Rachael Silva is a three-sport athlete at BMC Durfee High School in Fall River, MA. A member of the Class of 2025, she competes for the HIlltoppers’ varsity soccer, swim & dive and softball teams.
Rachael is known for her dedication and hard work. She puts in extra time at the gym to maintain her fitness year round. She is recognized for her speed, quickness, athleticism and constant hustle. She has been described as “extremely coachable” and a great “team player”.
Rachael has been a starting varsity softball player since her freshman year at Durfee. A speedy centerfielder with a great glove, Rachael received All-Conference recognition as a sophomore. Thanks to her speed, Rachael is a tough out from the lead-off position in the order and a dangerous base stealer when on base.
As a junior, the Hilltoppers’ starting pitcher was injured and Rachael’s all-around athletic ability was called upon to become a pitcher for the team. Her senior year, Rachael became the main pitcher on the team but still managed to get some time in centerfield, where she turned in some outstanding plays.
Similarly in soccer, Rachael has been a varsity member since her freshman year. She was a vital part of the most successful run in Durfee’s girls soccer in decades, including the 2023 Southeast Conference championship and three straight state tournament appearances. Rachael, whose versatility enabled her to play at forward before becoming the team’s defensive leader as sweeper, received team Co-Defensive Player of the Year recognition during her junior and senior seasons. She also received All-Conference recognition during her junior and senior campaigns.
Prior to her time at Durfee, Rachael was an outstanding gymnast and competitive dancer. Among her gymnastics accolades was a Level 8 state championship at the age of 11, as well as earning a bronze medal at the Level 7 Regionals at age 10. She retired from gymnastics at age 11 after competing at the prestigious Level 8 Regionals in order to pursue her desire to play team sports.
As a dancer, Rachael was a highly decorated soloist, performing scintillating acro/jazz performances. She won numerous regional competitions and placed first at nationals three years in a row. Despite her love of dancing and the camaraderie with her teammates, she decided to move on to club soccer and travel softball.
Rachael also played travel basketball representing Fall River. She also put her gymnastics skills to use as a middle school cheerleader, where she was the squad’s featured flyer and most impressive tumbler.
In addition to the Durfee varsity teams, Rachael plays club soccer for Southcoast United. She also plays travel soccer for Fall River United after spending several years playing for the Swansea/Somerset Seahawks. Rachael plays travel softball for the 18+ Somerset-Berkley Wildcats.
Rachael is also a certified soccer referee. She works year-round for both the Fall River and Swansea/Somerset youth leagues, as well as refereeing club and travel leagues for US Officials.
Diving
During the pandemic, in her 8th grade year at Morton Middle School, middle sports were cancelled and Rachael was given the opportunity to compete for Durfee in all three seasons. It was then that she got her first taste of diving, as she tried to utilize the skills from her gymnastics days.
She found immediate success. As an 8th grader, she emerged as the Southeast Conference champion, earned all-conference honors, was named the team’s Rookie of the Year, as well as being named a Fall River Herald News first team All-Scholastic. There were no state sectionals or state championships that year due to the pandemic, but Rachael produced qualifying scores for both.
In her freshman year at Durfee, Rachael continued with her diving success, again winning the conference title, all-conference honors and Herald News first team All-Scholastic recognition. She was named the team MVP and she qualified for both sectionals and states, becoming a Division 1 state finalist.
In 10th grade, it all came together for Rachael. She was again the conference champion, going undefeated in dual meets. She broke her school’s 6-dive record and three days later, broke her own mark. She also established a new school 11-dive record at the Hilltopper Invitational and went on to shatter that mark by 35 points when she won the Massachusetts Division 1 state championship at MIT in Boston, MA.
State Champ!
As expected, Rachael received the commensurate accolades. She was named the team MVP. Also, in addition to all-conference honors, Rachael was named the Herald News Swim/Dive Athlete of the Year in addition to first team All-Scholastic recognition. She received a proclamation from Fall River mayor Paul Coogan for her achievements and she was selected to the Herald News’ list of Fall River’s all-time greatest athletes for swim and dive.
During her junior year at Durfee, Rachael again went undefeated in dual meets and captured her fourth Southeast Conference diving title. Her 11-dive score of 431.55 at the Hilltopper Invitational set a new school record, eclipsing the mark Rachael had set at the state finals a year earlier. Rachael again became a Division I state finalist, finishing 3rd.
Rachael was named the team MVP. Again, she was selected the Herald News Swim & Dive Athlete of the Year. She earned all-conference honors and Herald News first team All-Scholastic recognition.
In her senior season at Durfee, Rachael continued her record-breaking ways. She broke her own school 6-dive record twice, finishing with a 291.8 as her personal best. In the 11-dive event, she scored an amazing 519, which not only surpassed her own personal best but also topped the boys record at the school.
As had been the case in previous years, she went undefeated in dual meet action. In the post season, she did accomplish a first for herself by winning the South Sectional Championship. To accomplish that feat, she had to out-duel the extremely talented defending Division 2 state champ. She went on to take third at the Division 1 state championships, making her a 4-time state finalist.
At her final Durfee winter sport banquet, Rachael was again named the Team MVP, her fourth such honor, while also receiving All-Conference recognition, her fifth-year varsity bar and an academic excellence certificate.
College Decision
Recruited by a host of colleges, Rachael decided to accept an athletic scholarship offer from Division I University of Maine. Rachael will join the Black Bears in the fall of 2025.
Rachael Silva 