After a year spent honing skills and keeping in shape, Dwight student-athletes roared back into preseason training and looked forward to the return of competition in the fall. They brought their A-game — most especially, our Boys Varsity Soccer and Girls Varsity, JV, and Middle School Volleyball teams all competed in the ISAL playoffs — and our Girls Varsity and Middle School Volleyball squads took home championship titles! We congratulate them and all of our Lions, who left it all on the field:

Boys Varsity Soccer

First-time Head Coach Max Tyers and Assistant Head Coach Daniel Dawson had high expectations for the Boys Varsity Soccer team, with the ultimate goal of winning the ACIS League championship and making it to the NYSAIS playoffs. At the conclusion of the regular season, the team earned the three seed with a record of 5-3-2. In the first round of the league playoff, Dwight took on Friends Seminary and in dramatic fashion, won the semi-finals in penalty kicks after 90 minutes of no score. A few days later, our Lions took on Packer in the League championship and lost 1-0 in a hard-fought game. They came extremely close to reaching their goals and Coach Tyers praised the team for being a special group: “The boys were fantastic all year and I am so incredibly proud of the resilience and togetherness they showed from the first day of preseason until the final game in October.” They plan to pick up right where they left off in 2022 — and we can’t wait! Team captains Kyle Mulligan ’22, Luca Tornambe ’22, and Sam Weisleder ’22, left a lasting impression for the future of the program as dedicated leaders both on and off the field.

Girls Varsity Soccer

It was a memorable and successful season for the Girls Varsity Soccer team, who showed a lot of growth and plenty to build on in 2022. The team was led by seniors Isabel Beiboer, Isis Boelens, Maya Gallagher, and Gabrielle de Lambilly, who first-time Head Coach Micaela Oliverio credits for their leadership, commitment, and the everyday fun they brought to practices, bus rides, and games. “I absolutely loved coaching these girls, and Dwight is such a special environment,” she says. “I am so excited for next season — the only negative is that it feels so far away!” Special shoutout to Isabel Beiboer and Maya Gallagher for their nominations as League All-Stars, congratulations girls!

Boys JV Soccer

Coach Denis Michalak reports that the team made massive strides from the first day of preseason until the last game. He added, “It was the fastest turnaround and this year’s group was the most fun team to coach ever! The boys were super-dedicated, hardworking, and truly showed what it meant to overcome adversity.” Over the first half of the season, they had a record of 1-3-1; during the second half, it was 4-4-2. The team finished one point shy of making the ACIS League playoffs, but Coach Michalak and the team have a lot to be proud of. Over the remaining five games, the team, led by captains Hayden Lucas ’24 and Mateo Marcel ’25, beat the first-place team twice and the second-place team once. A special shoutout goes to JV League All-stars Alejandro Abdy ’25 and Ilan Ibrahimagic ’25. Congratulations all, we can’t wait for the 2022 season!

Girls Varsity Volleyball

This season was stellar for our Girls Varsity Volleyball team — they won the ISAL championship! The team showed tremendous offensive power all season long with a commanding regular season record of 14-4, earning them the #1 seed. During the playoff run, the girls displayed incredible heart, will, and determination. The championship match against LREI was a game to remember! The girls came out to a fast start and displayed offensive precision, while their defensive playmaking was too difficult to overcome. They won in convincing fashion in three straight sets (25-17, 24-13, 26-24). Coach Tiam Chuck applauded his team and said, “All season long, the girls battled adversity and never lost sight of their ultimate goal of winning a league title. I am so proud of them for earning a NYSAIS State playoff bid and I cannot wait to see what the future holds!” Kudos to Captains Lisa Canevari ’23, Nina Hissnauer ‘23, and Olivia Wamble ’23; and to Grace Guthart ’22, whose leadership and dedication to the program will be missed next year.

Girls JV Volleyball

It was a great season for the Girls JV Volleyball team led by Captains Grace ’25 Capiraso and Danielle Reische ’25. With an overall record of 7-7, the highlight of the year was making it to the ISAL semi-finals and losing in dramatic fashion in a hard-fought match versus Berkeley Carroll. Coach Cyrus Guzman, in his first year coaching at Dwight, shares that the camaraderie and work ethic of student-athletes is what made this such an enjoyable experience. He added, “It was an absolute joy to coach these girls every day. The commitment and improvement from the start of the season until the end was tremendous. I am very much looking forward to next fall and improving on this year's successes.” 

Girls Middle School Volleyball

The squad was split into two teams this season based on grade level. The seventh and eighth grade teams competed as one in the ISAL League and were crowned League champions! The girls had a commanding overall record of 11-2. The grade 7 team was led by captains Kira Stratopoulos and Lara Silveira; and the grade 8 team was led by captains Eloise Oppy, Benedetta Dal Bon, Isabella Gonzalez, and Constanza Romano. Coach Brett Madarasz reports that bringing home the championship title to be an even more outstanding accomplishment given the previous year off due to COVID-19. “The girls really stepped up and displayed resilience this season. After not competing for a year, they took full advantage of every practice and each and every player made significant improvements from start to finish. I could not be more proud and I cannot wait to see the eighth graders flourish in high school, as well as the seventh graders continue to grow in their final year on the Middle School team.”

Mixed Gender Middle School Soccer

This fall was an extremely eventful season for middle schoolers on the pitch with a 7-1 record. While some would say that the team’s most impressive feat was scoring a league best of 38 goals, Coach Ted Belcher boasts that he is most proud of the cohesiveness of the squad and how student-athletes displayed character growth. “I am incredibly proud of this team’s efforts and dedication. It was evident that they cared for one another and wanted to see each other succeed.” Special shoutout goes to team captain Ilan Rivera ’26, who recorded five scoreless games as goalkeeper!  

Varsity Cross Country

The cross country season was definitely a memorable one, with new personal records for every member of the team! Coach Doug Sklar reports that this year’s team was one of the hardest working groups that he has ever coached. “I’m not only happy with how hard the boys and girls worked during the season, but also how they did so throughout COVID-19. During a time when things were challenging, our student-athletes turned to running and it showed in their times and efforts.” Congratulations to James Knox ‘25, who placed second in the 5000m race for the ACIS finals. He posted a remarkable time of 19:28, which is a fantastic accomplishment! Coach Sklar and runners are looking to continue the great start they made this fall in winter and spring track!

Middle School Cross Country

Though runners did not compete in any races this year, they made great progress with personal achievements. Many first-time runners improved their times by over three minutes! Coach Sklar shares that the foundation they’re building in Middle School is going to serve them well when they enter high school competition. 

Congratulations to all our Lions — we know more great things await you next year!