Spring break is a time for students to escape the endless piles of books and homework and enjoy time relaxing and recharging. But for Hawks spring sports teams, the grind does not stop just because classes do. Three of the seven teams competing in the 2025 spring season will be heading out on trips around the country to play against competitive teams.
Through fundraising and team contribution, women’s lacrosse, softball and tennis all have the opportunity to take spring break excursions and play high-caliber competition that they may not otherwise be exposed to in the northeast. From nationally ranked teams to state-natives, these trips will allow the programs to grow and learn heading into SUNYAC conference play.
“Colorado is going to be a great experience and test for us,” said graduate student midfielder Kaitlyn Shaw. “We are going to be up against top 20 teams and it will be a great opportunity for us to have a high-level game and show what we are made of.”
The SUNY New Paltz women’s lacrosse team will take to the air for the first time in program history, flying out west to Colorado Springs. During their excursion, the Hawks will take on two nationally ranked teams, including No. 19 Colorado College and No. 9 Pomona-Pitzer. The Hawks are currently 4-1 overall, their only loss being against the Skidmore Thoroughbreds.
“We have been focusing on improving our style of play this week and heading into these next two games I think it is going to be a turning point for us,” Shaw said. “Playing high-caliber teams will push us to play our best while also strengthening our chemistry on the field and this trip will ultimately help set us up for success as we head into conference play when we return.”
Also taking to the air, the Hawks softball team returns to the PFX Spring Games in Clermont, F.L. for the first time since the 2023 season.SUNY New Paltz kicks off the week by playing former SUNYAC competitor SUNY Geneseo on March 15, while facing teams such as Amherst College, Clarkson University and Springfield College.
“This spring break we will be going to Florida and playing teams from all over the country,” fourth-year outfielder Sophia D’Arcangelis said, “[playing] for a total of 10 games.”
This season has brought new beginnings and challenges to the Hawks’ program, as the team is now led by new interim head coach Rick Spriggs following the departure of former head coach Krysti Neufeldt. The squad graduated six players from last season’s SUNYAC championship lineup, but the team is looking to repeat their success from last year and work on their game during their spring break trip after not being able to practice on their home field for the larger portion of their preseason training.
“The competition we will face is tough but will help us grow as a team,” said D’Arcangelis. “Everything that we will accomplish, we will take home with us to build off of for the rest of the season.”
The Hawks tennis team will join the softball squad down in Florida, playing multiple games against teams such as Trinity College and Ave Maria University. The team traveled to the Sunshine State last season as well and continued the tradition in 2025 to gain more experience before heading into the SUNYAC tournament. This year, the No. 1 seeded Hawks will face off against the No. 4 seeded Plattsburgh Cardinals on April 25.
“Our team always enjoys our annual trip to Florida as it is a good time to bond and play some high-quality matches,” said fourth-year tennis player Isabel van der Veen. “Being a spring sport that requires a certain temperature to be able to play outside, it can be challenging to get in good practices before the start of April.”
Despite flying to sunny Florida over break, the team faced snowy adversity at the beginning of their spring season. Due to inclement weather, the Hawks were forced to play indoors at the Dutchess Racquet Tennis Club in Poughkeepsie.
“We are really grateful to be able to start our season in Florida and enjoy the nice tennis weather,” said van der Veen.
The four remaining spring sports at SUNY New Paltz — baseball, cross country, men’s lacrosse and men’s volleyball — will not be traveling long distances over the break. However, most of the teams will keep playing throughout the week.
Baseball is set to play three away games before hosting its first home contest against SUNY Canton on March 21. Men’s volleyball will play back-to-back matches on March 22 and 23 against Nazareth and St. John Fisher University, respectively. Men’s lacrosse will face off against Misericordia on March 15 and take the week before traveling to Mount Saint Vincent at the tail end of the break on March 22. Cross country will not compete, but the squad gears up for their three spring invitationals scheduled for late March and early April.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.