As the fall season comes to an end, boys and girls basketball, soccer and swimming have begun their practices in preparation for the upcoming winter sports season.

The boys varsity basketball team has been preparing for their season since the summer, where they practiced two to three times a week and hosted an open gym for players over the break. Additionally, they competed in multiple competitions including as the GASO Fall Showcase. 

Last year, they placed fifth overall in the Southwest Preparatory Conference end of season championship tournament with an overall record of 29-4. Head Boys Varsity Basketball Coach Joey Sims says hopes the team will perform even better this year.  

“Our goal is to win it all, and I think with our talent we have a really good shot at it,” Sims said.  

The girls varsity basketball team has also been practicing during both the summer and fall seasons.  

Over the summer break, the team attended a tournament camp at the University of Oklahoma where they were able to watch collegiate players run through college level workouts. Head Girls Varsity Basketball Coach Darryn Sandler said this experience aided in strengthening the bonds of the team. 

“For me, it was to help build the chemistry on and off of the court for the team,” Sandler said.  

The team placed third overall last year in the SPC championship tournament. Going forward, Sandler say his main goal is to have each of the players develop their skills and improve over the course of the season. 

“Each year, our goal is to reach our potential as a team,” Sandler said.  

This past summer, the boys varsity soccer team took a different approach to their training. For the first time, the team participated in a local futsal league to help improve their technique and skill. Team members say this experience also allowed them to strengthen their team bond and build connections.  

Futsal is a sport similar to soccer, asides from the fact that it is played indoors on a court with five players on per team.  

“It kept the boys together; it made sure they did not drift apart in the months we did not see each other,” Head Boys Varsity Soccer Coach Paul Field said. 

This season, the soccer coaches say they are impressed with the high energy and level of play the players are bringing. Field says he hopes the team can work off of the positives from last year to find success. 

“If we build off of the good things from last year, there is no reason why we can’t have a successful year,” Field said.  

After placing fourth in the SPC tournament last year, the girls varsity soccer squad is ready to train and work towards the championship.  

“We are really trying to work as a team with [the High Performance Center] to make sure our athletes are ready for the season to start,” Head Girls Varsity Soccer Coach Laura Flanagan said. 

The team had 10 seniors graduate last year. However, according to Flanagan, this is not a major loss as they have a talented group of freshmen joining the team. The team has five Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) players, more than any other team in SPC. 

“We are gaining a lot of talent from the freshmen class, and we have core of five girls who are experienced and compete at a high level outside of Greenhill Soccer,” Flanagan said.  

The team has also added two new coaches to the staff: an assistant varsity coach and a junior varsity coach.  

“[The team has] brought a different energy to the program already,” Flanagan said. “You can see it in the girls, in their body language and their communication that there is a renewed excitement.”

Even with upcoming competition from the highest ranked SPC teams in Austin including St. Stephens and St. Andrews, Flanagan says she is confident the team will perform well and find success throughout this upcoming season. 

“I am going into this season thinking that we want to get to the championship, that is our ultimate goal,” Flanagan said.  

Last season, both the boys and girls varsity swim teams won the SPC championship. The boys won the 3A division title and the girls won the girls 4A division championship title.  

This season, the boys team has made a transition into the 4A division. Now, they will be competing against higher ranked competition such as St. Stephens and St. Marks. With this adjustment, Head Boys and Girls Varsity Swimming Coach Patti Monzingo says she still believes the boys will do well. 

“I think that the boys are going to do well,” Monzingo said. “We have a strong team, and I think our role of spoilers is going to be really big.”

On the girls side, they have lost key team members including Josie Arbuckle ’24 and Katherine Feng ’24. Despite these loses, the team will be led by returning junior Avery Lonergan and incoming freshman Jordan Arbuckle. 

“Avery is ranked very well in 4A: first or second seed in almost every single event,” Monzingo said. “Newcomer Jordan Arbuckle is ranked second in all of SPC for the 100 [meter] breaststroke.” 

While team leadership sees this year as a time to rebuild for the girls, Monzingo still wants her team to compete to their best ability and do the best they can. 

“We need to rebuild, do the best that we can do and get everyone swimming at their highest level,” Monzingo said. 

For the boys team, their goal is to break the school’s relay records. Monzingo says the team comprising of JJ Arbuckle, Zachary Geller, Lucas Wang and Oliver Ferris-Rojas can break the current school record.  

“I saw those records being set, and I would like to see them broken again,” Monzingo said.