Spring Sports Preview
Baseball
The Nighthawks gear up for another year in the MVC Scarlet Division. Last year, the team finished 15-11 and 8-4 in the league and secured a third straight district title. This year, the Nighthawks look to extend that streak to four. Familiar and new faces will step foot on the diamond as the program graduated five seniors, four being starters.
With 11 underclassmen and just six upperclassmen, five returning starters will guide this young team through a long 26-game season: Casey Newman '28, Ryan Pavlisko '28, Levi Guttman '27, Jaemeson French '26, and Evan Robinson '26. Jaemeson French led the league in home runs. Among returning starters, French had the most RBIs and the second-best batting average (.338) behind Ryan Pavlisko (.383), who recorded 13 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
The Nighthawks can expect to have another defensively sound field as the team flexed the 3rd best fielding percentage in the league. All five returning starters combined for a .900 fielding percentage, accounting for 30% of the team's putouts and 70% of assists. Evan Robinson recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage while leading the team in games (15) and innings pitched (49.0) while recording 33 strikeouts.
The team has a tough schedule this season, fitting in 26 games over a nine week stretch. They will compete against two Division 1 teams, Lakota West and Sycamore. The most notable game will be their three-game series vs. the defending MVC Scarlet Champions, CHCA.
Flag Football
The historic year for girls' programs continues as Country Day fields its first-ever flag football team. Under the leadership of head coach Dennis Coyle, who also serves as the school's head football coach and athletic director, the Nighthawks are building the foundation for what they hope will become a staple of the athletic department.
The team consists of multi-sport student athletes eager to compete, many of whom bring skills from other sports and translating them to the field. As a first-year program, the focus will be on development, learning the game, and establishing a competitive identity within the rapidly growing sport.
Girls Lacrosse
The Country Day girls' lacrosse program proudly boasts one of the largest teams across all sports. With 32 players, the Nighthawks find talented depth on their roster. Conference play is light, as only four other MVC schools have girls' lacrosse programs (CHCA, Seven Hills, Summit, and Roger Bacon). Last season, the team finished 6-8 and 1-3 in the MVC.
18 members from last year's varsity squad return to help guide 14 newcomers through this season. Led by captains Leah Coyle '26, Katherine Connelly '26, Zsofia Varga '26, and Roxy Vollmer '27, this team looks to capture a MVC title and make a deep tournament run.
Coming off a dominating basketball season, Roxy Vollmer is looking to make another huge impact for the team. Last season, she led the team in five statistical categories: goals (46), assists (8), draw controls (52), caused turnovers (28), and interceptions (3). In the league, she was the 4th leading scorer, 4th in draw controls, and 2nd in caused turnovers.
Another key player on the field will be Zoe Doerger '28. In her first year with the Nighthawks, she knocked in 17 goals, led the team in ground balls with 31, had 47 draw controls, and 19 caused turnovers (4th most in MVC). Among last year's rotating starters (11+ games played), those returning accounted for 53% of the team's goals, 54% of assists, 74% of draw controls, 50% of caused turnovers, and 58% of interceptions. As a freshman, Emily Falkingham '28 locked down the net last season, playing in 12 games while recording 76 saves, the 3rd most in the league.
The Nighthawks will be tested as they face a tough schedule including two Division 1 teams, Walnut Hills and Loveland. The team faces MVC Champion (16-1, 4-0) and state semifinalist, CHCA, on April 1.
Boys Tennis
When you think of the boys' tennis program at Country Day, you think of championships. Boasting 30 individual state champions and 18 MVC titles, this year's squad is looking to bring an MVC title back to the program, its first since 2019. Last year, the team finished 14-5 and 8-2 in the league, just one win shy of clinching the title.
The team will miss reigning MVC Player of the Year, Nikhil Shah '25, and district qualifiers, Trevor Gregorsok '25 and Adam Arebi '25. Seniors Ryan Aarif, Gabriel Benitez, and Sanjay Cherikuri look to lead this years squad to another successful season.
Track & Field
Country Day track & field is looking to capitalize on a successful winter indoor season and carry that momentum into the spring outdoor season. With several indoor PRs hit, including a nationally ranking 17' 0.25" pole vault from Luke Schnieber '27, this season should be full of shattered records.
The girls' team, led by captains Nicole Hardesty '27, Josie Hyden '27, and Vanca Pandey '26, have several top performers returning looking to make a big impact on the 2026 season. Vanca is coming off a historic cross country season where she recorded the 2nd best girls 5000m time and finished 25th at state. She had the 5th best 800m and 6th best 1600m run in the league last season. Nicole and Josie are as quick on the track as they are on the soccer field. Nicole had the 5th best 100m and 200m dash in the league and Josie was not far behind with the 8th best 200m dash. Additionally, they finished T-2 in the high jump at the MVC Championship meet. Other notable returners include Gabrielle Gonzalez '28, who had the 6th-best 100m hurdles; Jordyn Brown '28, who had the 4th-best shot put; and Sally Zamary '27, who had the 5th-best discus. Nicole, Josie, and Gabby look to repeat as district champions in the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays.
William Lothman '26 and Will Robinson '26 will captain the boys' team. If his indoor season is any indicator of how his outdoor season will go, William Lothman can expect to set several PRs and possibly break a few records. Last season, he had the 4th best 200m dash, 3rd best 400m dash, and 7th best 100m dash in the league. He finished 2nd in the 400m dash at the MVC Championship meet. Will Robinson had the best shot put in the league and finished 2nd at the MVC Championship. Lucas Donahue '26 had the 3rd best shot put in the league. Distance runners Max Sun '27 and Dima Chernovol '28 look to make a big impact as well. Max is coming off an incredible cross-country season where he posted a 16:42.10 5000m run, the 3rd best in school history. He had the 3rd best 800m run and the 4th best 1600m run in the league.
Luke Schnieber '27 had an unbelievable indoor season. He took home 1st place at the Ohio DIV Indoor State Championship with a 17' 0.25" vault, which is the best in Ohio and the 6th best in the nation. Last season, he finished 3rdat the OHSAA DII State Championship with a vault of 15' 10". Luke is looking to keep this momentum in the spring and take some hardware home in June.
