Rhinebeck High School’s varsity athletes are beginning preseason practices with high expectations for the 2026 fall season.
Boys and girls soccer, boys golf, boys and girls cross-country, girls swimming and girls volleyball began their preseasons on Aug. 24. Some Hawks started their preseason on Aug. 17 as members of a merged football team at Pine Plains.
The varsity athletes are looking to build on their accomplishments from 2025, when the boys soccer team won a sectional championship, boys golfers captured a divisional title and the girls soccer team reached the sectional final.
“It’s really encouraging to see everybody already having really good chemistry,” said senior Eliza Strassberger, who is beginning her fourth season of varsity soccer. “Everybody’s focused and able to do the work that we are being told, which is really good to see.”
Strassberger and her teammates have given coach Matt Grande promising signs that they will build on last year’s success.
“There’s a lot of returners, so I think we have a strong varsity unit,” said Grande. “People have been working hard. It’s nice.”
Grande shared what’s encouraged him about this year’s group.
“The leadership of the returning players and supporting each other has been really great. To watch them nurture some of the younger players is what you want in a program,” he said.
As the girls practiced on their field, the cross-country runners were running around them on the surrounding track.
“They are motivated to improve,” said coach Erik Thomas. “They’re smiling and are genuinely happy to be here, which is a good feeling. They have a lot of work to do, but they’re excited to work and I’m excited to work with them.”
Thomas, who is in his fourth season, is hopeful he’ll have his first cross-country state qualifier this season. Junior Augie Lamm leads the Hawks after qualifying for the 2026 state outdoor track championships in the 800-meter run and the 3,200 relay.
Inside the high school gymnasium, volleyball players were preparing for their season with hopes of qualifying for Section IX playoffs.
Seniors Kate Reichelt and Erin Donnelly are both returning for a second season with the varsity team.
“It feels really fun to be back here with my friends,” said Reichelt. “We all have a really close bond, so everyone gets along really well.”
Donnelly is excited by what she’s seen over the first two days of practice.
“I think we’ve shown promise just by the amount of communication that we’ve had in practice,” she said. “I think this program is just showing a lot more promise because we’ve had more time to be together and work on the things that we need to work on.
“Volleyball is my favorite sport, so it’s very exciting to be back here. I just love the togetherness and the community that it brings.”