A staff dedicated to our student-athletes.
The Convent of the Sacred Heart athletics staff are passionate about helping student-athletes strive for excellence and reach their full potential.This is all done while recognizing that students have many responsibilities, and the focus always remains on the whole child.
It is our highest priority to ensure we excel in hiring, training, and developing our coaching staff, as it is the cornerstone of our athletic program. While over 70% of our coaches are dedicated year-round faculty members, all of our coaches are thoroughly educated on the mission and goals and criteria of Sacred Heart schools. We seek out coaches who are not only experts in their sport, with collegiate playing or coaching experience, but who are also exceptional communicators and motivators.
Administration
Paul Culff
Head of Athletics & Wellness
212-722-4745, ext. 621
pculff@cshnyc.org
Paul Culff brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Sacred Heart and has over 13 years of experience in the not-for profit sports sector. His most recent role was Sports Director at Asphalt Green (6 years) and he previously held the position of Sports Camp Director at the YMCA of Long Island. In his role at Sacred Heart since July 2017, Paul’s priority has always remained on 3 key areas - staff, curriculum and facilities, all of which he believes are the cornerstones of excellent programming. He speaks passionately about the students learning life lessons through athletics and developing mental toughness that will help them in all walks of life. In line with the mission, his focus remains on the “whole child”.
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Paul loves nothing more than the great outdoors. He attended Southern Cross University and was a 10 sport athlete in high school, where he excelled in cricket and soccer. As a player, coach and administrator, he wants his teams to reach their potential and believes they can do so through GRIT - the power of passion and perseverance.
Carolyn DeCaprio
Athletics Director of Competitive Sports
212-722-4745, ext. 619
cdecaprio@cshnyc.org
Carolyn DeCaprio joined Sacred Heart in conjunction with the opening of the new Athletics and Wellness Center in 2014. She was originally Department Coordinator then Director of Business Operations but in 2018-19 was appointed as Athletics Director of Competitive Sports. Prior to Sacred Heart, she worked as Director of Basketball Operations at the NBA for 15 years.
Born and raised near White Plains, NY, Carolyn grew up playing volleyball, basketball, softball and also swam on a club team through MS and HS. She graduated from Smith College where she was a member of the Varsity Swim and Volleyball teams, earning recognition by being named 2nd Team All ECAC in her senior year for volleyball. Her coaching career began at Holy Child with Volleyball and Basketball teams and she was also a 15s Club Volleyball coach for Downstate Volleyball Club. At CSH, she has coached Varsity Badminton, Varsity Tennis, JV Volleyball and 7/8 swim.
Carolyn wants CSH student athletes to experience the same sense of joy and accomplishment that she did while being a member of a team. Her goal is to have as many students participate on a team at Sacred Heart, and enjoy the sports experience, learning valuable life lessons along the way.
Director of Aquatics &
Head Coach Varsity Swimming
gjuarez@cshnyc.org
Gabby Juarez joined the Sacred Heart community in 2024. Before joining 91st Street, she spent seven years as the Director of Aquatics and Water Polo at Long Island University – Brooklyn. During her time at LIU-B, Coach Gabby managed the university’s wellness center and created the men’s and women’s Division 1 water polo programs. As Head Coach, she led LIU’s women's water polo program to its first Metro Atlantic Conference Regular Season title in 2020 and to its first Metro Atlantic Conference Championship title in 2022/23, resulting in the school’s first NCAA championship tournament appearance that same year.
Coach Gabby earned her undergraduate degree at UCLA, where she competed as a Division I student-athlete, and later completed her Masters of Science in Exercise Science at LIU. After her NCAA career, she moved to New York with a mission to elevate East Coast aquatics. She worked at Imagine Swimming and various club programs where she taught water polo and swimming. For her contributions to aquatics, Coach Gabby was honored with USA Water Polo’s Brent Bohlender Distinguished Coaching Award for the Northeast Zone in 2018.
Gabby Juarez brings a history of building successful programs and we look forward to her leading the aquatics department to a new level of prominence and accomplishment.
Chrissy Lee
Athletic Trainer
212-722-4745, ext. 630
chrissy.lee@cshnyc.org
Chrissy Lee joined the Sacred Heart community in 2011 having received her degree in Athletic Training from Boston University. Prior to coming to Sacred Heart, she enjoyed working with a variety of patients in various environments such as midtown physical therapy clinics, junior college football, division one varsity and club athletics, and public and private middle and high schools as well as specialty sports camps. Originally from Massachusetts, Chrissy is an avid runner and has volunteered at the Boston Marathon.
Chrissy is committed to providing comprehensive athletics health care, improving movement patterns and posture, and fostering an appreciation of the positive effects of sport and exercise on the mind and body. The favorite part of her job is seeing hard-working students improve and succeed.
Coach Spotlight
John O'Hagan
PE Teacher, Head Coach Varsity Soccer, 7/8 Basketball, 7/8 Softball
John O’Hagan, born and raised in Dundalk, Ireland, began working at Sacred Heart in 2000 - his first job coming straight out of college. He played NCAA D1 College soccer with Hofstra University where he completed his undergraduate degree in Physical Education and graduate degree in Health Science. He is a full-time physical education teacher at Sacred Heart and has coached a multitude of different sports and teams over the years. He currently serves as the Head Varsity Soccer Coach where he has led the team to AAIS league and tournament championships. He is also the Head Coach of 7/8 Basketball and 7/8 Softball. He is a UEFA-accredited coach and has also served as Director of Coaching for Mineola Soccer Club on Long Island for many years in addition to running coaching clinics and camps throughout the tri-state area.
In his spare time, you probably won’t see John around the city because he is an avid traveler who likes to visit remote destinations around the world. If you do see him in or around Central Park, he will probably be walking Hank (the Upper School service dog) because he also loves dogs. John’s favorite part of Sacred Heart is the students because they are motivated to make themselves better. John is also particularly invested in Goal lll of Sacred Heart’s Goals and Criteria in that he is a lead advocate for service and those related projects that help underserved communities.