Last week marked the start of spring sports – including girls’ soccer, boys golf, volleyball and tennis, track and field, and baseball.
Girls’ soccer this year has had an unprecedented wave of freshman girls taking it upon themselves to try out for C-team. Alongside the returning players, the sheer number of ninth graders vying for a coveted spot on the team has created an atmosphere of both excitement and competition. “We have a strong returning varsity group who brings a lot of experience and talent,” coach Heidi Kleekamp said. “They are a very competitive group and we all have high expectations for ourselves.”
The weather for the first week of tryouts was filled with rain and humidity, and competition. With the boys, LHS has five sports going on with some athletes having to try out for more than one.
The baseball team has a crowd of freshman talent, hoping to improve their 14-20 record. “I hope by the end of high school I’ll have gained a lot of friendships and get closer to new people,” Landon Fuchs (9) said, playing baseball for 10 years, “While getting to play baseball at a high level and in a good environment.”
Liberty’s final round of golf tryouts were on Thursday, with some devastating cuts and some new talent. “I stay humble as much as I can even though I’ve had very successful seasons in the past. I want to keep my head down and keep grinding to get better,” one of the state’s best golfers Cole Packingham (12) said. He will be playing his last season with Liberty golf this year, striving to make it his best season yet.
Coach Kirkpatrick is the head of Liberty’s volleyball program for both girls and boys. She looks forward to returning back in the spring after having a great season with her girls. Last year, the boys ended the season with a decent record of 16-16-1.
“What I expect out of myself for my last season of tennis is just to have as much fun as I can,” Charles Giraud (12) said. Boys’ tennis is set to make a comeback this year after leaving behind a 7-11 record in the ‘24-’25 season.
Track and field is Liberty’s biggest growing sport with over 167 students in attendance of practices and meets. “It’s fun to watch different kids participate in different events where puzzle pieces come together,” coach Toby Glavin said. Coach Glavin also elaborates more on how each athlete has designated workouts to help personally train them for their event. “I hope what I get out of this track program is to become a better athlete and make new friends,” Gavin Galati (9) said as he’s been running track since elementary school.
