The crack of a bat, the swish of a soccer ball into the net, the sound of hundreds of feet pounding the track -- yes, spring sports are finally here. It is evident that this is the season of the most sports; many Masonites can be seen around school carrying an athletic bag or sporting a new jersey. Each sport has a promising season ahead of it and has proven this by dominating in scrimmages.

Returning as the reigning state champions, both boys’ and girls’ soccer look to repeat the stunning performances of last year. The boys’ soccer team is led by senior Josiah Larson, who was the team’s second highest scorer last year. He will now take over as the goalie, replacing last year’s District Player of the Year, Alex Fatovich. The team is also looking to rely on returning seniors Paul Arnaudo, Nils Ek, Adam Knudsen, and Ariel Toom. Yet the most interesting players to watch for this season are new recruits. Tim Cammermeyer, Kris McMahon, and Antonio Randrianasolo (a former National Team player for Madagascar) are looking to bolster the Mustang lineup after losing five seniors, including leading scorer Pete Hamill. "I think that the new guys can fill in for the people we lost," said senior Adam Knudsen.

Meanwhile, for the girls’ soccer team, seniors Rachel Sweeney, Christina Kirkbride, and Samantha Wolfe are trying to regroup after losing 4 key starting seniors (Rebecca Roa, Alison Penland, Maria Wood, and Amanda Harrington) from last year. "We are excited to be on the field again after winning the State Championship," said sophomore Emily Sabbatini. Look out for sophomore Katie Turner this season, who returns to the Lady Mustangs after a promising freshman year.

Baseball: The baseball team is looking to rekindle the magic it found last season to win second place in the District. "We are looking to build off of last year’s second place finish," said coach Adam Amerine. The Mustangs will have the returning power-hitting core of seniors Will Straub, Dan Stroup, and Andrew Campanelli. "I hit a ball a quarter mile," said junior Matt Foley about how good the hitting will be for Mason. With many promising players, sophomore captain Jimmy Piscopo leads the youth movement. And despite losing starting pitcher Joseph Mauro, the pitching rotation will still have its number-one pitcher, sophomore Byron Mendenhall. The rotation will finish out with juniors John Schwengel and Matt Foley.

The girls’ softball team has started a promising season with victories in several scrimmages. "We have done much better this year," said sophomore Maria Venets. The Lady Mustangs will have seniors Natalie Krachman, Bridget Hatfield, Casey Smirniotopoulos, Claudia Daisley and Alison Van Pelt to guide them in the right direction. They are also looking for juniors Jill Meyer and Perri Cazan to aid them in a turnaround from last year’s mediocre season.

Track and Field: The track and field team is looking to improve its record from last year with many promising underclassmen. Boys’ track has talent in a variety of events. The sprinters are led by freshman Josh Jenkins and junior Travis Greene. The distance runners for Mason include seniors John Sullivan, Jonathan Byers and Alex Nette. Girls’ track also has many returning successful runners, particularly sophomore Agnes Ek. Meanwhile, distance runners have the Sullivan sisters, Sara and Susanna, to lead them. The field portion of track and field has senior Sarah Stanley and junior Bob Bumgarner. "The team looks promising this year because we have a lot of young talent," said senior Steven Newhall.

Boys’ lacrosse will have a change of scenery this season with another change in their division. Instead of playing in the AAA Concorde Division, the Mustangs will now move to the AA Dulles Division. "We work hard as a team and I think we can win AA Dulles," says junior Zach Hall. The team is going to try to take the division with leading-scorer senior Jason Martinez as well as seniors Andy Walsh, Steve Williams, and David Oglethorpe. Another player looking to make an impact is junior Zach Hall, who returns after a successful sophomore varsity season.

Girl’s Lacrosse: Girls’ lacrosse must also make the move to a different division. "Our season will be better because we are not in such a challenging division," remarked junior Emily Walden. She will take the field with only two seniors, Lena Griffin and Jane Nystrom. Therefore, underclassmen, such as juniors Kristen Schwind and sophomores Mary Kate Cummings and Katie Bugg will have to carry the load.

Boys’ tennis will be led this year by sophomore Alex Goetting, who is number one at only 15 years old. The Mustangs will finish out the excellent rotation with three seniors, Farrell Oxley, Andrew Roller and Andrew Goetting. "We will have a good team this year, with lots of guys going to States," predicted freshman Peter Davis. Another promising player is sophomore Xavier Alacon, who is participating in his first season of Mason tennis.

Girls tennis is focused this year and their obstacle is clear: "We will beat Clarke this year," said sophomore Sara Meyer. Seniors Meredith Crosby and Alex Burnett-Greenstein will look to end their careers on a high note. But with only two seniors, junior Eleanor Kang and sophomores Anna Duning, Alina Kaye and Louise Robertson will all have to try to have good seasons this year and finally beat Clarke.