Walt Whitman HS Senior Athletes Awarded Gold Keys

HUNTINGTON STATION, NY — Twelve Walt Whitman High School senior athletes were honored with Gold Key Awards, the highest honor in Section XI that an athlete can receive for sports participation, the South Huntington School District announced.

The awards were handed out during a ceremony at the Fox Hollow in Woodbury, along with the Wildcat Booster Club awards, Maroon and White Awards athletic scholarships, and the induction of the 1986 Girls Varsity Soccer Team into the Wildcat Booster Club Athletic Hall of Fame.

The Gold Key is one of the most established and most recognized awards in Suffolk County Athletics. It represents an athlete’s dedication and commitment throughout their high school career.

Section XI selects the recipients, recognizing athletes who letter in eight junior varsity or varsity seasons in grades 10 through 12. t requires an athlete to also maintain a positive balance between athletics and academics. Section XI governs interscholastic athletics in Suffolk following the New York State Education Department and the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.

The Wildcat Booster Club awards are recommended by coaches and are not about being the best athlete on the field, but recognizing senior student-athletes’ commitment to their sport, their team and their community.

The 1986 Girls Varsity Soccer team won the NYS Championship. They scored five goals in the first 20 minutes against a powerhouse upstate team from Vestal. The team was a mix of juniors and seniors from the 1985 NYS Championship team, as well as a group of talented sophomores. Whitman was the first Suffolk County team to win back-to-back NYS Championships. This team produced two high school All-Americans and six All-County Players.

Gold Key Award Recipients: Thomas Bass, Alex Bogdani, Michael Coppola, Olivia DelPriore, Sawyer Diamond, Liana Dreusike, Declan Hill, Ryan Hill, Emma Kowalczyk, Emily McGowan, Shaelyn Scharpf, and Elizabeth Schreiber.

Maroon and White Scholarships: John Addis, Jordan Badalamenti, Gavin Bermudez, Jenna Crocco, Sienna Guerrero, Emma Kowalczyk, Connor LaRegina, Mason Lockhart, Emily McGowan, Colin Murphy, and Shaeyln Scharpf

Walt Whitman "Excellence," "Athletic," and "Memorial" Award Winners - Noelle Decker, Sawyer Diamond, Kasey Wagner, Elizabeth Schreiber, John Villella, Jacob Somer, Patrick Soulias, Alex Bogdani, Gavin Bermudez, and Rufino Oliva.