By Rob Potter
SULLIVAN COUNTY — January 6, 2003 – Several local high school sports teams recently earned honors for good performances in the classroom and on the playing field.
According to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHAA), seven Sullivan County scholastic teams qualified for Section IX and/or state accolades during the fall 2003 sports season.
This is the 13th year that NYSPHAA has honored such teams. During those years, the program has received continued sponsorship by the Pupil Benefits Plan, Inc.
Among those outstanding teams was the Monticello Central School girls’ soccer team. The Lady Panthers earned state and Section IX honors with a cumulative grade point average (g.p.a.) of 97.333, which was best among Section IX girls’ soccer teams. In the state rankings, Monticello was second only to Pulaski High School, which posted a g.p.a. of 97.656.
Members of the Monticello girls’ soccer team included: Anastasia Ballard, Christa Billias, Vicki Carter, Sara Colacurcio, Nichole DeFazio, Laura Ferranti, Erin Goodman, Rachael Huffman, Erica Kalber, Katie Mahan, Lisa Manz, Ashley Morse, Brittany Morse, Taqiyya Robinson, Allyson Strong, Sara Thornton, Jessica Vandermuelen, Kristen Van Hage, Jenna Widmann and Emily Zier.
Two other Monticello teams also garnered scholar/athlete honors. Those squads were the boys’ soccer team and the girls’ tennis team.
The Panther soccer team registered a g.p.a. of 92.583, which was second among Section IX boys’ soccer teams. Members of the squad included: Edwin Angel, Jesse Bulaga, Dan Catalano, Hugh Campbell, Chris Conway, Dave Dunlap, Dustin Foss, Justin Gray, Scott Kaplan, Krystian Krol, Tyler Laufersweiler, Chi Woo Lee, Bruce Miranda, Ben Newberg, Zach Pantel, Todd Sonnenschein, Oshane Tate and Ken Trujillo.
The Lady Panther tennis team posted a 96.444 g.p.a., which was the best among Section IX teams. Members of the team included: Ashley Bloom, Alexis Brinkerhoff, Tara Feller, Kim Franklin, Rochelle Gibson, Meredith Gray, Kylie Hallett-Halperin, Meredith Levine, Taryn Lounsbury, Ashley Mangabang, Gabriela Medina, Janessa Shaw and Caitlin Van Keuren.
Two Tri-Valley Central School athletic squads, the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, qualified for scholar/athlete status. The Bears posted a g.p.a. of 92.167, which was fifth among Section IX teams. The Lady Bears recorded a 92.965 g.p.a., which was 10th in Section IX.
Members of the T-V boys’ soccer team were: Ryan Briggs, Zach Bright, Matt Calabrese, David Cali, James Connolly, Glenn Currey, Hank Currey, John Garigliano, Martin Henry-Lester, Brett Hyde, Devin Kaminski, Chris Kenney, Abram Leon, Dan Mahoney, Fred Moore, Anthony Rivas, Brandon Scott, Crawford Watson and Jonathan Waxman.
Members of the T-V girls’ soccer team were: Kaylie Ackerley, Melissa Bachmann, Candace Carroll, Alice Cook, Rebecca Cosentino, Nikki Dean, Maria Jeltsch, Heather Knox, Jill Knox, Eileen Krom, Lee Anna Larison, Amanda Martin, Lacey Moore, Tiffany Paul, Cecelia Pompeii, Jamie Poulos, Cindi Seibert, Karyn Sheeley and Anni VanNostrand.
Another Sullivan County team honored as a scholar/athlete squad was the Fallsburg girls’ tennis team, which also includes a few girls who are students in the T-V school district. The team posted a 93.227 g.p.a., which was 11th in Section IX.
Members of the Fallsburg/T-V girls’ tennis team included: Samantha Bennett, Leslie Cole, Beth Dainack, Kim Devore, Carly Ehrlich, Vanessa Lescano, Jacqueline Levine, Melissa Mielnicki, Jackie Perito, Bianca Rappaport, Cathleen Rose, Cassie Salomon, Lisa Scheinman and Morgan Slimskey.
The other Sullivan County team to meet the NYSPHSAA scholar/athlete requirements was the Livingston Manor girls’ soccer team. The Lady Wildcats were seventh among Section IX squads, posting a 93.492 g.p.a.
Members of the team were: Jessica Bouton, Allison Coe, Darlene Cruz, Emily Dalrymple, Kate Ellison, Laura Hanratty, Melissa Hoos, Tegan Kern, Carrie Lewis, Dana Mannel, Mary Mills, Anna Misner, Danielle Murphy, Tiffany Parker, Katie Portz, Heather Sherwood, Ashley Taggart, Jennifer Taggart, Lin Wagner and Elizabeth Weickum.