Freshman Chinmai Durisheti, an outfielder for softball, entered the season with no prior softball experience. However, her background in cricket sparked her interest in softball. “I used to play another sport called cricket, and was really interested in how [softball] works because it was similar, so I wanted to try it out,” Durisheti said.

Durisheti’s goals for the season aren’t just for on the field, but also off the field. While she aims to improve her offensive game, she also wants to challenge stereotypes. “[I want] to get a lot of home runs, and actually get better at batting,” Durisheti said. “I especially want to show, as a student who’s diverse, [that] any race can play any sport.”

Sophomore Dhruvsood Singh, a midfielder for the lacrosse team, picked up the sport just a few weeks before the season started. “I always liked [trying] new types of sports, so this was one of those new sports,” Singh said. “I wanted to try out because it looked really cool, and I just wanted to expand my skill set and improve on it.”

Singh joined the team in hopes of trying something new and gaining skills both on and off the field. “I hope to accomplish better time management, better discipline, [and] a better work ethic,” Singh said.

Senior Charlie Wainwright, a midfielder for lacrosse, has some prior experience with lacrosse, as he played as a kid when he lived in Annapolis, Maryland, but has never seriously played the sport before. “I had a little hand-me-down lacrosse stick I got from my older cousin, so me and my dad would sneak into the fields at [the private school] when they were closed, had all the goals out, [and] we’d go for a couple rounds,” Wainwright said. 

Wainwright decided to join lacrosse in his senior year because of his desire to pick up the sport he enjoyed so much in his childhood. “I just love the sport and the culture, and I wanted to give it a try for my last year,” Wainwright said. “I went in there with nothing but power, strength, and a dream.” He hopes to play a successful season and help guide his team to win, but also just wants to enjoy the sport.

Sophomore outfielder Iman Saib is new to softball, with no prior experience playing or watching softball. She joined due to encouragement from her friends. “My friends really wanted me to join the team because they said the bus rides were fun, and in general, it’s a fun sport,” Saib said.

Saib is focused on developing her skills to help reach her end goal of hitting a home run. “I practice with my friends [at] the park and at practice, just hitting and catching mainly,” Saib said. “I want to make one home run, at least.”

Freshman long-distance runner Trisha Rout is a new athlete to track and was first introduced to the sport through the school and other students who participate in track. Her motivation for trying out for the team was to improve her athleticism for the other two sports that she participates in: volleyball and swimming. 

Rout prepares for the sport by attending all of the practices and putting in a lot of effort during workouts while trying to focus on certain aspects such as speed and stamina. “To prepare for the sport, I mainly attend practices and put in effort during workouts,” Rout said.“I mainly focus on improving my speed and stamina.” Rout’s goal for the end of the season isn’t just to improve in track, but to help prepare and improve in other sports as well. “By the end of the season, my goal is to become faster, build better endurance, and improve my performance in both track and other sports as well,” Rout said.