Sports

Defending NYSAISAA champion Collegiate returns intact, improved

Better than anyone of late, Ray Voelkel knows the effect winning a title can have on a team the following season. Though some may say overconfidence seeps in, the Collegiate basketball and soccer coach sees it differently.

“It’s a powerful force when you learn how to win instead of expecting to lose,” he said.

That’s exactly what the Dutchmen did last fall, fighting through a slow start and shocking the city by winning their first NYSAISAA crown as the fifth seed. Last year wasn’t just a surprise to the area’s many private schools; it wasn’t exactly expected at Collegiate, either.

The team was extremely young – star striker Weller Hlimonaz was only a sophomore – and now returns nine starters, many of whom Voelkel said have substantially improved. Hlimonaz, who scored the extra-time winner in the title match against rival Poly Prep, is of the utmost important even though he is currently nursing a groin injury and may start the season on the sidelines.

“He’s a true striker – that’s like having a 30-point scorer not playing for your basketball team,” said Voelkel, who has led Collegiate’s basketball team to four straight NYSAISAA and New York State Federation Class B titles. “It’s hard to replace someone like that. If we can get Weller back, we can be in pretty good shape. He’s one of the top players in the league.”

He’s one of many weapons Collegiate has at its disposal. Sophomore Spyro Jacobson and freshman Andrew Berger will see time up front alongside Hlimonaz and center midfielder James Fisch and wingers Imran Hassan and Anthony Evans are all a year older and more mature. Evans missed a lot of time early last year, but emerged late in the season, scoring a mammoth goal in the NYSAISAA semifinal upset of Hackley.

“He can be a dangerous player,” Voelkel said. “He’s one of the key players in the league.”

The back is just as solid, with senior keeper Will Spencer, sophomore center back Elias Bresnick and sophomore stopper Oliver Brand in the fold.

It all adds up to high expectations for a program that has come on in recent years, winning its first Ivy Prep League division title in 13 years back in 2008 and coming together for last year’s memorable November run.

“We’re technically a very sound team,” Voelkel said. “A lot of schools have some weaknesses at certain positions and I think we can fill almost every position with a fairly high level technical player. Last year was about growth. One thing is we’ll be more intelligent this year than we were early in the season last year.”

That, of course, doesn’t guarantee anything. The Ivy Prep League is fluid, it’s hard to predict year to year. The last three years have produced three different champions – Poly Prep, Dalton and Collegiate – and the Dutchmen did finish fourth, not first, last fall.

“We’re hoping to get off to a better start and contend for the Ivy League title by the end of the season,” Voelkel said. “That’s our goal, to win the Ivy League. But there are many other teams that can beat us. Every match is a dogfight and we’ll go into it with that respect.”

zbraziller@nypost.com