Girls Basketball

Postseason jitters may have shown on Feb. 6, when the Sailors hosted Class A contender Pleasantville for their second meeting of the season — the first a 46-39 Hen Hud win — but this time the Panthers controlled the tempo and handed Hen Hud a 52-41 loss. Kate Stratton led the Sailors with 15 points, while Elyse Smith added 11.

Hen Hud opened aggressively, trading baskets early as Carleigh Ortiz scored the game’s first points on a fast break. The lead changed hands throughout the first half, with Charlotte Gaspar tying the game in the second quarter on an and-one play. However, Pleasantville’s perimeter shooting — led by Juliana Karaqi and Lexi Tomaselli — proved decisive, including a buzzer-beating three that gave the Panthers a 25-23 halftime edge.

Pleasantville extended its lead in the third behind quick ball movement and outside shooting. Although Hen Hud briefly cut the deficit to three in the fourth after a Stratton three-pointer, the Panthers responded with a scoring run fueled by Karaqi and Maddie Becerra to seal the win. Karaqi finished with a game-high 17 points.

The Sailors rebounded quickly, earning their 13th victory of the season on Feb. 9 with a balanced 57-41 home win over Bronxville. Avery Motko and a returning Maria Ribeiro led the way with 13 and 12 points respectively, combining for five three-pointers. Smith and Stratton each scored 10 points, while Ortiz added nine.

Hen Hud closed its home schedule Feb. 11 with a 48-40 victory over Westlake to secure its third consecutive league title. After falling behind early, the Sailors rallied in the second quarter behind strong ball movement and key contributions from Ribeiro, Smith, and Stratton, including a first-half buzzer-beater from Ortiz that energized the home crowd. Hen Hud maintained control in the second half, using defensive pressure and balanced scoring to hold off Westlake’s late pushes.

The Sailors wrapped up the regular season Feb. 13 with a 67-38 road loss to a strong Ossining squad, despite 21 points from Smith.

Hen Hud finishes the regular season at 14-6 and, as of Feb. 13, holds the No. 3 seed in Class A. Official Section 1 playoff brackets will be released Tuesday, Feb. 17. The Sailors are expected to begin postseason play Friday, Feb. 20, with a first-round home game; opponent and time are to be determined.

Boys Basketball

The Hen Hud Sailors closed out the 2025-26 season with a challenging stretch, dropping four straight contests against tough competition.

On Feb. 6, Hen Hud traveled to Carmel and fell 69-55. Freshman Kane Wamack led the way with 18 points, while Hunter Kennedy-Brown added 16. Three days later (Feb. 9), the Sailors hosted John Jay-Cross River and lost 71-61, with Wamack scoring 24 and Kennedy-Brown contributing 22.

Hen Hud remained at home Feb. 10 to face neighboring rival Peekskill, ultimately falling 62-53. The Red Devils opened the game with strong defensive pressure and transition scoring to build an early lead, taking a 14-9 advantage after the first quarter. Peekskill extended the margin in the second, capitalizing on turnovers and fast breaks behind strong play from Joseph Walker and Jah Williams to carry a 27-21 lead into halftime.

The Sailors showed resilience in the second half. Kennedy-Brown and Wamack sparked several runs, trimming the deficit late in the third quarter, but Peekskill answered each surge with timely baskets and free throws. Despite a late push that cut the gap to single digits, Hen Hud could not complete the comeback. Kennedy-Brown finished with 16 points, while Wamack added 15. Peekskill’s Joseph Walker led all scorers with 23.

To end the regular season, Hen Hud dropped a close 55-53 decision to Irvington at home on Feb. 12. The Sailors erased an eight-point deficit late in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 53-53 on an Isaiah Byers pull-up jumper with under a minute remaining, but late free throws secured the win for Irvington. Wamack scored 22 points in the effort.

“Our guys competed and they got better,” said Hen Hud head coach Stephen Purcigliotti. “I can look at every player on our team, especially our young kids coming back, and say from when we started in November to last night, they improved.”

Purcigliotti highlighted freshman Kane Wamack as one of the team’s biggest growth stories.

“From where he began — we knew he was talented but he was finding his way — to now, the last couple of games, 22 points last night, several 20-point games, and he’s just a freshman.”

With 11 potential returners next season, including six sophomores and two freshmen, Purcigliotti is optimistic about the program’s future. The Sailors will graduate captains Jack Hiltsley and Justin Parkes.

“Overall, I had a tremendous amount of fun. I loved the guys on my team — a lot of individual growth — but we’re dealing with that heartache. We were there in a lot of games. Hopefully next year, after going through this, we know how to get over the hump and finish them out.”

Hen Hud finished the season 5-15 and did not qualify for the sectional tournament.

Wrestling

Hen Hud wrestlers delivered strong performances at the Section 1 Division 2 (Small schools) Championships on Feb. 6 at the Westchester County Center.

Freshman Rocco Carbone finished as runner-up in the 118-pound weight class, while Antonio Carbone placed sixth. Andherson Clark earned third place at 138 pounds, and junior captain Sebastian Willkehr also finished as runner-up at 150 pounds.

Senior Shawn O’Mara Jr. was expected to contend for a sectional title at 175 pounds but was unable to compete due to injury.

When reached by the Peekskill Herald, Willkehr said, “I am happy with the improvement from last year but it sucks that I fell short of going to states. I’m happy with how lots of our kids did over the season and how they all did at sectionals. We are still a young team and we will hopefully be even better next year.”

The Sailors will graduate two key seniors from this year’s squad: captains Shawn O’Mara Jr. and Benjamin Kushnir.

Indoor Track

Victor Delgado had a standout performance in the invitational 3,200 meters at the 92-team Purple Champions Invitational on Feb. 7 at The Armory in New York City, clocking a time of 9:04.18. The mark makes him the No. 2 all-time 3,200-meter runner in Section 1 and currently ranks him second in the New York State indoor standings. Perry Quaye added to the team’s success by finishing third in the high jump with a clearance of 1.88 meters.

On the girls’ side, Sophia Savatgy ran 58.31 in the seeded 400 meters to secure second place, while Oona McManus placed third in the high jump, clearing 1.47 meters.

Up next, the Sailors will compete at the Section 1 Class Championships at The Armory on Sunday, Feb. 15, beginning at 9 a.m.

Ice Hockey

The Cortlandt Rebels merged ice hockey team suffered a tough 7-0 shutout loss to Pawling on Feb. 6, highlighted by a hat trick from Pawling’s Max Koehler.

On Feb. 8, Cortlandt battled Carmel to a 3-3 tie at Brewster Ice Arena. Stephen Kjartansson opened the scoring for the Rebels at 9:13 of the first period, with assists from Hudson Tarkington and Christian Waugh. He added a second goal just before the end of the period, assisted by Sean Foley, giving Cortlandt a 2-0 lead. The Carmel Rams responded with a strong comeback, scoring three goals — including two goals and an assist from Lucas Economou — to take the lead. Foley later evened the score at 3-3 with an unassisted goal at 3:49.

The Rebels bounced back on Feb. 13 with a 3-1 victory over Fox Lane at Brewster Ice Arena. Kjartansson, Tarkington, and Joey Recuppio eached scored for Cortlandt, while Brandon DiBenedetto recorded 23 saves. 

Now 8-10-1 on the season, Cortlandt returns to the ice Saturday, Feb. 14, to face Byram Hills at 6:45 p.m. in its regular-season finale at Brewster Ice Arena.

Bowling

Hen Hud’s girls and boys bowling teams concluded the 2025-26 season at the sectional tournaments held Feb. 9-10 at Fishkill Bowl.

The girls team, despite a strong regular season where they captured the league championship, fell short of a trip to the state tournament. Nanuet claimed the Division 2 sectional title on Feb. 9. “We didn’t have a bad day — it just seemed that everyone around us was having a good day,” said Hen Hud head coach Kristine Abel. “The Sailor girls should be proud of themselves for a great season.”

The following day, the boys team competed among the top programs in Section 1 but came up short against Pearl River in the Division 2 competition. On the day, Kyle Cooper rolled a 1,067 series, Lucas Tangredi finished with a 1,070 series, and Richie Simonetti recorded a 937 series.

Although the Sailor boys’ team season has come to an end, Tangredi, Cooper, and Simonetti will travel to AMF Syracuse Lanes for the state tournament on March 13, where they will join three bowlers from North Salem to form a composite team.

Overall, Hen Hud enjoyed a strong campaign this season. The girls finished the regular season at 10-2, while the boys posted a 7-6 record. Emma Barbelet and Lucas Tangredi led their respective teams and were named their league’s Most Outstanding Senior Bowlers, earning the Dan Veglia Award. Both teams will graduate a total of 13 seniors: Emma Barbelet, Katherine Devine, Antonia Cooper, Julia Freitas, Peyton Gilleo, Mariella Mills, Jet Caracappa, Aiden Lawless, Richie Simonetti, Michael Socorro, Matteo Velardo, Daniel Basini, and Lucas Tangredi.

Skiing

Hen Hud’s Rachel Budde, Fotini Schattman, and Mia Goodenow finished as runners-up in the Section 1 Girls Skiing Open. Schattman and Budde will join nine other athletes in representing Section 1 at the state championships at Bristol Mountain Ski Resort on Feb. 23-24. The duo also earned All-Section honors for their performances this season.

Schattman has qualified for the state championships in each of the past two seasons — in 2024 alongside her sisters, Eleni and Yorgia, and last year with Budde.

Winter Cheer

The Sailors winter cheer team finished second in the co-ed division at the Wolf Pack Palooza, held Feb. 7 at Colonie Central High School in Albany.

“These Sailors pulled through placing 2nd and bring great Section 1 energy to a Section 2 competition,” Hen Hud head coach Nicole Curran said in a statement to the Peekskill Herald.

On Feb. 11, Hen Hud placed third at its final league competition, held at Tappan Zee High School, earning five points to finish the season with a total of 17. “We loved participating in league play and really enjoyed it. Can’t wait for next year,” Curran said.

In other cheer news, Addison Peskie, a junior on the squad, has been selected to represent Section 1 at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Student Leadership Conference, scheduled for April 15-16. She was the only athlete chosen from Section 1 among the 20 student-athletes selected statewide. (Read more from the Hendrick Hudson School District here.)

The Sailors will next compete at the Mardi Gras Competition at Arlington High School on Feb. 14 at 10:45 a.m.

College Watch

Women’s Lacrosse – Division I In a 14-11 home victory over Lindenwood University on Feb. 11, Eastern Michigan goalkeeper Maddy Porter (Hen Hud Class of 2023) recorded 10 saves and added three ground balls, bringing her career total to 142 — just eight shy of becoming the first Eagle to reach 150 career ground balls. Eastern Michigan currently sits at 3-1 on the season, and Porter is one of five team captains for 2026.

Women’s Lacrosse – Division II Missouri Western State opened the 2026 season in style with a 17-4 victory at William Jewell on Feb. 13. Hendrick Hudson graduates and sisters Jordan Porter (Hen Hud Class of 2021) and Mackenzie Porter (Class of 2018) faced off on opposing sidelines, with Jordan playing for Missouri Western and Mackenzie leading William Jewell.

Mackenzie Porter, now the head coach at William Jewell, made her coaching debut against her former program, Missouri Western, where she previously played. Assisting her — and also making a coaching debut — was 2025 Missouri Western graduate Sam Pruitt. Both Griffons played under current head coach Jessica Berg, who enters her fifth season at the helm at MWSU. The matchup created a full-circle moment for several players and coaches involved.

Track & Field – Division III SUNY Geneseo’s Lindsay Tellez (Hen Hud Class of 2024) teamed up with Kayla Anastasia, Stella Riley, and Isabella Lagios to capture the 4×200 relay title with a winning time of 1:44.09 at last weekend’s Utica Blue & Orange Multis. The quartet edged the runner-up team by less than a second.