Posted by By Lila Disciullo
As our fall sports seasons come to a close, so do the senior’s high school careers. To honor the hard work and dedication that our Huguenot athletes have put into our sports programs here at New Paltz, I wanted to highlight a few Senior athletes at New Paltz High School.
Quinn Yowell has been running cross country since his junior year. The reason why he likes cross country is because it has helped him get into better shape and become a better leader. In cross country, the only race is the 5k and Yowell looks up to anyone who can break 18 minutes in the race. Being a captain for his senior year, he wishes he could tell his younger self to push himself more.
Maya Pizzerello. Pizzerello has been on varsity swim for 4 years and I had the privilege of profiling her during her junior season. She has been competitively swimming since the age of five. Pizzarello says the reason why she likes swimming is because “it allows me to be competitive, but still be myself.” The pool is her safe space. She can yell whenever she wants, and not be judged. During her sophomore season was when the swimmer’s biggest accomplishment was earned: Qualifying for states, earning MVP, for varsity and the Hawks club team. That was the year she felt like she finally lived up to her role model, her coach’s son. If she could go back to the start, Pizzarello says she would tell herself to “to try and find love in it rather than making it all about winning.”
Dylan Friedman. This runner has been competing since 7th grade on modified cross country and track. After taking a break to play JV soccer freshman year, Friedman’s varsity cross country journey started in 10th grade and she already knew some of the girls. At first, the sport was run for fun but as she kept getting better, she began to take the sport more seriously and committed more time and effort every day. Friedman is especially grateful for the people she has met through this sport. She describes her teammates as ” the most supportive, kind, and funny group of people I’ve met, who taught me the importance of supporting your team even in an individual sport.” The sport itself has taught her the importance of hard work and perseverance. Dylan doesn’t just do the sport for fun though, she comes to compete. Both years she has done cross country, she has qualified for the Section 9 Class B State Championship. Last year, Friedman placed 14th, earning a state medal and qualifying for the Federation Championships, where she placed 61st. She was named third team All-State by MileSplit NY and second team All-State by the NYS Sportswriters’ Association. In the same year, she placed 6th in the 3000m race at the Class B Outdoor Track State Championships and qualified for Nationals. Friedman says that if there is one thing that she could tell herself as a young runner, it would be to “to focus on the rest and recovery that can feel less productive than active training, but is just as necessary to avoid overtraining and injury.
Liam Pons was the lone senior on the New Paltz Boys Golf team this fall. Starting his career as a 10th grader, he is now the only graduating senior on the team. Being in his last year of competing for the golf team, Pons reflects that the sport has taught him to control his anger, as it is more of a mental game than a physical one. Pons has some achievements in his career as he will attend the MHAL qualifier tournament this year and was a medalist (lowest scorer) 3 times this season. Although he only started golfing for New Paltz as a sophomore, his father taught him to golf when he was younger. He learned the importance of never giving up from his dad, and would call him his biggest role model in Golf. He wishes he could tell that young boy to have fun and not to change his swing very much.
Luc Saguilan is one of the captains on the boys varsity soccer team. Since his freshman year, Saguilan has been a member of the Varsity team. Soccer is not an easy sport and it requires connections. He says that “The team and the sport has shaped me into a better problem solver and a team player connecting with my teammates.” Saguilan has made many bonds, especially with graduated goalie Harrison Edelman who he says is his role model. Luc isn’t just a soccer player though, being a kicker on New Paltz’s football team while also leading the soccer team is just one of his achievements. He also takes pride in the team’s appearance in the MHAL final last year and qualifying for the sectional tournament every year he’s been there. There are many younger athletes that look up to Luc and to them he wants to say that there will be ups and downs but you have to keep striving forward and not give into failure.
Bella Morales is a 3 sport athlete who plays soccer in the fall. She has been playing for New Paltz since 8th grade but has played on travel teams from a young age. Comparing soccer to her other sports, she likes that you can figure things out on the field since there aren’t time outs. Being on the varsity team since her sophomore year, Morales has seen herself grow into the sport with time. Being a shy underclassmen who didn’t start, to now a starting Senior with a large presence on the field has really shown how she developed as an athlete and a person. This season, Bella stepped up. The team was in need of a goalie, and even though she had played midfield and defense for her previous seasons, she took the title of keeper and hasn’t looked back since. The moment that Morales cherishes most is in 2024 when the team won sections for the first time in 20 years. Her role model is her coach, Keith Walker who was also her dad’s soccer coach, and coached him to titles too. She wishes she could’ve started training for goalie earlier in life, but is enjoying every second of her lasts on the field.
Addison Mumford is a defensive specialist for the New Paltz Volleyball team. She is a 2 sport athlete, also being a key player on the section winning Lacrosse team. She has been with the program since eighth grade and has served as a captain twice in her career, once her sophomore year on JV and once her senior year on varsity. Due to some injuries, Mumford stepped up this season to play out of position as a Middle Blocker. In her past season, she used to not play that much but she worked very hard and is now a starter and captain. She is so grateful for the connections she’s made through volleyball and the community that the team has had to offer. She remembers each year looking up to the older players and says that it feels surreal to be one of those older players now. Mumford would tell herself to always work hard and that “your time will come, failure is just an opportunity to work harder.”
Mikey Bauer has been playing football for New Paltz HS since his freshman year, however competed at the youth level from a young age. He is grateful for the sport because he wouldn’t be able to learn the communication skills or how to work with teammates like he does now. Baur claims that his role model is his older brother Jameson who plays football at the D2 level and really pushes him to be great at football. He wishes he could tell his freshman self to get in the gym and eat more. Some of his accomplishments in his Senior season include having 70 career tackles and hopes to get a touchdown soon. I hope you enjoyed learning about our amazing senior athletes. They are such hard workers and have really left a lasting impact on our programs. Whether it’s on the court or field, I am excited to see what is in store for the future of my fellow classmates.
The Maroon 