The first Tuesday of each month, we interview someone from Charlotte Latin Athletics with twenty questions to help the CLS community get to know some of our athletes, coaches, and supporters a bit better.
 
Our September 2025 interview features two current CLS students with deep family roots at Charlotte Latin: Wills and Sara Hutchinson. Fourteen-year-old Sara is a freshman who plays field hockey and basketball for the Hawks. Wills is a senior basketball player and golfer, well-known around campus for his outgoing personality and his new role as one of the leaders of the Spirit Club. Read on to get to know a bit more about Sara and Wills.
 
1. What can you tell us about your family's history at Latin?
Sara: Our mom went all the way through Latin and graduated in 1993, then went to Davidson.
Wills: Most of our relatives have a connection to Latin. We have aunts, an uncle and cousins who went here, and our sister, Cameron.
Sara: Cameron graduated in 2024. She just started her second year at UVa.
 
2. Cameron was featured in a 20 Question Tuesday interview in April 2019 when she was in seventh grade. When asked if she had any role models that inspired her, she named your mom, who had passed away unexpectedly the previous year. You were both so young. What do you remember about that time?
Wills: Mom died on February 19, 2018. She passed away on the Monday we had off for President's Day. I was ten. Sara was seven.
Sara: I don't really remember much except that a lot of our mom's friends came to town and were at our house.
W: The whole thing was kind of a blur, but there were so many people supporting us. There was this group of mom's best friends that called themselves Wen's Hens, because my dad's name is Wen. They put all of their names and numbers on a list and put it on the back of our pantry door. If we needed anything, we could call them. For months, we had so much food in the house.
S: I do remember that. We had so much chicken pot pie. Now we have all of those numbers in our phones and we can still call them if we need anything.
W: When Dad went to Fort Lauderdale for eight weeks for a trial last year, I think I called all of them. I wrote my college essay about this. It was the end of my basketball season and the start of golf season, and Sara had all of this stuff going on because that's what 13-year-old girls do…
S: Fourteen.
W: Were you already 14 then?
S: Yeah.
W: Trying to keep up with all of her activities and carpooling was a nightmare. I had to call in a lot of help. I had no shame.
S: He did a lot for me, and not just driving. I'm very thankful to have him as my brother.
 
3. Wills, you mentioned writing your college essay. Do you have a clear idea of where you want to go?
W: I've got a couple of schools in mind. I love Washington and Lee, where my dad went to school, and Chapel Hill, where a lot family members went to school. I'm going to visit Georgia, Tennessee, those types of schools, because I like the idea of being in a big sports environment. But I'm also drawn to W&L because there's a chance I could walk-on to the golf team. I'm just going to apply, hope for the best, and see where I get in.
 
4. How would you describe your relationships with your siblings?
S: Wills and I got a lot closer last spring during those weeks when it was just us. And I feel like we have already gotten closer now that I'm in high school. Cam and I have always been close. The only thing we really argue about is clothes. I can talk to her about anything.
W: I've always been close with my sisters. I'm closer in age with Cameron, but now that Sara is a little older and in high school, the age gap doesn't seem as big.
S: They call me "the child" or "the youngling."
W: The three of us have always been close and able to talk about stuff going on in our lives. We have little family meetings.
S: I feel like we try to stick together a lot and that's the advice other people have given us. I'm really grateful to have my siblings.
 
5. What is something you have learned from your siblings?  
S: Wills has really encouraged me to be myself but be more outgoing. He's just naturally more talkative and social than I am, but he has taught me to come out of my shell and overcome some social anxiety. Cameron…she's taught me so much. She's been almost like a mother figure to me and Wills. I can't even put into words all that she's done for us.
W: Cameron always looked out for me and made sure I was on the right track. She just really took care of me and showed me how important it is to look out for your siblings. Sara keeps me in check basically for that reason. I know I need to set a good example for her and to make good decisions for both of us.
 
6. You're both Latin Lifers, so what have been some of your favorite classes so far?  
S: My favorite subject is probably history. I really liked last year's class about American History because that really interests me. Most of the movies we watch at home are about history. We're all big history nerds. I also really liked my advanced prealgebra class with Mr. Fullwood.
W: I would also say my favorite subject is history. I had Mr. Bibby last year for AP US History and I loved that class. All three of us actually had Mr. Fullwood.
6a. Is having him as a teacher different than having him as a coach?
W: He's pretty funny in both. I had him as a teacher during the pandemic when we were on a hybrid schedule and he would chirp jokes at me even through Zoom. In basketball, he's more intense as the head coach of JV than he is as an assistant with varsity, where he's more of a specialist. His knowledge of basketball is crazy. Coach Berger says he knows basketball better than anyone.
S: Obviously I didn't have him as a coach but when I was in his class he was always watching basketball videos and talking about basketball.
 
7. Are there any other teachers at Latin that you've found particularly impactful in your lives?
S: For me, Caroline Plyler. She was technically my second grade assistant teacher, but she really helped me through a lot.
W: She grew up across the street from us and after Mom died, she helped us a lot. She stayed with us when Dad had to travel and she became like family.
S: I also loved Mr. Wolfe. He's the best. He's just super funny and I always talk to him about the most random stuff.
W: I could talk all day about teachers that I love at Charlotte Latin. Mrs. Williams in TK and Mrs. Reese in third grade. Mrs. Korkowski, Mr. Fullwood, Mr. Ellison. Mr. Bibby was amazing. Mr. Cooney in calculus last year. Mr. Keefer taught me algebra II trig. Mrs. Coble in biology. All of the Spanish teachers that have put up with me. That's the thing with Latin. The teachers and faculty are so great here.
 
8. Let's talk sports. How did you settle in to your current sports and what else did you try along the way?
S: I've played basketball for as long as I can remember. I also played soccer a lot.
W: She was asked to play club soccer but it was tough for us to do travel sports with Dad's job and the travel that required.
S: I played Charlotte Junior Soccer until about fifth grade. Then I played lacrosse for a year in seventh grade because I wanted to stay active and just wanted to try it. My sister definitely influenced me to try field hockey because she played it all through high school.
W: I played everything as a kid. I tried soccer, which I was horrible at. We both played Myers Park Presbyterian basketball. I played two years of t-ball, did flag football and lacrosse at the YMCA, and I've always played golf. In Middle School, I played football and I really loved it, but I hit my head too many times so I decided to drop it going into Upper School. Recently, over the past two years or so, I've taken golf a lot more seriously.
 
9. Sara, do you golf?  
S: I play once a year when I'm with the whole family.
W: We come from a family of very big golfers. Our whole family plays together at Thanksgiving.
S: Cameron and I decided we want to start taking lessons when she's back in town. My grandmother wants us to play. She says it's a life sport.
 
10. What are your favorite and least favorite things about the sports you play?
S: That's hard. My favorite thing about field hockey is just being with my friends. My least favorite is that it gets really hot – especially on the turf in the summer. For basketball, there's really nothing that I don't like. I love playing and my coaches have all been amazing, especially Coach Pence last year. She's one of those coaches that I really didn't want to disappoint, which pushed me to play harder and get better.
W: The best thing about basketball, and I've said this for a long time, is the people. I have such great teammates. I am not the greatest basketball player, but just being around those guys as people and as players has made me better. My least favorite part of basketball is that I'm not a naturally talented player, which limits what I'm able to do on the court. My favorite thing about golf is winning. I know that may sound bad, but we have a very good golf team and some of my teammates are among the best high school players in the country. Being with them, going on trips, winning state championships together, that's been an incredible experience. My least favorite part of golf is that it is so mentally taxing. When you're playing great golf, it's the best feeling in the world. And when you're playing bad golf, it is the most infuriating feeling in the world.
 
11. Which Charlotte Latin coaches have had the biggest impact on you?
S: I already talked about her, but Coach Pence. She's amazing and pushed me to play my best. I also had Coach Rogers and Coach Dauska as assistant coaches for two years in Middle School and they're always there to listen and really want the best for everyone on the team. In sports and just in life.
W: That's a really easy question for me: Coach Berger. I view him as a second father figure in my life. He coaches me in both of my sports, he knows our family well and honestly probably knows me better than I know myself. I'm in his office probably four out of the five days of the school week, just talking about things. He always checks on me to make sure I'm doing well and he's been amazing.  
 
12. What have been your favorite Latin sports memories so far?
S: I would probably say beating Country Day at Country Day in basketball in eighth grade. It was a fun game and it was a big game. Also, in seventh grade, we won one of our tournaments playing against mostly eighth graders at Providence Day and we won and it was a really fun, exciting game.
W: Last year, when we played basketball at Country Day and the gym was about as packed as I'd ever experienced for a Friday night, regular-season game. We were trailing basically the whole game and had come from behind to tie it up. Then James Jones hit a game winner with almost no time left on the clock and our whole team mobbed him, the students poured out of the stands, and Country Day students were throwing hot dogs at us. It was so exciting and just pure happiness. And then in golf, I've been lucky to be on three state championship teams. It's hard to differentiate, but I think freshman year was the most memorable. I wasn't even on the state championship roster, but seeing the happiness of our seniors and winning the first state title in over thirty years felt pretty amazing.
 
13. It's early in the school year, so what are your goals for 2025-26?
S: Being new to Upper School, my goals are pretty simple. I want to work hard, try not to procrastinate. Get enough sleep. Things like that.
W: I want to win our fourth state championship in golf and try to finish in the top ten individually. I was eleventh last year and that upset me. I also just want to get into a college that I'm happy with.
 
14. Wills, you're a Spirit Club leader along with Georgia Hume and Piper Piscitelli. The student support in athletics this fall has been fantastic. How do you feel about your role in creating that atmosphere?
W: We have an amazing class. I can't take credit for that because I can tell people to show up but if they don't want to, they won't. We just have a very enthusiastic and supportive class of seniors. We're only a couple weeks into school, but we're off to a really successful start with all of our fall teams. I know from personal experience that crowd support goes a long way to accomplishing that. Hopefully, we can keep it up all year.
 
15. Alright, let's finish up with some fun questions. Do you have any pets?
S: Yes, we have a white lab who is almost nine.
W: She'll turn nine in September.
S: Her name is Riley and she's the sweetest dog ever.
W: She's great. She was very hyper when she was young though.
S: She used to chew up things. And her hair is everywhere.
 
16. Who's the best singer in the family?
S: Cameron.
W: Probably Cameron.
S: For sure, Cameron.
 
17. Who's the funniest in the family?
S: I feel like it's probably Wills.
W: Definitely Wills.
S: He just loves cracking jokes, in any situation.
17a. Who's the second funniest?
W: I'd say it's a tie. The other three have their moments.
 
18.  Who's the most athletic?
W: Me.
S: Uh, maybe not.
W: Who else would it be?
S: Cameron.
 
19. What's a hobby, skill or talent you have that most people don't know about?
S: I am an advanced synchronized swimmer at Camp Greystone. I'm weirdly good at it.
W: I can name the NBA Finals winner from any year since around the mid-fifties with about 90% accuracy.
 
20. What is it like to be part of a Latin legacy family?
W: Mom liked to emphasize that she played basketball here. But it was in Middle School.
S: Mom played field hockey here and even though she was probably not the greatest athlete that came through Latin, she did win a state championship.
W: This is my fifteenth and Sara's twelfth year at Latin. We bleed blue and I can't imagine being at another school.