Former Nanuet Football Star Shines; STAC Endures

The 'College Sports Notebook' is published each Friday. Please send items of interest—including local athletes competing at out-of-town colleges—to marcmaturo@aol.com.

--

On the friendly fields of strife—as General MacArthur would intone—Mount Ida College, anchored at center by veteran junior Matt Bonomolo of Pearl River, lost any possibility of winning a conference title while Maritime solidified its chances with a scintillating victory sparked by freshman standout Greg Caneparo of Nanuet.

Caneparo, who as a sophomore at Nanuet High was a teammate of Bonomolo’s, sparked the homestanding Privateers with a performance that would earn him Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Caneparo helped shatter the Mustangs’ title aspirations by amassing 149 yards on six kickoffs for an average of 24.8 yards per return, helping the Maritime football team outlast Mount Ida, 31-29, at Reinhart Field in Throggs Neck.

Caneparo, 5-foot-7, 155 pounds, had two long returns in the game on Military Appreciation Day: the first was a 59-yard return in the first quarter that gave Maritime possession in the Mustangs’ red zone, and the second came in the fourth quarter, a 43-yard return that started the Privateers on Mount Ida’s side of the field. Maritime wound up scoring the eventual game-winning touchdown on that drive.

The Privateers blocked what would’ve been a game-tying two-point conversion with 51 seconds left on the clock, and then recovered the ensuing on-side kick to ensure their sixth straight victory, and fourth in the conference, following a season-opening loss.

“It was a great game, but I wish we could have come up with the other end of the stick,” said Bonomolo, a durable 235-pounder who has started 26 of 28 games in his collegiate career. “We could have pulled it off, but it’s still a decent season—3-4, and 2-2 in the conference. We have three (games) left; we’re hoping to win out, go 6-4 with an outside chance of an ECAC bowl game.”

Last year Bonomolo helped Mount Ida earn its first trip to a bowl game in school history, a 26-17 loss to Springfield.

Bonomolo—whose cousin Chris Klass, a sophomore back, is another Nanuet grad playing on Maritime, but who was sidelined with a knee injury—was not surprised by Caneparo’s effort.

“He’s always a hard worker, plays hard. He was a game-changer with those returns,” Bonomolo noted. “We were teammates at Nanuet; I was a senior, and he was a sophomore. He’s a great football player.”

Many Nanuet people were at the game, Bonomolo pointed out, including the recently retired legendary Golden Knights coach Rich Conklin.

“He (Caneparo) picked the right game to do well,” Bonomolo added. “It was great to be playing close to my home, but like I said, it could have been better at the other end of the stick. Chris (Klass) was at the game, on the sideline. We spoke after the game and he said it was a clean, hard game. I wish he could have been out there.”

Bonomolo was equally disappointed that Mount Ida’s star tailback, Johrone Bunch, the second-leading rusher in Division III, was lost for the balance of the game after being injured in the first half, with one touchdown and 75 yards.

“When he went down that hurt out offense,” Bonomolo assessed. “Still and all, it was one heck of a game, exciting right to the end. We had plenty of chances to win—the defense gave us some short fields; it could have been a different outcome. Our goal now is to win out, and play in another bowl game.”

The Mustangs (3-4, 2-2 ECFC) travel to ECFC rival Becker College (1-7) in Worcester, MA, on Saturday for a 2 p.m. game.

Maritime also takes to the road on Saturday, heading to Bangor, ME, to take on winless ECFC-opponent Husson University. Game time is scheduled for noon at the Eagles’ Winkin Sports Complex.

Spartans go down running

The standout women’s cross team at St. Thomas Aquinas College put its East Coast Conference title on the line at the C.W. Post campus in Brookville, but despite an all-out effort placed a close second to the host Pioneers.

The Pioneers, with 56 points, not only dethroned the Lady Spartans, who had 65, but also swept to the men’s championship in a race in which STAC finished a respectable third.

In the women’s race, Dowling finished a distant third behind STAC with 102 points, followed by NYIT with 105, Molloy with 109, Queens with 136, Bridgeport with 158, and District of Columbia with 185.

“Post swept; I think it is pretty evident that the home course paid off,” noted STAC assistant coach Drew Gangemi. “What are you going to do? But we had raced there early in the season, in September, so it wasn’t totally new to us. The girls did what we could ask of them, they ran a tough race. It just wasn’t in the cards. All of our girls, though, ran to the best of their ability—but second place is second place.”

Gangemi, who handles the distance teams during the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons, lauded Sarah Callagy, a senior from Poughkeepsie who made second-team all-conference, and senior Chelsea Klinger of Owego.

“They were banged up a bit—Sarah has something like shin splints, and Chelsea a chronic knee problem,” said Gangemi, also applauding the powerful third-place effort of sophomore Keeley Bateman of Pearl River, and freshman Catherine Sandkuhl of North Babylon, a second-team all-conference pick.

Bateman was named to the all-conference first team. On the men’s side, freshman Joe Chegwidden of Hamburg, NJ, and sophomore Mike Galonski of Newton, NJ, were named second-team all-conference.

Bateman and Callagy established their positions in the front pack early in the race. Bateman crossed the line in 19:19 in third place. At 20:08 Callagy came through for a ninth-place finish.  Sandkuhl (12th place) and promising freshman Katelyn Garvey of Pearl River (16th place) also ran a great race for STAC, completing the 5K course in 20:33 and 21:17, respectively.  A trio of seniors filled the next three spots and guaranteed the team’s second-place finish: Klinger was clocked in 21:38 followed by Lisa Brevogel of Congers in 22:04 and Lauren Karpoich of Middle Island in 22:07.  Junior Ashley Santa Teresa of Nanuet, and freshman Ashley Weintraub of Hurleyville worked together throughout the race finishing in 23:45 and 23:46.

Fourth-year head coach Nicole Ballou was quoted as being very proud of the women’s team.

“They work extremely hard and deserve to be recognized as one of the top teams in the ECC,” Ballou said. “I give a lot of credit to our seniors who took ownership of this team as freshmen, and have turned the program into a success.  We are going to miss them next year, but they have set the bar high.”

Chegwidden led the Spartans’ men’s team for the fourth consecutive race finishing in ninth place in a personal-best 26:50. Galonski took 12th place in 27:18 followed by freshman Alex Andre of North Rockland, who crossed the line in 28:16 (20th place). Sophomores Matt Buell of Staten Island (29-flat) and Mike Kraus of River Vale, NJ (29:23) were the final two scorers for STAC.  Senior Matt Muniz of Suffern completed his final collegiate cross country race in 33:39 while sophomore Stephen Dietrich of New City finished in 34:24. 

“I think this third-place finish is a sign of great things to come,” Ballou added. “We’ll be looking for our sophomores to take on a leadership role as we move forward.”

C.W. Post took the men’s team title with 39 points followed by Molloy with 53 points.  STAC finished third with 96 points. Completing the field were Queens, 99; Dowling, 115; District of Columbia, 140; NYIT, 172; and Bridgeport, 201.

The Spartans are now pointing to Sunday, Nov. 6 when both teams compete at the NCAA East Regional at famed Franklin Park in Boston, MA.

Markolovic stands out for Big Red

The Cornell University Big Red cross country teams hosted their final home meet of the regular season at the Moakley Course in Ithaca with the 25th John Reif Memorial Run, and got some valuable preparation for Saturday’s Ivy League Heptagonal Championships at West Windsor Fields in Princeton, NJ.

The men’s 8k race on Saturday is set to start at 11 a.m., followed by the women’s 6k at noon.

Racing on a course soaked by persistent rain, the Cornell men and women competed as individuals against representatives from Buffalo, Cortland, SUNY-ESF and Syracuse along with several unattached and club competitors. (There was no team scoring.)

Junior Suzana Markolovic of Tappan made the most of her outing, clocking an eighth-place time of 19:31.4 for the Big Red, who are ranked No. 3 in the region.

Dugandzic sparks Chargers

Powered by senior Sarah Dugandzic of Suffern, who raced to sixth place in a time of 20:19, the Dominican College women’s cross country finished in third place at the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championships at Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia, PA. 

The host Rams, with 21 points, took home its fourth straight conference crown with all five runners finishing in the top 11.

Wilmington University was second with 61 points, followed by Dominican with 67.

Georgian Court University came home fourth with 121 points, while Nyack College was fifth with 160, and claimed the Anne Jackson Memorial Team Sportsmanship Award.

Also powering Dominican was sophomore Jessica Avila of Mount Vernon, eighth in 20:43; and captain Samantha Klunk of York, PA, who was 12th place with a time of 20:56.  Dugandzic, Avila, and Klunk earned all-CACC accolades.

Krystal Campbell of New Windsor clocked 21:20 to finish 19th, while freshman standout Renee Roncace of Valley Cottage, a Nyack High graduate, was 22nd in 21:35.

CACC representatives next compete at the NCAA Division II East Region Championship, set for Nov. 6 at Franklin Park in Boston, MA.

Greany great for Friars

Junior Shelby Greany of Suffern broke the Stanley Park course record—as did sophomore teammate Emily Sisson of Chesterfield, MO—to lead the seventh-ranked Providence College women’s cross country team to first place at the Central Connecticut State Invitational in New Britain, CT.

The race—which served as a tune-up for Saturday’s Big East Championships in Louisville, KY—ended with the Friars conquering a six-team field with 37 points, 12 better than runner-up Quinnipiac.

Providence’s two all-Americans, Greany and Sisson, completed the 3-kilometer run in first and second place, respectively. The pair both crossed in 10:06, two seconds better than the course record, set by Friars teammate Mary Kate Champagne of Plattsburg last fall.

Freshman Julie Solimine of Haverill, MA, was seventh in 10:31, just ahead of classmate Devyn Pryor of Dartmouth, MA, who was 11^th in 10:44.

Sophomore Jackie McCarthy of New Rochelle rounded out the scoring in 16th place, crossing in 10:56.

A little dash of Dashi

Sparked by a revamped lineup that featured freshman forward Roberto Dashi of Nyack as a lone striker, the Mercy College men’s soccer team beat visiting Philadelphia University, 3-0, and stopped an eight-game losing streak full of hard-luck one-goal losses. 

Dashi, a graduate of Clarkstown South, was flanked by two wings and several central midfielders, and helped Mercy display exceptional ball movement from the outset.

The Mavericks improved their record to 6-9-1 and dropped Philadelphia to 5-11. 

Dobbs Ferry struck quickly as Dashi converted a deflected shot past freshman goalkeeper Thomas Attamante of West Orange, NJ, for his first career goal, and a 1-0 lead.

The Mavericks close out the season at Dowling (5-7-3) on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Brookhaven.

Mortarboard musings

• Sophomore Russ Vignali of Congers ran 45^th as the Lehigh University men’s cross country team placed fourth with 116 points at the Lafayette Invitational in Easton, PA. The Clarkstown North graduate was clocked in 28:12.8 in a field of 111 runners representing 13 schools. The Mountain Hawks, who had split their squad to compete in Easton, will field a full squad on Saturday to compete in the Patriot League Championships, hosted by Lehigh on the Goodman Campus course at 11 a.m.
• The Manhattan women’s soccer team used a second half scoring surge to earn a 2-1 victory over Saint Peter’s (2-13-1, 1-6 MAAC) in Jersey City, N.J. The Jaspers’ starting lineup included senior forward Megan Lavecchia of Pomona. Nicole Landes of Stony Point, a junior midfielder, and Elisa Cullaro of New City, a freshman back, were used as substitutes for the Jaspers (3-8-2, 1-3-1), who are visiting Loyola in Baltimore, MD, tonight at 7 o’clock, and then meet Rider in Lawrenceville, NJ, on Sunday at 1 p.m.
• Tappan Zee alum Chris Holihan ended his home career with a win as the Manhattan College men’s soccer team outlasted Marist, 1-0. The Jaspers (3-12-1; 3-3-1 MAAC) are unbeaten in the last four matches including wins in three of the four. But the win was the first at home for men since Sept. 5, 2009 when they defeated Army 1-0, a streak of 19 contests. Manhattan hits the road for its final two contests against the top two teams in the conference in Fairfield and Iona. The Jaspers first face the Stags in Fairfield, CT, today (Oct. 28), and then will be in New Rochelle on Sunday at 1 p.m. to meet the Gaels.
• Junior reserve fullback Greg Schuster of New City is averaging 3.6 yards a carry for the University of Penn football team. Schuster, who attended Clarkstown North and the Salisbury (CT) School, was twice an all-league pick for the Rams. The Quakers (4-2) meet Brown University in Providence, RI, on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
• Clarkstown South graduate Mary Dutkowski of New City, and the College of Mount Saint Vincent women’s cross country team will be in action on Sunday at the Skyline Conference Championships in Williamstown, MA.
• The men’s soccer team at Nyack College, riding high at 9-4-2, hosts Bloomfield today at 3 p.m., while the women’s team (5-10) welcomes Felician on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Warriors’ volleyball team competes at the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) regional championships today and Saturday in Mount Vernon, OH. The national championships are scheduled Nov. 10-12 in Kissimmee, FL.
• Dominican College will salute its seniors on the men’s soccer team today (Oct. 28) when the Chargers host Post University at 3:30 p.m. On Saturday at 11 a.m., the Lady Chargers (6-6-1) welcome their Post counterparts. Senior honorees on the men’s team (8-5-3) are midfielders Artan Balaj of New City, a Clarkstown North alum, Alan Heavey of Huntington Station and John Langdon of Bellport; and celebrated goalkeeper Brandon Heembrock of Ottawa, Canada.
• Senior back Bill Piard of Nanuet, a graduate of Spring Valley High School, has recorded three assists for the University of Bridgeport soccer team. The Purple Knights turned back St. Thomas Aquinas College, 1-0, to post their fourth straight victory.  Bridgeport (9-5) visits Queens (6-7-3) on Saturday at 2 p.m. to help celebrate the Knights’ senior day.
• Suffern’s Justin Daniels had an assist, and won 10 of 18 face-offs, but the Northeastern University hockey team dropped a heartbreaking overtime loss, 4-3, to No.1-ranked Boston College in front of a capacity crowd of 4,746 at Matthews Arena. The Huskies (1-3-1) hope to rebound against New Hampshire (0-4-1) Saturday night at 7 o’clock in Durham.
• The St. Thomas Aquinas College men’s soccer team bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Bridgeport by blanking District of Columbia, 3-0, at Torne Valley Sports Complex in Hillburn. The Spartans (10-2-4) close the regular season on Sunday, meeting NYIT in Old Westbury at 2:30 p.m. The Bears (11-3-2) showcase eight international players. The respective women’s teams meet in a preliminary game at noon.
• The Northeastern University men’s soccer team remained unbeaten at home with a 3-0 victory over Drexel. The win elevated the Huskies’ record to 9-5-2 (5-3-1 Colonial Athletic Association) while the Dragons fell to 4-10-2 (3-5-1 CAA). Northeastern remains undefeated at Parsons Field on the year, with only one home contest remaining, a crucial match-up in the playoff push with Old Dominion on Saturday at 6 p.m. Sophomore defender Conner Alexander of Blauvelt has appeared in 14 games for the Huskies.