Girls Basketball

Hen Hud defeated rival Lakeland 51-35 on Jan. 12 at home. The Sailors entered the matchup at 7-2, while the Hornets came in 5-3 and riding a four-game winning streak after a notable win over Mahopac. Despite expectations of a tight contest, Hen Hud set the tone early and never allowed Lakeland to seriously challenge.

The Sailors jumped out quickly behind strong shooting from Kate Stratton and Maria Ribeiro. Stratton opened the scoring with a three-pointer, and Hen Hud built an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes. Elyse Smith attacked the basket consistently, scoring off drives and second-chance opportunities as Hen Hud stretched its lead to 20-6 by the end of the first quarter.

Lakeland attempted to respond in the second quarter by getting to the free-throw line and hitting a pair of three-pointers from Allie Waters and Liliana Aguirre, but Hen Hud continued to move the ball well and answered with timely baskets to maintain a 26-16 advantage at halftime.

The Hornets showed energy to open the second half, cutting the deficit to five after baskets from Riley Waters and Emily Hahn. Stratton halted the momentum with a three from the top of the key, and Hen Hud quickly regained control. Smith added a step-back jumper, and Ribeiro scored both inside and from beyond the arc as the Sailors pushed the lead to 39-24 by the end of the third quarter.

Hen Hud stayed in control throughout the fourth, with Ortiz and Avery Motko adding baskets to extend the lead. Lakeland continued to compete behind strong drives from Aguirre, but the Sailors remained composed and closed out the game with late scoring, including a basket from Sophia Velardo in the final seconds to secure the 51-35 victory. Smith led Hen Hud with 14 points in this game, while Stratton added 10.

The Sailors followed the performance with another win on Jan. 15, defeating Westlake 46-33 on the road. Stratton scored a team-high 15 points in that game, and Motko added 12 points on four three-pointers.

Now 9-2 on the season, Hen Hud returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 21, when it hosts Putnam Valley at 4:30 p.m.

Boys Basketball

Hen Hud was unable to rebound from its loss to Lakeland earlier in the week, falling 70-62 on the road to John Jay Cross River on Jan. 9. Captain Hunter Kennedy-Brown led all scorers with 24 points, while DJ McCarthy added 15 and Chris Barreiros contributed 13.

The game was close throughout, with Hen Hud trailing 28-24 at halftime after a back-and-forth first half. Chris Barreiros sparked a third-quarter rally with three three-pointers as the Sailors briefly took the lead, but John Jay responded and held a narrow 47-46 advantage entering the fourth.

The Wolves opened the final quarter with early baskets and a three and maintained control down the stretch. Hen Hud cut the deficit to five with four minutes remaining but could not complete the comeback as John Jay pulled away late.

With a record of 4-5, Hen Hud will look to bounce back with road games against Carmel on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 12:30 p.m., and Putnam Valley on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 5 p.m.

Indoor Track

This past weekend (Jan. 9-10), Hen Hud competed in the Refuel with Chocolate Milk Officials Hall of Fame Invitational at the Armory in New York City. According to head coach Marcia Bailey, the meet featured some of the strongest performances in Hen Hud history, with five new school records set in a field of thousands of competitors representing more than 220 schools.

On the girls side, Chloe Howard lowered her own school record in the invitational 1,500-meter race walk, placing second in 7:27.03. Sophia Savatgy also delivered a standout performance, finishing second in the 300-meter dash while breaking her school record with a time of 40.09. The sprint medley relay team of Savatgy, Bella Veloz, Danica Kostulas, and Oona McManus placed fifth in 4:24.65, breaking a school record that had stood since 1981.

For the boys, Daniel Valdez finished eighth in the 600-meter run with a time of 1:32.90. Victor Delgado had a strong meet, placing second in the invitational mile and breaking his school record in 4:14.77, then following that with another second-place finish in the 1,500-meter run at 3:57.89. The sprint medley relay team of Delgado, Taiten Robinson, Perry Quaye, and Salpreme Taylor captured first place in 3:39.66. Quaye also placed second in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 4 inches.

Up next, Hen Hud will compete in a league championship meet at the Armory on Monday, Jan. 19, at 5:30 p.m.

Ice Hockey

The Cortlandt Rebels earned their third victory of the season on Jan. 10, defeating Carmel 6-4 at Brewster Ice Arena.

Cortlandt came out flying, scoring five goals over the first two periods, highlighted by a hat trick from Hen Hud’s Sean Foley. The Rebels opened the scoring at 8:29 of the first period when Putnam Valley’s Joseph Recuppio connected with Aiden Dzubak. After a quiet stretch, the offense erupted in the second period. Matthew Lennox (Hen Hud) and Aisling Stathos (Haldane) assisted on two of Foley’s goals, before Hudon Tarkington (Walter Panas) made it 4-0 at 8:08 with help from Patrick Condon (Hen Hud). Foley then completed his hat trick with an unassisted goal with 5:11 remaining in the period.

Carmel answered with two late goals to cut the deficit to 5-2 heading into the third. Tarkington restored the four-goal cushion at 12:03 of the final period, finishing a feed from Foley. Carmel added two more goals at 6:35 and 3:26, but the early surge proved too much to overcome as the Rebels held on for the win. Brandon DiBenedetto made 17 saves in net for Cortlandt.

The Rebels kept the momentum going on Jan. 12, cruising past Monroe-Woodbury 6-2 at Ice Time Sports Complex. Cortlandt built a commanding lead before Monroe-Woodbury scored two late consolation goals. Foley led the way again with three goals, while Tarkington added two and Aiden Rau (Walter Panas) chipped in one.

With back-to-back wins, the Rebels improved to 5-8 on the season. They return to the ice on Friday, Jan. 23, when they host Pearl River at Brewster Ice Arena at 4 p.m.

Winter Cheer

The Sailors cheer team earned a third-place finish at Mahopac High School’s Snowflake Competition on Jan. 10, followed by a fourth-place showing in a highly competitive division at the 76th Annual Westchester County Cheerleading Invitational on Jan. 13. 

“We’re so proud of these hardworking Sailors and can’t wait to get back in the gym to continue to work hard and up our game,” head coach Nicole Curran said in an email to the Peekskill Herald.

Hen Hud will have a week to prepare before their next competition on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Putnam Valley High School.

Bowling

On Jan. 14, the Hen Hud girls and boys bowling teams split their matches against Ossining, with the boys earning a 7-0 win and the girls falling 5-2.

Lucas Tangredi led the boys with games of 259, 172, and 235 for a 666 series. Kyle Cooper had two 192 games and finished with a 532 series. Richie Simonetti rolled a 526 series with a high game of 214. Matteo Velardo added a game of 169.

Following the match, head coach Kristine Abel confirmed that both Sailor teams are in second place and will compete against the top four teams in the upcoming games before closing the season with a positional round match.

On Jan. 15, the Hen Hud girls again faced Ossining and earned a 4-3 win. Antonia Cooper had a high game of 145, Katherine Devine rolled a 150, Julia Freitas posted a 143, and Emma Barbelet had games of 158 and 175, finishing with a 472 series.

The Hen Hud boys also competed on Jan. 15, falling to Lakeland, 5-2. Velardo bowled games of 183, 155, and 194 for a 532 series. Tangredi recorded games of 236, 175, and 191 for a 602 series. Simonetti added a high game of 179.

The Hen Hud boys now stand at 7-3 on the season, while the girls hold a 7-2 record. Up next, Hen Hud will face North Salem on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 4 p.m., and Walter Panas on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 4 p.m. Both matches will take place at Hudson Lanes and Games.

Wrestling

It was a busy week for the Hen Hud varsity wrestling team. On Jan. 10, Hen Hud hosted its annual Sailor Classic tournament, where Sebastian Willkehr placed second in the 138-pound class and Benjamin Kushnir finished fourth. Shawn O’Mara added a third-place finish at 175 pounds.

On Jan. 13, the Sailors dropped a 48-24 dual meet decision to Pleasantville at home. Andherson Clark (138 lbs.) recorded a pin at 2:34, while Shawn O’Mara (175) earned a pin at the 1:00 mark.

Two days later, on Jan. 15, Hen Hud rebounded with a 42-30 home victory over Woodlands. Rocco Carbone (126), Lucas Leite (132), Sebastian Willkehr (144), Jovani Beltran (150), and Bernard Calabro (215) all secured wins by fall for the Sailors.

Up next, Hen Hud will compete in a tournament at Somers High School on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 9 a.m., before traveling to Edgemont for a dual meet on Tuesday, Jan. 20, at 4:30 p.m. The Sailors will then face Pawling on the road Thursday, Jan. 22, at 4:30 p.m.

Skiing

Hen Hud’s co-ed ski team opened the 2026 season with a giant slalom race on Jan. 8, where Fotini Schattman placed third and Rachel Budde finished fourth in a field of 41 girls. The Sailors returned to action Jan. 15 at Thunder Ridge Ski Area, with Mia Goodenow finishing 11th overall and Budde placing 19th.

The Sailors are led this season by first-year coach Gerald Gentile. Although having no prior experience, Gentile says he has quickly immersed himself in the sport and picked up on all the rules. “I have enjoyed my experience so far. I have a passion for helping athletes be the best versions of themselves in sports and also outside of sports.”

The team has 11 skiers this season, with seven returning from last year. “We are lucky to have veteran racers who have been able to lead the team and set good examples for the new additions to the roster,” Gentile said.

Senior Fotini Schattman serves as team captain. “Fotini is a senior and she is a very experienced ski racer,” Gentile said. “The skiers to keep an eye on this season are Fotini Schattman and Sophomore Rachel Budde. Both athletes are extremely skilled and have high expectations this year.”

“Our team goal is to have as many skiers qualify for Sectionals as possible and we will strive to be able to represent Hen Hud and Section 1 at states this year,” Gentile said.

Hen Hud will next compete in a slalom race Thursday, Jan. 22, at Thunder Ridge Ski Area.