If it seems to you that our local athletes won more than their share of League, Sectional, and State trophies this spring, you’re right. The list of champions and finalists is a long one, so fasten your seat belts.
By Mitch Silver
If it seems to you that our local athletes won more than their share of League, Sectional, and State trophies this spring, you’re right. The list of champions and finalists is a long one, so fasten your seat belts.
Rye Neck eighth grader Josh Williams led Coach Shawn Lincoln’s Panthers to their league’s tennis title. Williams advanced to Sectionals, where he lost his opening round match to the top seed. He’ll be back.
Both Rye Neck lacrosse teams made it to Sectionals for the first time in the program’s young history. Amanda Heyde’s girls defeated Keio in the first round; the boys under Jonathan Sable won their league championship. Congratulations.
Joe Carlucci’s defending Sectional baseball champions, buffeted by graduation, still made it to the playoffs. They lost to Pleasantville 8-2. Joan Spedafino’s softball squad took down four-time Section 1 champ Valhalla before dropping a Regional matchup to Section 9’s Marlboro. Spedafino was voted all-League coach of the year. Siena-bound Nicole Miller was named to the Diamond 9 +1 post-season All-Star team, based on softball, GPA, and extracurriculars. Diana King, Shannon Liguori, and Sam Yannuzzi made the All-Section team. King also won the Skip Walsh scholarship, named for the longtime Eastchester coach. Kiera Nemsick of the Rye Garnets also earned Diamond 9+1 recognition.
Panther Coach Matthew Wurtz’s Track & Field squad saw junior Kate Brennan qualify for States in the 400 meters. Classmate Conner Sexton qualified in both the 800 and 1,600, setting a new school record in the latter.
Up the road, Rye High’s rowers won two State titles (see article) and lots more silverware. Maggie McDermott set personal and school records nearly every time she ran on the track, and Ryan Bird won the Class B Sectionals at 800 meters in a time of 1:56.66. On the courts, Andrew Emanuel of the Garnets made it to the Section 1 quarterfinals, losing to top seed Jimmy Purdy in a nail-biter, 6-4, 7-5.
Mike Bruno’s Baseball team returned to the Sectional final, losing a thriller to eventual State champs Byram Hills, 4-3. Rye’s Tim DeGraw, George Kirby, and Chase Pratt were named to the All-Section team. Both Rye lacrosse teams lost to Somers in the playoffs — the boys in the quarterfinals and the girls in the semis.
On the links, Garnet golfers James McHugh and Jack Maresca were both named to the All-Section team. Maresca shot a 77-83 to finish in the top 15 while McHugh, only a sophomore, won the title. His 148 total was four strokes over a quintet of golfers, including Scarsdale’s James Nicholas, who would go on to win the State title at Cornell, where McHugh’s closing round of 74 at States left him tied for 14th. On the distaff side, Frida Henningsson’s top-10 finish of 156 helped give Section 1 the State crown.
Even farther up Boston Post Road, Gil Castagna’s Rye Country Day No. 1 doubles team of Bo Curry and Trevor Faulk beat their fellow Wildcats Justin Mandel and Teddy Tannenbaum in the Fairchester tennis semifinals before whipping a team from Hopkins for the title.
Both Country Day lacrosse squads won NYSAIS crowns, as did the Wildcat baseball team. The school’s boats placed second and fifth overall at the New York State Sailing Championships, while Coach Joe Isola’s golfers placed fifth in the FAA tournament. Kris Scarfone made the All-League team. In the New York State tournament they improved a place by shooting 446, just nine strokes out of second.
Junior Catherine Walker won both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles in the New England Championships. She won a third gold with fellow juniors Charlotte Boehning and Jinjer Pearce and senior Caroline Kimmel in the 4×400 relay. Jack McPhail threw the discus 113’ 7” to take the boys’ crown. Head Coach Charles Ogbonna saw his combined team take home the bronze.
Jinjer Pearce would run to glory at the NYSAIS Championships May 20. She captured the 400-meter gold and defended her 2014 title. She also copped silver in the 200, again. Ten days later, she ran a personal best of 55.12 in the 400 to win the New York State Division Two championships held at SUNY-Albany, edging out Irvington’s Kiana Lee by five hundredths of a second. “It definitely hurts but it’s rewarding if you run fast,” said a breathless Pearce.
The Wildcats topped off their season with a top-6 finish in the 800m sprint medley relay at Nationals in Greensboro. Catherine Walker, Charlotte Boehning, Sabrina Kwenda, and Jinjer Pearce finished in 1:48.06.
