Athletics

The varsity boys & girls indoor track & field squads kicked their season into high gear, competing in a trio of elite invitationals over the recent break. In their first outing at Armory Track & Field Center, Minisink Valley collected one program record, two event wins and a number of Top 10 finishes at the Coaches' Hall of Fame Invitational! On the track, junior Robert LaBarbera established a new standard of 22.95 seconds in the 200-meter dash, having set a new school record in the 300 meter dash just a week prior. In the field events, juniors Ella Michelitch and Delilia Kronimus and senior Logan Schupner won individual titles. Michelitch prevailed with a mark of 5' 4" in the high jump, while Kronimus and Schupner won with clearances at 11' and 14' 6" in the pole vault, respectively. And in the 4x400 meter relay, the boys' quartet of LaBarbera, Samuel Anderson, Benjamin Spevak and Jon Mausling raced to fifth-place showing in 3:30.41. At the recent U.S. Marine Corps Holiday Classic, Minisink Valley collected a trio of podium finishes. Having earlier broken the school record for the 600-meter run in his first open event of the season, senior Samuel Anderson moved to #2 all time in program history for the 800-meter run, storming to win his heat and finishing third in a time of 1:54.90. Robert LaBarbera finished third in the 400-meter dash in a time of 50.19 seconds, continuing his strong start to the young season. The relay squad of Ferrah Hill, Chloe Beck, Zoey Terpak and Kaleigh Murphy closed out the meet as runners-up in the 1600 meter sprint medley relay, with a time of 4:28.86. And at the recent Armory Hispanic Games, Samuel Anderson took down his second program record of the season in 48.76 seconds in the 400-meter dash. In the girls' 400- meter dash, junior Ferrah Hill also eclipsed a long-standing school record, finishing fifth in 1:02.07. Logan Schupner and Delila Kronimus each stood second on the podium, with Schupner establishing a new program record clearance of 15' 9". And high jump standout Ella Michelitch returned to competition in winning style, eclipsing a two-decade old school record with a jump of 5 '6 ". Today, the team competes at The Armory with high hopes of advancing to the prestigious Millrose Games.

The Girls Freestyle Wrestling team delivered an outstanding performance at the recent Coxsackie Girls Tournament, showcasing their skill, determination, and teamwork With multiple first-place finishes and strong individual results across all brackets, the team surged to an impressive 271.5 team points, earning it the coveted first-place trophy! Congratulations and well-done! “The success at this tournament is a testament to the hard work, commitment, and talent of the Freestyle Wrestling team,” said Assistant Coach Travis Edwards. ”With each wrestler contributing to the team's overall victory, the squad has proven they are a force to be reckoned with.” A BRACKET INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: ●114 lb. weight class Kiera Filip, first place Kiera outperformed her competition, winning 10-3 by decision and earning a well-deserved first-place finish in the A Bracket. ●132 lb. weight class Sarah Pauls, first place Sarah earned a decisive 19-8 tech fall victory, reinforcing her technical mastery and ensuring another gold medal for the team. . ●145 lb. weight class Jaida Macaluso, first place Jaida clinched a 16-6 tech fall victory, demonstrating exceptional control and technique in her matches, earning the first-place finish in the A Bracket. ●235 lb. weight class Patricia Deslandes, first place Patricia continued her impressive streak, securing a quick victory with a fall in just 30 seconds, demonstrating her dominance on the mat. B BRACKET INDIVIDUAL RESULTS ●107 lb. weight class Amelia Patzelt, first place Amelia claimed the top spot in the B Bracket with a 24-13 tech fall, proving her technical wrestling prowess and composure in key moments. ●128 lb. weight class Avery Wingan, first place Avery exhibited dominant wrestling, securing a 10-0 tech fall to win the B Bracket, further contributing to the team's success. ●165 lb. weight class Caitlin McIlroy, first place Caitlin made an impact with a fall in 3:48, clinching the title in the B bracket with a well-executed strategy and determination. Treven Costello, fourth place Treven showed great effort and grit throughout the tournament, earning a solid fourth-place finish in a competitive bracket.

Kudos to the Varsity Cheer team, which has continued its annual tradition of adopting a family this holiday season. Before the break, the cheer “elves” gathered to wrap gifts for two families. “We hope these gifts brighten the holidays for these two families,” said Head Coach Patti Archiere. “This is very meaningful to us. Our cheerleaders and their families look forward to doing this every year and we hope it brings smiles to the faces of the recipients.”

Girls Wrestling Varsity Head Coach Dan Gallo is thrilled to share that the Girls Wrestling Program held its first-ever female varsity wrestling tournament on Dec. 15! It was also the first-ever tournament hosted by at Section IX team! The “Iron Maiden” Tournament featured 170 wrestlers from Minisink Valley, Middletown, Shenendehoah, Shaker, Columbia, Warwick, Valley Central, Burke Catholic, Warrensburg, Port Jervis and LaSalle. Minisink Valley, the home team, won the team title with 327 points! Middletown finished in second-place with 226 points with Shaker in third-place just under 175 points. Individual weight-class championships were won by Peyton Matone, Jaida Macaluso and Brooke Besson! Congratulations to Keira Filip, Madison Thorpe, Sara Pauls and Patricia Deslandes for making it to the Finals; and to Summer LaRusso, McKenna Matone, Colby Furman, Trevon Costello and Amelia Patzelt for placing top three. Congratulations and well-done to all!

Kudos to the Boys Wrestling Program, which has collected enough food items to create 10 to 15 non-perishable food baskets during this holiday season for Minisink Cares to help those dealing with food insecurity, Since 2020, the Boys Wrestling Program has partnered up with Minisink Cares to donate food baskets. WELL-DONE and thank you to all! Your kindness will make a difference!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Varsity Cheer team, who earned a bid to compete at the UCA National HS Cheerleading Championship in Orlando Florida in February. The bid was earned following their competition at last Saturday’s UCA Pocono Regional at Mohegan Sun in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The team will be competing in the Small Varsity Division II division! #MINISINKProud

BEHIND THE SCENES: Take a look at these wonderful photos from Friday's "Heart of a Giant" surprise announcement! We all get a chance to see some of the cool, non-public areas of MetLife Stadium, including the Giants ' locker room! Congratulations again to Senior Vanessa Tepper! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD

It’s a huge deal to qualify for and participate in State Competition! Please join us in congratulating Senior Briana Foote, who represented Minisink Valley and Section IX with distinction and finished in19th place overall in the 50m freestyle (18th in the Federation) and 21st place overall in the 100m butterfly (13th in the Federation) in the recent NYSPHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving Championship! She jumped multiple places up from her original predicted seed!

Some very awesome news about members of our NYSPHSAA Varsity Volleyball Regional Championship team! Take a look at these wonderful achievements! • Kayla Wasserman has been named to the NYS All-State 1st team, State Tournament All-Star team, the Section IX Class AA 1st team and is the Section IX Player-of-the-Year! • Angelina Rivera has been named to the NYS All-State 2nd team, All-Section All-Star Class AA 1st team and is All-Section All-Star Class AA MVP! • Anghela Jackson has been named to the All-Section All-Star Class AA 1st team! • Chloe Marcovecchio has been named to the All-Section All-Star Class AA 2nd Team! • Salma Hasan earned the NYSPHSAA Volleyball Sportsmanship award during the recent championship tournament!

Saturday evening Volleyball update: Our Varsity Volleyball team played hard, with determination and tremendous grit, winning one out of three matches at today's NYSPHSAA Volleyball Championship Class AA semi-finals, but the team will not be advancing to tomorrow's final meet. But! The team earned third-place honors...the third best Class AA team in New York State! This team achieved a level of achievement not seen in 24 years at Minisink Valley, and there's much to celebrate! Please join us in congratulating the players and coaches for a magnificent season.

AND....THEY"RE OFF! What a great, fun CLAP OUT! Go get 'em, ladies! We're rooting for you You got this! Good luck at the NYSPHSAA Volleyball Championships! A special thank you to Megan Earl Sullivan, a member of the 2000 Varsity Volleyball team ---the last time our Varsity Volleyball team went to the NYSPHSAA Championships --- who stopped by (wearing the silver medal the team won that year, btw)) to give a pep talk to the 2024 team! SO COOL! THANK YOU to everyone who made this evening possible and who joined us! We appreciate you!

It’s a huge deal to qualify for and participate in State Competition! Please join us in congratulating Senior Ryan Capo, who represented Minisink Valley and Section IX with distinction and finished in 62nd place at this past weekend’s NYSPHSAA Cross Country Championships with a time of 16:34. As a team, Section IX finished in second place! “We want to take a moment to celebrate his incredible achievements and dedication,” said Varsity Coach Nichole Gaucher. “This season has been a testament to his hard work, determination, and passion for the sport.”

While it's not the outcome everyone hoped for, we're beyond proud of the grit and determination our Varsity Football team showed in this evening's loss to Cornwall, 27-26. The team fought until the last seconds of the game and their tenacity and resolve are examples for everyone to follow. Please join us in congratulating the players and coaches for a great season.

VOLLEYBALL FANS! Finally! We're happy to share ticket information for the Nov. 16 NYSPHSAA regional volleyball matchup: Minisink Valley vs. Union- Endicott (Section IV champions) in the Class AA regional game. Game time is 5 p.m. Please note, scroll all the way down the ticket page for information. https://gofan.co/event/2238152?schoolId=NYSPHSAAIV

Cheers to Senior Football scorekeepers Addison Cole and Logan Barry, who were recognized for their many contributions to the Football Program during their recent Senior Night! Congratulations and best wishes!

FOOTBALL FANS: Here's the ticket information for the Nov. 15 Section IX Class A championship football game against Cornwall. Tickets are $7 each. https://gofan.co/event/2221575?schoolId=NYSPHSAA9 Can't make it to the game? You can watch it on the NFHS Network. Important note: A NFHS subscription is required to watch the game. https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/nysphsaasix/gambffca9081e

Sunday afternoon news! While it's not the outcome everyone hoped for, we're beyond proud to share that our Varsity Cheer Team placed 8th in New York State at today's NYSPHSAA Game Day Cheerleading Champion meet at Hudson Valley Community College! Please join us in congratulating the team for a job well done! This team had tenacity, grit and determination in a field of competitors that Varsity Coach Patti Archiere called very tough. "Eighth in the state, we'll take that," she said. "Our girls were amazing. They worked so hard and they did a magnificent job. I'm so proud of their efforts and I know everyone at Minisink is, too."

Breaking Friday night news! We're going to the Section IX finals! Minisink Valley beats Our Lady of Lourdes in a fantastic 42-7 win! Next up: Minisink Valley will meet Cornwall in the Section IX championship game at FDR High School on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. Watch for ticket information soon!

Congratulations and best wishes to the senior members of the Varsity Football team, who were honored during their recent senior night: Patrick Cherry, Kevin Crowe-Bailey, Keith Henry, Michael Hughson, Jake Luciano, Dominic Marasco, Charlie Olsen, Joseph Sullivan and Nate Tormey! Thank you for all your contributions to the team’s success!

Congratulations to the Varsity Volleyball team, which swept Washingtonville in the Section IX Class AA semi-finals tonight: 25-18; 25-13; and 25-8! Next up is the Section IX Class AA championship match, where the team will play the winner of tonight's Valley Central vs. FDR matchup on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 12:30 p.m. at Mount Saint Mary College! WE GOT THIS! GO MINISINK VALLEY! GET TICKETS NOW: Tickets are $7 each https://gofan.co/event/2141159?schoolId=NYSPHSAA9