sports
Introductions and Improvements
Local softballer looks to impress in debut season leading Wells College By Ste ve L aw re nc e
W
ell those 10 years sure went by fast… Back in the summer 2010, I was traipsing around the state watching travel softball, and my daughter had a teammate named Taylor Policay. I had been friends with Taylor’s dad, Tom (who played football at Ithaca College, taught in the Ithaca City Schools and has coached extensively), and given Tom’s gregarious nature, I assumed Taylor would have a lot to say. I was wrong. She smiled a lot, listened a lot, and she used that stored up energy to just smash the holy hell out of the ball. I saw Taylor play high school ball at Lansing (class of 2012) where she was All-IAC in softball and basketball, and I was pleased that she would play at TC3. I
love covering local athletes in collegiate sports, and it wasn’t long before Policay got her bearings at the next level. She starting cranking home runs on a regular basis, and she hit nine out of the park Taylor Policay receives the ball during her time as a TC3 Panther. (Photo provided) as a freshman. She set a record with two bombs in a playoff game, and and freshman Hannah Harmon—a former focus instead on academics. As a senior, she would finish with 14 homers in her Spencer-Van Etten Panther—will be batshe did an internship at Wells College two years as a Panther. (during which time the college was putting tling for playing time. After TC3, Taylor went to SUNY CortFor scheduling information, visit www. the pieces in place to restart their softball land and played club softball, choosing to wells-express.com.much program), and as a first-year graduate (Given my desire to stay alive, I would student at Cortland, she served as an assistant at Wells. She served in that capacity like to add that much of Taylor’s success can also be attributed to her mom, Barb.) until head coach Erin Walstenholme took an assistant coaching job at Shenedoah ● ● ● University in Virginia. When Walstenholme made that move, Mike Lindberg, It was a proud night for Ithaca High Wells College’s Athletic Director elevated Athletics, as two recently-retired coaches, Policay to the head coaching position, sayFrank Welch and Rich Bernstein, were inRoute 13 between Ithaca and Dryden. ing in a press release, “Her commitment ducted into the Section IV Hall of Fame’s to the players and dedication to teaching Accepting new patients. All ages. Most insurance. Class of 2020. makes Coach Policay an excellent fit with Welch graduated from Ithaca High in the Wells College community." 1971 and went on to coach for 42 years I caught up with Coach Policay at Instant Replay Sports (where she has worked (he was Section IV Coach of the Year six times). His teams won 411 games, 19 Secpart-time for several years) and I asked Our Services: tion IV Class A titles and he sent dozens of her about the program’s goals for the 2020 Medical players on to play at the collegiate level. season. “Our goal for this year,” Taylor Acne Bernstein’s boy’s and girl’s track and replied, “is to be better than we were last Rashes field teams won 29 STAC titles, and were year.” Excessive sweating chosen by the NYS Sportswriters AssociaTo be sure, college programs live and Infections tion as the eighth best team for the 1990s. die with their pitching staff, and Policay Itching Rich also sent many athletes to the next said, “Getting pitchers and catchers is Moles level, and he was honored to be chosen as always a big recruiting challenge,” and she Rosacea a coach for the Maccabiah Games. said she has turned many of her initial efI had the pleasure of interviewing both Skin cancer, including Melanoma forts toward that end. of these stellar coaches many times, and Urticaria (hives) When asked about the team’s spring Comprehensive Patch testing for contact allergy trip, Policay said, “We’re leaving for Myrtle I recall very clearly asking several college Brad Yentzer, MD, FAAD coaches about the Little Red athletes that Dermatologist Beach on March 7, and we’ll play eight Surgical: came up through Welch and Bernstein’s Finger Lakes Dermatology games there.” She added, “I’ll be workSkin biopsies and cancer surgery 607-708-1330 programs. Every college coach said the ing on determining what our best lineup fingerlakesderm.com Cyst removal same thing: That those players came in will be, and while I already know for the 2141 Dryden Road Mole removal with the physical skills and mental toughmost part, I’m expecting there will some Freeville, NY 13068 ness to make valuable contributions to switches when we get a look at what we their teams. • have.” When the Express returns home, they will open up one day before the first day of spring, and play on March 19 and 20. There are two local players on the roster, as Southern Cayuga’s Brittany Meade returns
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