GENEVA, N.Y.—The Thomas B. Poole '61 and Family Head Coach of Hobart Soccer Shawn Griffin is excited to announce the addition of eight student-athletes to the team ahead of the 2026 season. The Class of 2030 includes a mix of domestic and international talent.
"I'm really excited about the potential of this class," said Griffin. "Even more so, to be part of their growth and development as student-athletes over these next four years. This class checks a lot of boxes for positional balance and certainly talent. I'm sure they will integrate nicely with our current group of players and continue the tradition of success and strong culture here at Hobart."
Brett Zimmer
Goalkeeper
Cornwall, NY / Cornwall Central High School
At Cornwall Central … 2025 NYS Class AA State Finalist … 2X NYSPHSAA Section IX Champions … 3X All-Section IX team … 2X All-State team … United Soccer Coaches All-American … 34 Career Shutouts.
Brett's Take: "I chose Hobart because of the team culture and highly praised academics. The team is also known as a top-level Division III college program, and I want to compete for championships which Hobart will do!"
Coach Griffin's Take: "Brett is an excellent goalkeeper and will challenge for the starting position in August. He's an excellent shot stopper, has very good feet and is a true competitor. Brett will make a great teammate as well!"
Caleb White
Center Back, Outside Back
Middlebury, Connecticut / Taft School
At Taft School … Sports Illustrated Prep School #1 National Ranking … Founders League Co-Champions … Class A 2025 New England Champions … 2x Connecticut All-State … WNEPSSA All-Star.
Caleb's Take: "I chose Hobart because the moment I stepped on campus, something just felt right. During the ID camp, I felt a strong connection with Coach Griffin and the rest of the coaching staff. It offers a great education and a winning soccer program steeped with tradition!"
Coach Griffin's Take: "Caleb made a good choice to PG at Taft this past year to grow and develop in a very good prep school environment. He will compete for playing time at the outside back position. Caleb's competitive nature, composure with the ball, and pace are just a few of his defining on-field qualities."
Nico Lupin
Center Back
Madrid, Spain / Runnymede College
Nico's Take: "I chose Hobart because of the strong connection I developed with Coach Griffin which started this past summer. I felt 'wanted' right from the start. Hobart has a beautiful campus, amazing athletics, strong academics and marvelous people, which is why I chose Hobart College over other programs."
Coach Griffin's Take: "Nico is a natural left footed player who can hit a great ball behind defenses and is an excellent 1v1 defender. He adds talent to a very important position in our team."
Owen Lucano
Center Midfielder
East Northport, NY / Northport High School
At Northport … Section XI All-Conference … Section XI All-County … Section XI MVP … NY All-State …United Soccer Coaches All-Region … Senior Captain … 18 goals.
Owen's Take: "Hobart offers a great education and alumni network with an incredible career services program. The coaching staff showed extensive continuous interest in me throughout my entire recruiting process!"
Coach Griffin's Take: "Owen is a very strong and physical center midfielder. He is a competitor in the middle of the field who is physically ready for college soccer and can score goals."
Alexander Darby
Center Attacking Midfielder, Forward
Dubai, United Arab Emirates / Northwood School
At Northwood School … Sports Illustrated Prep School #1 National Ranking … 16 goals.
Alex's Take: "I choose Hobart because of the great connection with Coach Griffin and team. The facilities are fantastic and Hobart has a brilliant academic system."
Coach Griffin's Take: "I'm absolutely thrilled that Alex accepted our offer to join our Hobart family. He is such a complete player and has played at a very high level for a very long time. He is another center midfielder who has proven he can score goals. Alex makes us better right away."
Ryan Murtagh
Center Attacking Midfielder, Winger
Hingham, Massachusetts / Hingham High School
At Hingham … 2x Patriot League Champions … Eastern Mass All-Star … Patriot League All-Star … Senior Captain … 10 Goals and 10 Assists in 16 games.
Ryan's Take: "I wanted to be a part of a program that knows how to win and to always be surrounded by a competitive atmosphere. When I visited campus, I was immediately drawn to the people and how close the player/team relationships are. I knew right away it was something I wanted to be a part of."
Coach Griffin's Take: "Ryan is a very technical player that can play both winger and center midfield. He's athletic, competitive, creative, extremely good on the ball in tight spaces, and strikes a great ball. Even better, his high school coach at Hingham is a Hobart Soccer alumnus from my very first team; Dave Leahy, Class of 2001."
Josh Whitaker
Winger
Westport, Connecticut / Staples High School
At Staples HS … 2025 Connecticut State Champion … FCIAC League Champion … All FCIAC first team … Connecticut All-State … United Soccer Coaches All Region … 14 goals, 10 assists.
Josh's Take: "Great academics, coaching staff, facilities and a winning program. I wanted to play Division III college soccer at a very high level. Hobart is the perfect fit for me. "
Coach Griff's Take: "Josh is an exciting, dynamic winger who loves to take guys on and combine with players around him. He can score goals. Josh will add depth to our winger position and I'm excited to see the growth he makes over the next four years here at Hobart."
Grady Lewis
Center Forward, Winger
Jackson, Wyoming / Fountain Valley School / Jackson Hole High School
At Fountain Valley School … CHSAA State Qualifiers … Black Forest League Champions … CHSAA … All State … Captain … 18 goals, 7 assists, in 15 games. At Jackson Hole High School … #1 Ranking in Wyoming … 13-0-1 record … 23 goals, 9 assists in 11 games.
Grady's Take: "The coaching staff and team had a significant impact on me, as they welcomed me and I really could see that the team is a family. Love the team culture. I am also amazed at the facilities and beauty of Geneva. Great balance of intensity and fun in trainings."
Coach Griffin's Take: Grady is a big, athletic, hard-working, and hard-running center forward who loves to press and play a physical style of soccer. He will fit in just perfectly with our style of play here at Hobart."
