Hockey

The Poly Hockey team is hoping to replicate the success it enjoyed last year again this year while dealing with the same issues of a small team. Despite having few players on the bench last year, the Poly Prep Hockey Team made great use of its talent, finishing with a 9-3 record and reaching the Big Apple Hockey League (BAHL) semi-finals. Though this year presents the same numbers problem, the team believes they will do just as well, if not better than, they did last year. Led by Captain James Nicolaidis ’26 and Assistant Captains Beckett Zrihen ’26 and Max Ruggie ’27, the team lost two seniors last year, along with a rising senior who left Poly. Regarding new additions, the team is expected to take on two freshmen, along with its nine returning players. Along with the two new members, the team will welcome a new assistant coach, Vincent Tuzallo, who Zrihen believes will “elevate our playing level, helping us to use our limited numbers in the best possible way.” Nicolaidis, the team’s top scorer for three years, is expected to have a standout final season along with Ruggie, who Zrihen describes as “an integral part of the team on and off the ice.” Zrihen’s leadership will also help the team, as Ruggie described him as “both a strong player and leader.” Needless to say, what the team lacks in numbers, it makes up for in talent and thus is expected to have another strong season on the ice. 

Boys’ Track 

Men’s Track

The Men’s Track Team had a lot of success last season; it placed second overall in New York State Association of Independent Schools Championships (NYSAIS) and in the Ivy Prep League. Kofi Rossi ’25 did exceptionally well at those tournaments, winning both the 1000 and 300-meter races at the Ivy Prep League and winning States. Jack Dorsey ’26 also won the 1k at States. Eytan Goldberg ’29 placed fourth in the 1000-meter at NYSAIS despite only being an 8th grader. Although the team lost eight athletes last year, notably Rossi and Jordan James ’25, who compete at the collegiate level, Track and Field Coach Jerrell Jones stressed that this was not a “rebuild year,” emphasizing the amount of “young talent” in the team. Jones especially highlighted that the team “has a lot of unheralded talent” and thus has the potential to shock many teams, despite graduating a lot of talent. Therefore, the team as a whole looks forward to showcasing that talent on the track this year.

Girls’ Track 

The Girls’ Track Team had a lot of success last year; notably, Izzy Leyton ’25, Natalie Murphy ’26, Zoe McCullough ’26 and Shelby Kimmelman ’27 all qualified for States. Kimmelman in the triple jump, Murphy for the 1500 and 3000-meter dash, McCullough for the section Relay and Leyton for the 3000-meter dash. Murphy also committed to the University of Pennsylvania for track ahead of her senior season. The team has plenty to be excited for this year, as Jones noted that “the girls have a legitimate chance at setting a relay record this year” due to their numbers and their density of talent. In addition, they have a promising chance of doing well at both the Ivy and NYSAIS levels. Jones also noted that, despite the team’s immense talent, it is “very young,” suggesting that success this year will not be a one-off but could be sustained over the next several years. Jones is very optimistic that both the team’s older and up-and-coming talent will carry them far this year. 

Boys’ Squash

The Boys Squash Team is coming off a tough 2024-2025 season, having won only two games last year and exiting the playoffs in the first round. Despite this, they remain optimistic about the season to come. Bodhi Kehoe ’28 pointed out that “our team chemistry was really good” and that “our coaching was very helpful.” In addition, the team draws confidence from its numbers, according to Kehoe: “it had only two seniors graduate last year and is welcoming a ton of players, especially middle schoolers, this year.” Because of their large team, Kehoe especially feels they have a much better chance of winning the league this year. Despite the challenges ahead, the team is excited to get back on the court and have a great season. Put simply Kehoe is just excited to “have another great season with the boys”.

Girls’ Squash

The Girls’ Squash Team had another great season last year, making it all the way to the Ivy League finals before losing to Trinity. This year the team will be led by Captains Mila Leonardi ’26 and Willa Barrett ’27. Barrett is excited for another great season and believes their “team chemistry will carry them far”. Having lost two essential players, the team will need to step up to fill those roles. Barrett is especially excited for her new role as number one. She acknowledges that “playing number one can be very challenging,” however, she is “looking forward to the challenge.” The team as a whole is especially excited for their senior night, in which they will celebrate seniors Sheimy Solis ’26 and Leonardi. Hopefully, the team will be able to replicate their success last year and possibly surpass that as they gear up for another fun season. 

Girls’ Swimming

Despite an undersized team of just 10 people last year, the Girls’ Swim Team still managed to put up impressive results; Tessa Weber ’25 broke the Poly 500-yard freestyle school record she set in the 2024 season, and Penny Kessler ’27 broke the Poly 100-yard backstroke school record with a time of 1:01.73. This year, the team is back with a force. According to current Captain Daisy Lu ’26, the team only lost “one graduate and will be bringing back six girls from last year.” Adding to this are “five new freshman and middle school swimmers,” making this team much larger than last year’s. The team is also very young, meaning that they will enjoy success for many years to come. All in all, the team is very confident based on their success last season, especially given their small numbers, and looks forward to seeing how the younger teammates perform.

Boys’ Swimming 

The Boy’s Swimming Team had a great season last year, placing fifth in NYSAIS and sixth in Ivies while also capturing numerous individual titles. These accomplishments include a first place finish by Captain Connor McGeary ’26 in the 100-meter Fly, multiple top-three relay finishes and strong individual showings across events. McGeary believes they can replicate this success again this year, as “we have a stacked team for dual meets.” This hope is partly because the team lost only one graduate last year and is therefore in the perfect position to leverage its older team and, hopefully, do very well this season. Their one loss, however, may affect their chances, as they lost their main backstroke swimmer last year. Despite this setback, the team is determined to have another strong season in the pool. 

Wrestling

Coming off of a successful season last year, wrestling has very high expectations this year. Having lost only two seniors last season, the team is starting the season off with almost the same varsity squad. Not to mention, among these returners are eight all-NYSAIS wrestlers (wrestlers who placed in the annual NYSAIS tournament), four of whom qualified for the Prep National Championship last February. Senior Captain Ziko Majidov is especially excited to “take the mat one last time with [his] fellow seniors after four years of competing alongside each other.” This season is an especially significant one for Majidov, who is committed to Columbia University. He is expected to perform well at Prep Nationals this year and possibly become Poly’s next All-American (a wrestler who places in the National Tournament). Majidov will be leading the team alongside Captains Nathaniel Tauschinger-Dempsey ’26, Peter Milano ’26 and Luka Abjandadze ’26. The team hopes to, as Majidov puts it, “maintain the status quo” and bring the Ivy and NYSAIS trophies back to Poly once more.