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05/23/2018 12:00 AMRiley Kokoruda has just about seen and done it all throughout her four-year tenure as an athlete at Daniel Hand High School. Along the way, she’s worked hard year-round, while enjoying the camaraderie of her coaches and teammates.
Riley is a senior who played soccer for the Tigers and is currently a midfielder for their girls’ lacrosse squad. She started playing soccer in the 3rd grade and was then introduced to lacrosse by her father Shane, who also coached her in the sport.
At Hand, Riley has started for both squads in all four seasons and earned the title of captain for each team as a senior. She’s helped the Tigers’ girls’ lacrosse team win three straight SCC Tournament titles, in addition to guiding the soccer squad to a conference crown last fall.
While helping her teams achieve great success, Riley has also earned a slew of individual accolades. She’s made the New Haven Register All-Area Team for both sports and finished her soccer career as a four-time All-SCC First Team and three-time All-State Team selection. On the lacrosse field, Riley is already a two-time All-SCC First Team and two-time All-State honoree who also made the All-American Team last spring. Now in her final campaign, Riley and the Tigers recently finished off a 14-2 regular season to earn the top seed in the SCC Tournament.
“My goal when I started as a freshman was to make both teams. I went to soccer clinics and consistently worked hard. I was always told that you only go as far as the work you put into it,” says Riley, who has won 70 percent of her draw controls this year. “I have a passion for both sports, and they have carried over to my success. I fell in love with my teams and coaches. I knew if I kept putting the effort in that I could help my teams.”
Riley says that her training regimen in CrossFit has played a big role in developing the skills she uses to succeed in both soccer and lacrosse. She adds that some fancy footwork and a sharp mind also help her thrive on each of her fields.
“I started going to a CrossFit gym, and I was able to use my strength and foot skills in both sports,” Riley says. “I also have the mindset of never letting my emotions get to me, which has been big. Cutting and running up and down the field from lacrosse has helped me in soccer, as well.”
In addition to contributing to the lacrosse team’s SCC three-peat, Riley also got to play on the state’s biggest stage when Hand reached the Class M State Tournament final during her rookie season. Last fall, she helped the girls’ soccer squad gain a measure of redemption as Hand claimed the SCC title after coming up short in the previous season’s league final.
“Being in that state final with lacrosse my freshman year and playing New Canaan was an unbelievable experience, and we hope to do the same this year. It has also been great winning SCCs each year so far,” says Riley. “In soccer, losing in the SCC final on penalty kicks the year before drove us this past season, and it was one of the best experiences to win it with hard work.”
Riley says that Hand’s soccer and lacrosse teams have their share of similarities, featuring players and coaches who are committed to success, while building concrete bonds among one another.
“I love the competitive aspect of soccer. Everything we did on that team was competitive. The soccer community is also great. Everyone is involved,” says Riley. “The lacrosse team is a friendly atmosphere, and the team is like a family to me. We went to play in New Jersey this year, and we made connections with those girls, which is another thing I love about lacrosse.”
Hand girls’ lacrosse Head Coach Kevin Siedlecki says that Riley brings a wide array of abilities to the field. He adds that Riley is constantly striving to improve all aspects of her game, including in her role as a captain this spring.
“Riley is a great role model for all the girls in the program. She is a stellar A student, and she puts the same work into her academic and personal life as she does her sports. Every year, she added a new dimension to her game,” says Siedlecki. “As a senior, she is a top defender—able to hold opponent’s best players, dominant on the draw control, huge in transition, making acrobatic one-handed catches and interceptions regularly—and a great scoring threat, having added an impossible-to-predict series of fakes before each shot. She made it a goal to be firmer as a captain. When she brings the team together, she usually says exactly what I would have said.”
Girls’ soccer Head Coach David Dikranian adds that Riley immediately earned the respect of her teammates as a freshman and then started emerging as one of the Tigers’ leaders during her sophomore season.
“Riley is a great athlete and teammate. She is an outstanding leader with an incredible work ethic. She is beloved by her teammates and coaching staff,” Dikranian says. “Outside of high-school soccer, Riley played in the [Connecticut Junior Soccer Association] Olympic Development Program and was a standout Premier player. Riley is a truly a special player, and she will be sorely missed.”
Riley will continue her lacrosse career next year at Division I Boston University, where she plans to study business. Until then, though, Riley knows that there is still plenty of work to be done on both the field and in the classroom.
“I definitely want to keep my GPA up. As far as athletics here, I still want to continue to grow as a player and to win SCCs and states this year. I also want to be an All-American again,” says Riley. “In college, I want to again keep my grades up and train every day this summer to be ready for the lacrosse team. I want to get some playing time and hopefully start as a defender.”