Masters Relay Stars: Rivertowns Daily Sports Digest, Feb. 20

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Masters track shines

We thank the Masters School for the below submission:

DOBBS FERRY, NY (February 17, 2012)—Until this year, The Masters School—a 135-year-old coeducational boarding and day school located on a 96-acre campus in Dobbs Ferry, New York—had never fielded a track and field team. As a ‘blank slate,’ expectations for the team’s success were modest. But those ‘realistic’ expectations were shattered on Thursday night, February 16, at the New York State Association for Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Qualifying Meet where four Masters School athletes qualified and won the right to compete at next month’s Indoor State Championship.

The four Masters athletes who will compete at the State Championships are members of the 800m relay team that won a dramatic, come-from-behind victory and met the qualifying standard with a time of 1 minute and 39.66 seconds. They are (in order of their respective legs): sophomore Ronnell Canada of Newark, New Jersey; senior and Team Tri-Captain Allen Tian of China; junior Greig Fields of Katonah, New York; and senior Omari Welch of Boston, Massachusetts. And, in addition to qualifying for the state championship in the 800m relay, Fields won the triple jump. Thus, he will represent Masters in both the relay and his individual event at the state championship at Cornell University on Saturday, March 3.

“Grieg Fields’s victory in the triple jump, breaking his own record by two and a half feet; Team Tri-Captain Allen Tian leading the 800m relay with a sprained wrist; Omari Welch running a stunning leg of that relay to overtake two other relay teams and win the event . . . these were the obvious heroics of the night,” comments Co-Coach Chris Wade. “But they weren't the only highlights. Freshman Susan Aracena and junior Bashayer Al-Mulla asked to run and then ran their hearts out in three grueling sprint events. All three shot putters—Matt Wax, Ana Garlock, and Chris McIntyre, threw several feet over their personal records and, in Chris’s case, only a few feet under the mark he needed for a trip to the state meet. Senior Tri-Captain Emma Palitz overcame painful shin splints to run a personal record that was only a half second off the qualifying standard in the girls 55m race.”

“Having said that, the entire team lived up to this standard of personal accomplishment,” Wade continues. “Even without all the official results, we know that every Masters athlete scored at or above his or her own records and that the thunderous applause we heard for our victorious 800m relay was really a celebration of a program that has made a name for itself in its first season.”

“Although the state qualifiers were maybe the biggest stories of the meet, there were also some impressive performances in the middle and long distance events,” says Co-Coach Vince Galgano. “Building off of their training from the fall cross country season, senior Sasha Kleszy set a new personal record in the boys 600m with a personal best time of 1:33.61 to place seventh out of 32 competitors, while sophomore Evi Robinson and junior Jackie Hueneke ran impressive times in the girls 1600m, just beginning to tap their potential in the distance events. We also discovered talent in two boys new to the sport. Junior Dazian Lizardo won his heat of the boys 600m with a personal best time of 1:36 to place eighth out of 32 racers, and freshman Erin Kopf also won his heat of the boys 1000m.

“Although we will be losing these athletes in the spring to baseball and golf respectively,” Galgano adds, “their tenacity and dedication this winter showed that athletes from other sports can find success in track and field. All told, I couldn't be more excited for this team and the future of the Masters Track and Field program."

Girls playoff hoops

In the opening round of the Section 1 Class B playoffs, two-time defending state champion Irvington defeated visiting Pleasantville 68-32, host Dobbs Ferry was victorious against North Salem 40-29 and Hastings lost to host Kennedy Catholic 60-17 on Feb. 17

See Rob Cristino's post on LoHud's Girls Basketball Blog for more details and other scores.

Boys playoff hoops

Pleasantville defeated visiting Hastings 54-39 on Feb. 17 in the first round of the Section 1 Class B Tournament.

For other results, see Josh Thomson's work on the LoHud Varsity Insider.

College News from Dick Miller

Tennis:

Facing U.M.B.C. at home on the 11th, the Hartford men's tennis team lost, 7-0, as Michael Kennelly (Irv.'10) dropped his hard fought doubles match, 8-7, in a tie breaker, and then lost his singles match, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Teammate Alex Holdstein (H '10) lost his doubles match, 8-3, and then also dropped his singles match, 6-0, 7-5. With Boston College as the hosts on the 12th,  Kennelly lost at #4 singles, 6-2:6-1, and Holdstein lost at #5 singles, 6-0:6-1.

Basketball:

At home with Gordon, Lisa Bucci (Irv.'10) of Salve Regina sank a trey and had 2 boards in her team's 63-42 win, with the record at 15-8:12-4.

In the final regular season game at Bowdoin, Tara Gabelman (Irv.'10) had a team high of 17 points, plus 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal in the 73-60 loss to the Polar Bears. The season's record was 16-6:5-5.

Hosting Oswego, New Paltz topped their guests, 73-62, with Pippa Mansdorf (H '10) having a basket and 2-2 at the courtesy line, for 4 points in the matinee. The Hawks have a record of 15-8:13-3.

In a 73-51 loss at home with Cortland, Albie Skrelji (H '09) of Oneonta had 4 points, the result of a layup plus 2-2 in four tries, plus 1 board and 1 assist in the matinee. The Red Dragons record is now 2-21:1-15.

In a narrow 73-71 loss to hosts R.I.T., Kevin Dahill (D.F. '09) of Skidmore had a basket, 1 assist, 1 block, and a steal in the game. The Thoroughbreds record is now 14-8:8-5.

Riley Harrington (Irv. ‘10) of St. Thomas Aquinas had 1 assists in her five's 72-65 overtime win over C.W. Post, lifting the team's record to 13-10:8-5 on the season.

On tap today:

Dobbs Ferry H.S., Hastings H.S. and Irvington H.S.:

No games scheduled.

Source: http://sportspakdb.lhric.org

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