Awards

Top Dawgs of winter

Sullivan West winter athletes lauded at awards presentation

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY ? Though warmer days will soon supplant the frostiness of the last few months, memories of the winter sports season at Sullivan West were still very much alive on March 26.

In his opening remarks at the Winter Sports Awards, this writer referenced Thomas Paine’s December 1776 words, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Paine was referring to his nascent country’s bitter war against the British. But his words echo with current truth in a time when our ravaged economy bodes enormous challenges for the present and the future.

That future looms for the young men and women seated in the audience who had just come through trials and tribulations of their own. Those experiences, which brought a wide range of results including a Section Nine championship for the girls indoor track team, were good preparation for the more daunting challenges life is apt to bring.

Referring to his ever-present memories of high school that were marked by joys and sorrows, this writer reminded the audience that life is a blend. There will always be winter as well as summer. A slide show, entitled “Chronicles of Winter,” portrayed the season’s highlights and preceded the award presentations.

Athletic director Dave Franskevicz introduced the coaches who called their teams to the stage. Each coach spoke briefly before conferring certificates to all players and trophies to a select few.

Tom Clifford lauded his alpine ski team. Five of eight skiers qualified for sectionals and Kassie Thelman qualified for states for the third year in a row. Unfortunately, a late-season injury barred her from participating at the state championships. Clifford praised seniors Claire Stabbert and Kellee Thelman.

Kassie Thelman and Alex Lander were the Lowest Scoring skiers. Drew Billard and Kendall Menges were the Most Improved Skiers.

Junior varsity boys basketball coach Bruce Nober praised his team for winning more games than last year. He thanked fellow coaches Cliff Kelly, Pat Donovan and Rick Ellison.

Kelly echoed that praise for the coaching staff and gave props to team “doctor” Beverly Franskevicz and to the youth program that is run on Saturdays.

The team went 12-8 and was 6-1 early on, and counted as one of Section Nine’s top 10 by The Times Herald-Record. Injuries and some tough losses impacted a few games that Kelly said, “we should have won.” After losing to Burke in Goshen, the Dawgs thrashed their rival on Lincoln’s 200th birthday.

The team made sectionals but seemed to lose its sense of urgency. An injury to James Spruill resulted in a Class B quarterfinal loss to O’Neill.

R.J. Rosa was cited as the team’s Most Improved Player. Brad Reimer was the clear choice for Most Outstanding Player. Reimer finished his career with 851 points in varsity (952 in all). He scored 388 this year and led the team in rebounding. In crunch times, Kelly would remind the stalwart senior, “Now it’s Reimer time.”

Cheerleading coaches Tara Brey and Nina Verdeber praised their squad and said, “We were small but we did a fantastic job.” The team worked all season to prepare for its competition in Downsville where they garnered third place and came away with the coveted Spirit Award. Victoria Tyles received the Coaches Award and Kendall Menges won the Varsity Basketball Cheerleading Award.

Girls indoor track coach Joe Seidl said that the “results speak for themselves.” Those included a 21-0 Division V winning record, a title repeat for the Sullivan County Championships and the school’s first-ever girls track Section Nine title.

The team has now compiled a streak of 37 consecutive wins that dates back to last winter. Last spring, the girls broke Tri-Valley’s streak of 129 straight wins that had lasted 23 years by winning the division title by a single point. They had beaten the Lady Bears for the division title last winter but came up short in sectionals. This year was an entirely different story.

“The girls made a decision to win it all,” Seidl said. “These are 24 of the best that this school has to offer,” he added.

Seidl enumerated some of the highlights and records.

Rianne Erlwein was Section Nine 1500 and 3000 champion. Olivia Seidl broke the school race walk record by 39 seconds. She finished second in Section Nine. Kendra Barker was the team’s leading scorer and top field athlete. She set a new school record in the high jump (5-0) and finished second in the high and long jumps in Section Nine. Morgan Hawkins was the Section Nine and Sullivan County champion in the 1000. She was also the sectional champ in the pole vault.

Co-captain Sara Alsdor took second in the 55 in Section Nine. She was the 55 hurdle champion in the county. Co-captain Kasi Pilny won the 600 at the Sullivan County Championships and added her strong running to the team’s second-place finish in the 800 and 1600 relays at Section Nine.

Katie Manzi was the Section Nine champion in the 300 and an integral part of the second-place finishes in the 800 and 1600 relays.

Brittany Reddish took fourth place in the shot put in Section Nine.

Rianne Erlwein won the Dedication to Excellence Award. The sophomore has been on varsity for four years. “She’s always ready to put forth hard work and lead by example,” Seidl said. “She is indispensable.”

Katie Manzi was named the Most Valuable Winter Indoor Track Athlete for her “exceptional efforts and commitment to excellence. She’s an integral part of our success,” Seidl said. “I’ve come to expect great things from her.”

Boys indoor track coach Ron Bauer cited great cooperation from athletes and parents. The team finished behind Liberty in the division and won 15 medals at the Sullivan County Championships where they finished third. Colin Seidl was named as the team’s Most Valuable Winter Indoor Track Athlete. Seidl was the Section Nine champion in the 1600 and 3200 and the county champion in both as well as the 1000. He won the state qualifier and went on to compete in the Eastern Regionals. This spring, Seidl will defend his state title in the steeplechase.

Mark Tesseyman was named Top Field Athlete. He set a new school record in the shot put (44-0) and took fourth in the shot put in Section Nine. Austin Erlwein also competed at the state qualifier. He took third in the high jump in Section Nine.

Junior varsity girls basketball coach Jeff Molusky thanked varsity coach Ron Bernhardt and assistant Billy Smith. The team went 13-5 this season and was 9-0 at one point. Molusky praised his team’s dedication.

Bernhardt described the varsity season as a “roller coaster ride.” Going 11-10, the team made sectionals despite personnel issues that saw their summer league juggernaut team with swagger morph into indecisiveness as players were called upon to play roles they hadn’t anticipated playing.

After going 10-5, the team lost five of its last six games. Three of those were to eventual sectional champions Cornwall, Highland and Tuxedo. A thrilling comeback win over Chapel Field was one of the highlights of the season that ended in a quarterfinal loss to Highland.

Bernhardt said that “through the roughest stretches of the season, the team behaved in a classy manner. Life is a series of tests, and loss is a seminar in which we will all be enrolled.”

Bernhardt thanked seniors Kristen Drobysh, Ella MacDonald and Lindsey Murphy. He cited Murphy’s selection as part of the All-Tournament team at the Corinne Feller Tournament at Valley Central. She scored 18 points and had numerous rebounds and assists. Katrina Graby was named to the top 10 All-Section Nine team. She averaged 13.9 points per game.

Ella MacDonald was named the Comeback Player of the Year. After suffering a torn ACL that kept her out all of last year, MacDonald fought back physically and mentally. But the loss of personnel thrust her into handling the point guard spot and playing 30 minutes per game. She rebounded and handled the pressure. She drew a team-leading six charges during the season.

Lindsey Murphy won the Perseverance Award. Even as other teams attempted to take away her space as the team’s greatest three-point shooting threat, and overcoming a broken pinky on her shooting hand, Murphy was the team’s second-leading scorer and was always on time and remained immensely positive.

At the conclusion of the awards, Franskevicz thanked the athletes, coaches, media and parents and encouraged everyone to hone in on the coming spring season.

For more photographs of award-winning athletes, see this week's print newspaper.