Top Seven Athletes from the Fall Season

The Mepham Pirates and Kennedy Cougars both provided fans with a ton of great games in the fall, but here are the top seven athletes that made the action all the more exciting.

7. Ben Hirschler (Kennedy boys volleyball)

Hirschler followed up an All-County junior year with an All-State senior year and the Cougars' third straight Nassau County championship.

The 6-foot-3 outside hitter had a game-high 12 kills against Floral Park back on Nov. 11 to lead the Cougars to the Nassau County Class B title. He was also named MVP of the Class B tournament.

6. Dante Ippolito (Mepham boys soccer)

Ippolito finished the 2010 season as one of the goal-scoring leaders in Conference III and a member of the All-County team, which is all the more impressive given the fact that he is a sophomore.

Ippolito's quickness and smarts on the field helped lead the Mepham Pirates to several big victories, including a 3-1 victory over Long Beach on Oct. 20 in which the spectacular sophomore scored all three of his team's goals.

5. Drew Satnick (Kennedy boys soccer)

As a junior in 2009, Satnick received the honor of All-County Honorable Mention, but in 2010, Satnick completed his four-year career as a starter on varsity with a well-deserved All-State award.

"Coaching a player of Drew's ability and soccer IQ for four years has been a privilege," said Kennedy head coach Jason Elias.

Satnick also played all 80 minutes of the Nassau Exceptional Seniors Game back in November.

4. Jill Picinich (Mepham girls soccer)

Picinich missed her entire junior season with a torn ACL, but that didn't stop her from having a monstrous senior year.

Picinich finished third in Nassau County with 19 goals, was an All-State nominee and an All-County selection, and helped lead the Mepham Lady Pirates to a 14-0-0 record during the regular season.

Picinich had several big games on the season, including back on Sept. 21 when she scored two goals in a 5-3 win over Long Beach.

3. Morgan Kitton (Kennedy girls soccer)

Currently a star on the Lady Cougars basketball team, Kitton's sport of choice is soccer, where she helped lead Kennedy to the second round of the playoffs and was named to the prestigious All-State team.

The senior finished the fall season with seven assists and a staggering 16 goals, two of which came in a pivotal tie against rival Calhoun back on Sept. 22.

2. Chris Shevins (Mepham football)

It was a big season for the Mepham Pirates football team, and at the center of the team's success was Shevins. The All-County linebacker tormented offenses all season long on the field and was a scholar off of the field.

Shevins was acknowledged for his athletic and academic abilities when he received the National Football Foundation's "Golden 11" Award, which recognizes the top 11 student-athletes from around Nassau County.

Shevins had seven tackles and a huge fumble recovery in Mepham's 13-6 win over Elmont in the Conference III quarterfinals.

1. Stephanie Bauman (Kennedy girls volleyball)

Being selected to the All-State team once is an honor for any athlete, but it takes a special kind of talent to be selected twice. So that must make Bauman Wonder Woman since she just received her third consecutive All-State selection after leading the Lady Cougars to the Nassau County finals this fall.

Bauman helped clear the way for Kennedy in the Nassau semifinals when she registered 10 kills against Garden City, and earned herself the top spot on our countdown.