record.

Senior Chelsea Chaug commented on this improvement: “Every year we get more girls who have an immediate impact on the team. The team chemistry has also improved tremendously, which I believe plays a great role in our recent success. We’ve been practicing all summer together and work so well together. Also most of our players are once again healthy and super motivated to train everyday. I personally think that this season will be extremely special. The team hopes to become even better so that we can finish on top of our division.”

Similarly, the boys soccer team is looking to get even better this year, after finishing with a sturdy 8-2-2 record last year. Though they have started the season 0-1, the team definitely expects to maintain a higher level of play for their upcoming season.

Junior Udipto Chowdhury explained, “I hope that the team can play well together and can build good coordination between each other. Improving communication when actually playing and also just the strategies we use [are] essential. My goal for myself is to be physically fit and score even more goals by improving my volleys.”

Swimming

The girls swimming team made a splash last year, tying rival Francis Lewis with the top spot in the Queens A division, and then making it all the way to the second round of the playoffs. Senior Angelica Moratos said, “I’m confident that we can win Boroughs, and I know that the girls are super pumped for this season. We’ve been practicing our strokes all summer and now that the season is finally here, we’re ready to compete with other teams and hopefully go deep into the playoffs.” The Turtles’ first game is on September 22 against the Queens HS for the Sciences at York College.

Fencing

The boys fencing team’s season starts on September 28, against the Queens High School of Teaching right in the Townsend Harris gymnasium. Last year, the team didn’t do as well as expected, winning just 4 of their 10 total matches, but this year the team looks forward to a better season. Regarding these expectations, Junior Andrew Glus said, “I just hope we make it to the playoffs and that everyone really tries their best this year. Personally I want to improve my footwork.” Junior Jaewoo Nam added on, “All of us want to make it to playoffs because this school team has done so for the past twenty years, and it would be humiliating if we were to break that streak.”

Badminton

Comparably, the boys badminton team also hopes for major improvements, as they finished with a 4-6 record in their Northern Division last fall. However, last year’s mark still proved to be an improvement from the team’s play the year before, and Coach Stephen Rusgo explained how this year he believes that the team will be even better.

Senior Captain Christian Foronda further explained, “It’s my first time playing singles on the team so it’ll be a harder season but a goal of mine is to reach playoffs as an individual. As captain, I also want to welcome the new members to our team and bring out their inner competitiveness. Badminton may seem like an easy sport but it takes a lot of practice and hard work to be able to play at the competitive level. I want to make sure that we [the seniors] are leaving the team in capable hands, which I’m pretty confident in. As a team we would love to reach playoffs either together, or individual players, which we’ve shortly missed in the past but I think we have a very strong and competitive team this year and I’m already seeing great skill and chemistry in our leading players. But most importantly I want the team, especially the new guys, to learn to love and enjoy the sport, whether we win or lose.”

Volleyball

Both the girls junior varsity and the girls varsity teams are starting their seasons this fall. Last season, the girls junior varsity team was able to bump, set, and spike their way to an undefeated season of 6-0. This season the team looks to match the success of last year, and be first once again in the Queens II division.

Finishing with a record of 4-6 last season, the girls varsity volleyball team also looks to build on this and make the playoffs.

Senior Vanessa Xu spoke about the offseason training,

“The girl’s varsity volleyball team definitely has a lot coming their way this season. Although it is only the beginning, we have been working hard at practices and scrimmages to strive to be the best. My expectations are really high, especially having Coach Avivi guide us in this journey and coaching us to become better. The team is always motivating each other at practices and scrimmages, also the team spirit is always there. Our goal this season is to make it to the playoffs. No matter what we all come together as one and we are one big family. During the off season, the team members worked on becoming stronger volleyball players by conditioning. Now that the season has begun, on the court we work on our defense and offense. I am looking forward to a great season this year.”