By Brendan Oswald, Director of Athletics
The 2026 Middle School spring sports season was filled with immense growth. Across every sport, our student-athletes played with heart and learned the vital importance of responsibility, dependability, and truly showing up for each other, regardless of what the final scoreboard showed.
Despite a slow start to the season due to unseasonably cold weather, our numbers quickly swelled thanks to a dedicated core group of athletes, ultimately resulting in a robust turnout. Much credit must be given to our head coaches—Coach Burgos, Coach Evan, Coach Steph, and Coach Caylin—who led our teams through successful and fun seasons. The 7th/8th Grade baseball team achieved yet another winning record, finishing at 4-1 and bringing their impressive past two-year combined record to 9-3.
Baseball
The Middle School Baseball Team featured many outstanding individual performances and collective growth this year. A particular bright spot for the team’s future was Primo (7th Grade), who stood out on the mound. Primo is part of a core group of strong 7th Grade players whose development ensures an incredibly bright future for the baseball program next year when they step up as 8th Grade leaders.
The season was also defined by remarkable grit, highlighted by a thrilling matchup against a very strong Browning team. In a great defensive moment, Hannah (8th Grade) at second base fielded a hard-hit ground ball, tossed it to Romi (8th Grade), who threw to first. We narrowly missed the 6-4-3 double play, but the crowd was duly impressed!
 | At the core of the 7th/8th Grade baseball team is our middle infield, consisting of Romi (8th Grade) and Hannah (8th Grade). Both have dedicated all four years of middle school to the baseball program. Occasionally, our numbers have been thin for the team, but these girls’ dedication has allowed the baseball team to thrive! |
Tennis
The tennis courts saw incredible growth and competitive spirit this spring as our players continuously worked to refine their skills and mental toughness during matches. Zeke (8th Grade) and Allie (8th Grade) earned a massive shout-out for their efforts on the tennis team this year. In one instance against LFNY, while playing doubles with Henry (7th Grade), Allie ranged far to her left and hit a blistering cross-court backhand to win a critical point. As for Zeke, he was down 5-3 against the United Nations International School’s number-one singles player. Through a gritty comeback, Zeke came out on top 8-6. It was such a fantastic match that both coaches enthusiastically congratulated the opposing players.
Track and Field
Our track and field athletes pushed through an intense and rewarding season, competing across three rigorous meets at Soundview Park in the Bronx. The team built incredible momentum all spring, focusing on improving their personal bests. Team members successfully shaved down their personal and team times in the 200m, 400m, and 4x100m relays. Samuel (6th Grade), in one of the first meets, came in first place in his heat.
This group truly loved each other’s company. Since the final meet was canceled due to extreme heat, the team proposed creating their own carnival-style meet. Simi (5th Grade) and Martin (6th Grade) put many hours into designing a series of races that let runners earn tickets based on their results, which were then traded for candy at the end of the day. Coach Caylin and Coach Sarah were incredibly impressed with the creativity and resourcefulness of our track organizers.
5th Grade & 6th Grade Baseball/Softball
Our athletes on the 5th Grade and 6th Grade girls softball and boys baseball teams faced tough, experienced competition throughout the spring. Despite the challenge, they consistently played hard, kept their spirits high, and managed to pull out a few hard-earned wins. Backed by amazing parent support, these athletes proved they have a tremendous amount of heart and a fantastic foundation for future school seasons. While we frequently faced tough 6th Grade competition with a squad that had only one or two 6th graders, this squad competed fiercely in virtually every single game.
Congratulations to all of our incredible student-athletes and dedicated coaches for a phenomenal year of athletics at Rodeph Sholom School! Watching our players grow in both skill and sportsmanship has been an absolute highlight of the season. We are incredibly proud of the determination, teamwork, and school pride displayed on every court, field, and track. Thank you to our families for your endless sideline cheers and support. Have a wonderful, restful summer, and we look forward to seeing everyone back in action for the fall season!
Dive deeper into our athletics philosophy and program by reading our featured story here.