As winter winds down, Kennedy athletes look toward the upcoming spring sports season. Boys’ and girls’ tennis, soccer, and track and field, as well as girls’ golf, all start their 2023 season.

The practice period has already started for many of these sports and now is the time that coaches and athletes set new goals and improve for when competitions begin.

“One of the most important things for our team to improve on from last season is their belief in themselves,” said Kennedy Girls’ Soccer Coach Austin Ha. “This stands on and off the field. When our team believes we can achieve high rewards.”

Girls’ soccer ended with a 10-6 record during the 2022 season and  The Cougar boys’ soccer went 9-9 last season and the girls ended with a 10-6 record in their 2022 season. Kennedy soccer hopes for an exciting return to the field. Coached by Adrian Evans, the boys will be led by seniors Carter Newhouse, Adrian Fernandez, Lwings Kabula and Raymond Freund. Returning seniors Janelle Minor, Cassie White, Katherine Stone and junior Liza Scherbring lead the girls this season.

“For the last two seasons, we have really focused on building our team culture,” said Ha. “This third season we hope for it to really start shining through our players and in our team as a whole. We hope we make a strong push toward success on and off the field.”

Kennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Tennis also returns for its 2023 season, boys holding a 5-10 record from last spring and girls coming off a 9-10 record. Both teams are looking to improve in the upcoming season.

The boys have six returning varsity athletes and are guided by seniors Kyle Crock, Carson Lang and Seth Woods and junior Jack Novak. The girls have two seniors returning to the court, Addie Bower and Jacey Powell.

“My hopes for the 2023 season are the same as any other season: improvement of each participant’s playing ability,” said Kennedy Boys’ Tennis Coach Craig Bova. “Having each participant enjoy the experience of playing competitive tennis and being a part of the team.”

Kennedy Track and Field season has also begun for both sexes. The boys, coached by Curtiss Pakkebier, are optimistic following a 14-7-1 (win-loss-tie) record last season. The girls follow a 13-16 record from 2022 and look for hard work in the athletes as they enter their season.

Female athletes to watch include senior Grace Braden and juniors Addison and Sidney Swartzendruber, all of whom competed at state last year. Concerning the boys, fans should look out for seniors Miles Wilson, Donovan Slick-Driscoll and Colton Kronfield as well as junior Anthony Franklin and sophomore Ryan Bartels.

“Expect to see an exciting Kennedy Girls’ Track and Field [season] with the potential to have many Drake Relays qualifiers and to finish top ten in the State Meet for class 4A,” said Kennedy Girls’ Track Coach Duane Wampole.

Kennedy’s final spring sport, girls’ golf, expects to see many new faces alongside senior returner Merideth Langton. The girls had a 14-50 record last season and hope for much growth in 2023.

Spectators can find competition lists for all Kennedy sports on both the Kennedy Activities Calendar and Varsity Bound.