Spring sports season summaries are here!

Boys Lacrosse 

Moving to a stronger division (having won last year’s division championship) with 7 of 15 team members new to the game, the boys displayed an amazing measure of grit and commitment en route to a 6-win season.

Senior captain Michael Cook modeled servant leadership and humility, while achieving a school record 200+ points for his career and leading a strong attack that scored multiple goals against powerhouse programs including Pascack Hills, Wayne Valley and Immaculata. Sophomore midfielder Caleb Chae tallied 30 goals this season, while first-year player Daniel Lim registered a 5-goal game alongside Sebastian Castro, first-year senior David Kim, and sophomore Andres Alvarez. Senior center Josh Alvarez secured a 77 percent faceoff win. On defense, first year player Caleb Troast kept the Eagles in almost every game, playing behind ironmen defenders  Nicholas Toresi (senior),  Matt Onove (junior), and freshmen Andy Genuario and Adam Malasits. 

With a young team full of talent, desire and commitment, this unique group is eager to play on their new home turf next season and continue to build a positive lacrosse culture and tradition at EC!

Softball 

With a team motto of “1 percent improvement every day,” the Eagles enjoyed another competitive season finishing at 11-9. Senior captain Brooke Talsma led the team on and off the field. Her 27 hits shared the team lead with junior Gianna Angelucci, who also finished with a team best .472 batting average. Freshman Caroline Pringle led in RBIs with 27. 

Team highlights included battling back against Butler for a wild 24-16 win, scoring six runs in two innings against a strong Hawthorne team, and the energetic Community Night win over Veritas Christian. With 16 players returning, the future for the Eagles is looking bright! 

Track & Field 

Another successful spring, the boys finished with a 5-3 record and the girls finished with 7-2 record. Both teams were blessed with strong leadership from senior captains Jaclyn Steenstra, Anneke Kuperus, Katherine Marshall, Juliana Hopeck, Matt VanderWall, Sebastiano Secades and Peter Visser. 

Notable performances for the boys included a school record set by Lucas Genuario in the long jump, who also took first place in the conference in javelin, the 200m and the 4×400 relay, along with David Cho, Ronaldo Rodriguez and Caleb Kuperus. Strong performances from Alex Culp, Luke Anema, Stone Davis, Peter Visser and David Cho were key to the team’s success.

High points on the girls side included Juliana Hopeck‘s school record in the 400 hurdles, who was joined by Jayla Lee, Kirsten Braunius and Mackenzie Wynbeek in winning the 4X400 relay at the conference championship, where Mackenzie also took first in the javelin.  A balanced team effort also included strong performances from Anneke Kuperus, Jaclyn Steenstra, Katherine Marshall, Sharyn Thomas, Hannah Visbeen, Kendra Heerema and Valerie Portuphy. Very strong underclassmen and a new practice facility point to continued success next year!

Golf 

The golf team had an exciting and promising season in 2023. The young and talented group displayed a strong sense of camaraderie with remarkable potential. Low scorer Joey Deluccia led the way and was joined by Ethan Nashhold, Billy Cook, Charles Ross, Nehemiah Rhee, and Stella Kim in the varsity rotation. Carina Jiang, Carter Groen, Daniel Yoon, August Hofbauer and Nick Vicenzino made great strides in both their skills and understanding. 

Baseball

With only two seniors on the roster, the young and talented EC/HCA baseball team enjoyed another positive and successful season thanks to strong team morale and balanced contributions from all. Prior to his season-ending injury, senior Luke Connolly, slated to be the team’s ace, was able to pitch a no-hitter in the team’s win against Wallington. Freshman Jonmarcus Rodriguez proved a great addition to the team by cementing his role at short stop. Perhaps the most significant attribute was the team’s ability to keep battling even when facing adversity. 

Season highlights included a win over a very strong Butler team and battling with the best of the league to stay above .500 and eventually get a home win in the state tournament. With so much growth demonstrated this season, coaches and players agree there is much to look forward to in the years ahead!

Boys Tennis

Playing in a realigned division, the boys tennis team fought hard against league powerhouse teams from Glen Rock and Pompton Lakes. Senior captain Jonathan Dykman posted competitive scores against Glen Rock’s standout first singles player. Jonathan finished the season with a 7-7 record against the top player on each opposing team, and was recognized with first team honors in the league, and second team honors in the county. Senior co-captain Rand Fang added leadership by calling teammates to a high standard of commitment and work ethic. Rand steadily improved in order to win late-season season matches against Lodi and West Milford, and earned honorable mention honors in the league and county. Junior David Zhang secured a third singles position with early season wins. 

Spring 2023 League and County Recognitions

Boys Lacrosse

All-County Selections

First Team: Michael Cook

Honorable Mention: Nicholas Toresi, Joshua Alvarez

All-League Selections

First Team: Michael Cook

Honorable Mention: Joshua Alvarez

Girls Softball

All-County Selections

Honorable Mention: Gianna Angelucci

All-League Selections

First Team: Gianna Angelucci

Second Team: Brooke Talsma, Caroline Pringle

Honorable Mention: Hannah Leegwater

Track & Field

All-County Selections

First Team: Juliana Hopeck

Second Team: Anneke Kuperus, Lucas Genuario

Honorable Mention: Kirsten Braunius, Caleb Kuperus, Sebastiano Secades, Jaclyn Steenstra

All-League Selections

First Team: Lucas Genuario, Mackenzie Wynbeek, Jayla Lee, Juliana Hopeck, Kirsten Braunius, Anneke Kuperus, Caleb Kuperus, David Cho, Ronaldo Rodriguez

Second Team: Valerie Portuphy, Sharyn Thomas, Hannah Visbeen, Katherine Marshall, Alex Culp, Luke Anema

Honorable Mention: Sebastiano Secades, David Cho, Jaclyn Steenstra

Non Public B Group Medals

Gold:

Juliana Hopeck: high hurdles

Juliana Hopeck: 400 intermediate hurdles

Silver:

Juliana Hopeck: high jump

Valerie Portuphy: long jump 

Bronze:

Anneke Kuperus: high jump

Anneke Kuperus: pole vault

Sebastiano Secades: triple jump

David Cho, Ethan Nashold, Alex Culp, Caleb Kuperus: 4X800 relay

New school records: Juliana Hopeck, 400m intermediate hurdles; Lucas Genuario, long jump

Golf

All-County Selections

Honorable Mention: Joseph DeLuccia, Ethan Nashold

All-League Selections

First Team: Joseph DeLuccia

Second Team: Charles Ross, Ethan Nashold

Boys Tennis

All-County Selections

Second Team: Jonathan Dykman

Honorable Mention: Rand Fang, David Zhang 

All-League Selections

First Team: Jonathan Dykman

Honorable Mention: Rand Fang