Leading in the Last Inning: Rocco DeMaio

Rocco DeMaio III ’26, alongside Sean Studley ’26 and Tommy O’Connell ’26, will lead the Hopkins Varsity Baseball team as they look to build upon last year's 13-win season. A senior captain, DeMaio III has been dedicated to Hopkins baseball since eighth grade, steadily growing into one of its most seasoned leaders. Studley noted how “[everybody] knows how much experience he has.” 

Lexi Schneider ’26 will lead the 2026 Hopkins Girls Varsity Lacrosse team this spring alongside co-captain Emily Shaw ’26.

Schneider’s career as a lacrosse player began at the age of six, when she joined her local team. At ten years old, she moved to playing with a club team. Most recently, Schneider has played at Hopkins, and, at the end of the 2025 lacrosse season, was voted by her teammates for the position of captain. Encouraged by her parents, Schneider tried many sports from a young age, but quickly stuck to lacrosse. Today, she has grown to love the sport, its quick pace, and, most importantly, its team aspect. When asked why she continued playing, she said, “[It] gave me great friendships and taught me a lot about being an athlete and a person.” 

This spring on the track, Mikoto Araki-Siegenfeld ’26 will serve as a captain for track and field. She mainly runs the 400-meter dash, though she also participates in the 200m and 800m events. She leads the team with co-captains Vera Okyere ’26, Malini Parikh ’26, Lukas Roberts ’27, Henry Weinstein ’26, and Bodhi Chiravuri ’26.

Jake Fejos ’26 co-captains the Hopkins Varsity Ski team alongside Samantha Bernstein ’26, Gabriella Rinaldi ’26, and Aiden Chan ’26.

As players look to gain advantages to help elevate their game in times of rising competitiveness in sports, supplements and steroids may stand out as an easy answer. Quick and requiring little effort, these enhancers have become common practice even among highschoolers, raising ethical and health-related concerns. 

Fridman has been swimming since she was five years old. She has swum for Hopkins since seventh grade, when she entered the Junior School. Fridman said, “I played a lot of sports as a kid, but swimming was the one that stuck.” Now, Emily Fridman ’26 captains the Hopkins Varsity Swimming Team along with Zara Nat ’26, Ryann Holden ’26, Liam Teel ’26, Thooyan Thirumaran ’26, and Oliver Melnick.

With the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics kicking off on February 6th, Hopkins students and faculty prepare to watch and root on their country in the international celebration. 

At Hopkins, a dedicated athletics team is what pushes athletes to be the best they can be, and at the start of the fall 2025-2026 athletics season, that team is only getting bigger with the addition of a new strength and conditioning coach: Bianca Briones.

From backflipping mid-catch and batting with 10-foot stilts to umpires interrupting the game for dance breaks, the Savannah Bananas aim to revolutionize baseball by prioritizing fan entertainment. Baseball is often criticized for its slow pace and lengthy game times, and recent trends indicate declining fan interest. The Bananas are debated in the sports world, with baseball aficionados arguing the team challenges the integrity of the sport, and others praising its modernity and relevance in the 21st century.