Updates from Eastchester Athletics

 

Dear Eastchester families, student-athletes and community members,

 

Now that the spring season is underway, I would like to share an update with our athletic community regarding several upcoming events, protocols, and hiring initiatives.

 

Seasonal Athletic Department Updates

Over the past year, I have had the privilege of learning more about the Eastchester community through meaningful conversations with student-athletes, parents, coaches, and dedicated supporters of our athletic programs. I am deeply appreciative of the feedback and personal stories that have been shared, as they have provided valuable insight and a strong foundation during my first year in this role.

An athletic department takes many hands to be a great one. From coaches to community members, parents, and district employees, it’s all hands on deck to provide roughly 560 student-athletes across nearly 80 different teams an exceptional year-round athletic experience and just about 100 coaching/volunteer staff a fair, equitable, safe and energizing workplace environment. And, from my short time here, there is a strong sense of tradition, a true honor to the legacy of EUFSD, and in general, our Eagles have so much to be proud of.

Now that I have experienced each season at least once in the district, I will be implementing an ‘Athletic Department Update’ at the start of each season. This update will be sent to all families and will not only include upcoming information for the season, it will also act as a repository of sorts with important forms and information so families and student-athletes have easy access to information in one place. 

And of course, season highlights and photos will continue to be communicated via the district newsletter, emails from coaches, and other media outlets as our teams progress through the season.

 

Preparing for the 2026-2027 Academic Year

While the spring season remains part of the 2025–2026 academic year, it also serves as a springboard for the 2026–2027 athletic season. This time of year is critical, as important planning and preparation begin to take shape in anticipation of the next school year.

This year the athletic department has provided me an opportunity to review the performance of EUFSD teams at a local, regional and state level. In accordance with Section 1, NYSPHSAA, and NY State Athletic guidelines, we have also taken a hard look at our coaching evaluations and the process by which staff are hired as well as supported in their growth. Most importantly though, and at the heart of our efforts is making sure we improve the smooth functioning of daily operations and the richness of the student experience.

Please click here to see the December 2, 2025 Athletic Update to the Board of Education.

The athletic department is excited to share the good work of our department and look forward to an opportunity to present at our next Board of Education meeting where we will be able to share an end of Fall season wrap up and kick off to Spring season.

 

Hiring for Open Positions

The hiring process within the athletic department begins well in advance of each season to ensure we attract, recruit, and retain the most qualified coaching staff. We are committed to identifying candidates who will continue to elevate our athletic programs. As we look ahead to the Fall 2026–2027 season, all coaching positions will be posted as is regular protocol.  

All coaching positions are one-year appointments and are reposted annually. This is an important process for athletic departments to uphold. We anticipate a highly competitive selection process.

We take great pride in being a competitive district that offers attractive compensation and the opportunity to work with exceptional student-athletes. Coaching in the Eastchester School District is truly a rewarding experience.

Due to the highly competitive nature of the hiring process when it comes to head coaching positions, we are opening the season with these postings first.

We encourage all interested and qualified applicants to apply through our main website portal, Applitrack. Shortly after, all postings will be made available. 

Head varsity coaching positions are highly sought after in our Section 1 region, and a variety of factors are carefully considered in the selection process. These factors include the needs of the team, the experience of the coaching staff, technical expertise, and of course the challenging-but-crucial ability to build relationships with all athletes across landscapes while also navigating difficult decisions between levels of play.

Once applications are received, a committee is formed and a multi-step interview process is conducted. We are committed to identifying strong coaching leaders who will continue to build on the foundations of these programs while helping to move them forward.

Recommendations and word-of-mouth referrals are also valuable in promoting these opportunities. We welcome all qualified candidates to apply and look forward to selecting outstanding coaches to lead our programs.

 

Athletic Handbook

As I have continued to learn more about the Eastchester Union Free School District community, the athletic handbook has been updated to reflect current practices and expectations. We will continue refining the handbook throughout the spring and summer in preparation to release the 2026–2027 version. In the meantime, I encourage all athletic families to review the most up-to-date 2025–2026 handbook.

 

Communication via SportsYou

This year, we made a focused effort to implement a unified and approved communication platform for student-athletes, coaches, and district staff. The SportsYou™ app has enhanced our ability to communicate efficiently and safely, allowing for real-time updates, announcements, and team information in a centralized location.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to our coaches, student-athletes, and families for embracing this platform. Strong communication is a shared responsibility, and your cooperation has made a meaningful impact.

 

Student-Athlete Survey

This year, the athletic department invited student-athletes to share their feedback on their overall experience through an optional student-athlete survey. The survey’s purpose was to provide authentic feedback to the athletic department on the strengths of our programs and identify opportunities to improve; and to help us ensure we are providing a positive, competitive, and developmentally supportive environment for all athletes.

Once again, I thank all of the student-athletes for taking the time to complete this Student-Athlete Experience Survey. Your feedback will continue to help us improve the athletic program for all athletes. 

 

Communication Improvements

Throughout the year, one of the most consistent pieces of feedback I have received is the need for improved communication across the athletic department. In response, we are developing a clear communication chain of support to complement the athletic handbook and will continue to look for varying ways to ‘get the message out’ by increasing communication touch points overall.

The goal of this Communication Chain framework is to guide student-athletes and families in addressing questions or concerns in a timely and effective manner. In my experience, having clear procedures in place is essential for navigating complex situations and ensuring positive outcomes for all involved.

 

Highlights and Kudos

The first half of EUFSD’s 2025-26 athletic season has been filled with so many proud celebratory moments.

Fall’s Homecoming Weekend was a chance to highlight the important role that Eastchester Athletics plays in the community, with students showing their school pride during our in-school pep rally, alumni coming back to cheer on our teams, and ceremonies to honor local veterans held before the start of our football team’s game against Rye. 

Those unique community events continued this winter, with Eastchester’s boys and girls basketball teams hosting their annual Holiday Tournament and squaring off against friendly rival Tuckahoe in the Augie Nardone Scholarship Games.

Eastchester’s cheerleading squad hosted their winter tournament as well, a chance to celebrate the unique sense of unity that resides within the world of competitive cheer. There will be more events this spring, including the annual Dom Cecere Day, the ‘Light up the Night for Autism' boys and girls lacrosse games, and more!

In addition to these important community events, our athletes and teams have met with no small measure of success over the past several months. 

This fall, the girls cross country team won its fifth-straight league title, swimmer Sofia Torres qualified for the New York State Championships in two events, while varsity football—led by All-Section honorees Dylan Burbridge, Nick Martucci, and Redon Gecaj—made it to the Section 1 semifinals. Our girls soccer team won its first sectional playoff road game in years, while our varsity cheerleaders won their second-straight Class B New York State Championship in Game Day Cheer.

This winter, 11th grader Tatiana Alexander became Eastchester’s first-ever state champion wrestler, winning her division at the New York State Girls Wrestling Tournament in February. Indoor track standout Phoebe Gauld won the Section 1 title in both the 55m hurdles and triple-jump events, and was also honored as a 2nd Team All-American for her pentathlon performance at the Nike Indoor Nationals. Teammate Eva Muzichenko qualified for the New York State Championships as well. Our cheerleading team closed out their year with a strong showing, winning yet another Section 1 title and placing fourth at the NYS championships. 

We can’t wait to see what our spring season has in store!

 

As always, thank you for your continued support of Eastchester Athletics.

On behalf of the Athletic Department,

Go Eagles!!!

 

Michael Ramponi

Athletic Director