Fall Sports Season Preview

Even though school has just started, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Golf, Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis and Volleyball have been back in the gym and on the field, putting in the hours to have a successful season.

Here’s a look at Parker’s varsity programs as they prepare for their upcoming season.

Cross Country
Head Coach: Nathan Small
Captains: Jojo Husbeck ’26, Delilah Davis ’26, Noah Michenaud ’26
Key Returners: 14 student-athletes return to the Cross Country program this year, including state finalist Levi Jurecka Jacobson ’27 and Lane Tech Invite winner Addie Williams ’28

The Boys team returns five out of their six top runners, who are looking to improve on their runner-up finish in regionals last year, while the Girls team is focused on replicating their strong individual meet performances.

From the coach: “Expectations for the program are high, with every student-athlete anticipated to make meaningful contributions. Continued growth and development across the roster will be key, with a particular emphasis on improving personal bests and overall team results. The ultimate objective is to qualify multiple student-athletes to represent Parker at the State Finals. The coaching staff can’t wait for the season!”

From the captains: “This year, we plan to go far as a team and reach the state level together. We also have multiple student-athletes hoping to qualify individually, and everyone is working hard for their next PR. This season, we are looking forward to our multiple team-bonding events, including a bedazzling night and pizza night, a team breakfast and a beach day towards the end of preseason. Overall, everyone is very excited to get the season rolling with our first meet at Lane Tech!”

Field Hockey
Head Coach: Misha Geller
Captains: Sonia Pettinelli ’27, Lilah Laser ’26, Nia Nashashibi ’26

From the captains: “Preseason went really well for the team; we already had a successful early season tournament where we won four games and are looking forward to seeing how our team plays together. We are also looking forward to Homecoming, especially the pasta dinner tradition the day before our game.”

Golf
Head Coach: Victoria Lee
Last year’s advancement: Top 10 finish in Class 1A
Key Returners: Max Satterfield ’26, Logan Gupta ’26, Fiona Chazen ’27, Ethan Garchik ’27, Annabelle Kutcher ’28, Evan O’Connor ’27

From the captains: “This season we have one of the best Golf teams in Parker history. This year for the Boys team we have moved to 2a. In our new division, we expect to make it to state again and go even further than we did last year.

“Our goal as a team is for everyone to get better and understand the rules and expectations of competitive golf. We want to develop a team that has depth so that in future years we can have a great team. It is important to us that, no matter your skill level, you leave the Golf team not only having fun but also becoming a lot better and more knowledgeable about the game.

“This is the first year that the Girls Golf team is competing. We expect everyone to try their hardest and be open to learning new skills. We are so excited for this team’s debut and can guarantee a lot of fun this season!”

Boys Soccer
Head Coach: Neil Curran
Captains: Heath Albert ’26, Eric Maset ’26
Last year’s advancement: 1A Regional Championship game

From the captains: “We want to see a team that’s more invigorated than ever before. We want a team that enjoys playing soccer day in and day out, and we want them to express that on the field. One thing we have emphasized this season is not looking too far ahead.

“We are excited for this season, and we are trying to build some hype around this team because we are confident in what we can do. We want to encourage everyone to come to our games so everyone can see what kind of team we are and the excitement we are building.”

Girls Tennis
Head Coach: Kathryn Cattafesta
Captains: Malea Caplan ’26, Graysen Pendry ’26, Lula Notz ’26
Last year’s advancement: Placed 4th in Sectionals

From the captains: “As a team whose home courts are away from Parker, team spirit is a big thing we look for. Even if our games do not have big turnouts, we expect that our team will cheer on and be there for one another on both JV and Varsity.

“We are super-excited to play in a Quad Tournament with LPHS, ETHS and DePaul. This was a super-fun opportunity last year, and we can’t wait to continue it. We also are excited to play in the ISL tournament and Sectionals with hopes to get some of our players to State!”

Volleyball
Head Coach: Meghan McCareins
Captains: Lilah Weed ’27, B Hirsch ’27, Ashley Williams ’26
Last year’s advancement: 9-9 overall record, advanced to class 2A Regional Championship game
Key Returners: B Hirsch ’27, Lilah Weed ’27, Elle Greenstein ’26, Ashley Williams ’26, Ava Lin ’26, Penny Wood ’26

From the coach: “Parker Girls Volleyball is aiming to reach new heights, building on a 4th-in-conference achievement last year to take the 1st-in-conference spot by outworking our conference opponents from start to finish. The expectation for every student-athlete in our volleyball program here at Parker is to use every practice to get better every single day, individually and as a team, and apply the mental resiliency that leads to passing nails (volleyball saying for passing perfect passes) on serve receive and converting those passes into kills with a strong, fast-paced offense. Our defense was an asset to us last year, and this year it’s all about bringing our defense and offense together for ultimate impact.”