The Classic December2002
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15
Girls unable to bounce back into Volleyball championships
Cunning_ham finishes marathon; raises funds for scholarship
Newtown in two games, the first 25-9, by Elyse Lee The Hawks' volleyball season came and the second 27-25. Wauters ranked number one in the to a disappointing close after a loss in regular season for service points in the the semi-finals to Stuyvesant High Queens A I Division with 96 service School. The loss came in a three-game 11 points (10' in the entire City) and is seccontest, but after earning a birth in the championship match last year, not returning this year came as a shock to the team. The Hawks won the first game 25-17; Stuyvesant won the second game 25-20 forcing a third game, in which Stuyvesant pulled out a 26-24 win to get them into the Championships where they lost to John F. Kennedy High School. In the pivotal Plotting strategies, the varsity volleyball squad gets advice from match against Coach Wanda Nix. Stuyvesant, senior co-captain Kristin Newman had 9 kills ond in Queens in assists with 126 ( 11 '" and 2 blocks, senior Nicole Wa1,1ters, in the City). Newman had 92 kill s for also co-captain, had 18 assists and 3 the season, sixth in the City. LoRe led kills, and senior Alexandra LoRe had 9 Queens A I division with 10 blocks and is fifth in kills with 40, while overcomkills and 4 blocks. The Hawks' road to the semifinals ing a fractured wrist in the middle of began with a bye into the playoffs after the season. The injury discouraged the team; they defeated Francis Lewis High School in Townsend's last regular sea- however, for the duration of LoRe's abson game 25-12, 25-11. This claimed sence, the girls did not lose any games first place in the Queens "A l" Division and managed to stay strong while she with a 9-1 record. LoRe had II kills, 9 recuperated. The team will be losing four starters service points and 5 digs in the win. The next year, putting even more pressure Hawks then continued on to beat on the younger players on the team, such Evander Childs High School in the secas juniors Rachel Acosta and Karina Fin, ond round ofthe playoffs in two games, with a score of 25-14, 26-24. Newman, to contribute. The devastating loss to and sophomore Grace Lee had six kills conclude the season was difficult for the each and Wauters had 13 assists and II outgoing seniors to take. Lo Re commented, "I'm disappointed the season service points. is over not just because we lost, but beThe win brought them to the cause it is the end of my Townsend Harquarterfinals against Newtown High ris volleyball career." School. Townsend Harris defeated
by Josh Fox "I was so glad that I finished; that was the success for me," proclaimed Principal Thomas Cunningham, after he completed the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 3. With the money raised by sponsors of his race, Mr. Cunningham has established a scholarship fund for scholar-athletes. The scholarship has raised about $800 in the past month and a half, and Mr. Cunningham intends to establish a committee to decide on the recipient. "This will be given not to the greatest scholar nor to the greatest athlete, but rather one who has managed both tasks and done well, who wouldn't normally get a scholarship in either field," Mr. Cunningham said. It is also not yet determined how much the recipient will receive; the money could possibly be spread out over the next two years. Mr. Cunningham described the marathon as "the best: warm, welcoming and wonderful." A great highlight for him was being greeted by the Boys' Track coach and physical education teacher George Rio, who was standing with sevetalmembers of the track team on a water stop at Mile 14 in the race. Mr. Cunningham and his wife stopped to take a picture with the group and they were inspired by the team's support. Going into the race, Mr. Cunningham did not have any expecta-
Girls' Cross Country continues Queens dominance as champs by. Michelle Montgoris has enjoyed," said Horn. Such success has come at the price "I am really ecstatic about our results in both the City and Queens Champion- of constant hard work by all of the ships this ye~r," said Girls' Cross Coun- team's members. Most freshmen are required to run try Track coach Joseph Horn. This was the third straight Queens Championship 1.5 miles in approximately twelve mintitle this team has won, and the fifth one utes, while sophomores should be able that they have won in the last seven to clock 2.5 miles in about twenty minutes. years. "Track requires a lot of dedication," The Hawks almost swept the Queens Championships completely, coming in said senior captain Jessica Krivac. Most of the girls claim that running first in the Varsity, Sophomore, and Junior Varsity races, while finishing second track was grueling at the beginning, but in the Freshman races. "This was cer- according to freshman Sarah Fadika, "We've really improved since August." tainly remarkable," commented Horn. This team has great hopes for the fuOn the city level, the team's success was very good, as well. The Varsity team ture, credited to the fact that "freshmen came in fifth place in the city competi- feel like they belong the second they tion, and the Junior Varsity and Sopho- join," said freshman Anjie Zheng. "We more teams finished in third place. certainly expect many years of future "Most schools in this city would love to successes in the foreseeable future," said have the continuing success our program Horn.
tions on how he might finish. Rather, he participated "just for the challenge of it." As for the preparation, Mr. Cunningham and his wife ate pasta every day leading up to the day of the race, including the night before, when they dined at a local Italian restaurant, and before the run, when they again had pasta to provide their bodies with the carbohydrates necessary to remain energetic throughout such a grueling race. Even though the race is over, Mr. Cunningham has continued running as both a hobby and a way to keep in good physical shape. He tries to run occasionally during weekdays; however, his busy schedule sometimes prevents that. But on weekends, when he has more free time, he tries to make it a point to run at least five miles. In addition to participating in the New York City Marathon, Mr. Cunningham ran in the Cross Country Championships on November 16, demonstrating that his passion to run competitively still burns. These championships -were his 9'11 recorded race, and as a member of the New York Roadrunners Club, he has received an automatic bid for next year's marathon. Look for him among the thousands of runners next year, as he hopes to participate and continue his efforts to run well and fur-路 ther the success of the scholarship.
Boy bowlers finish season well ,despite unsuccessful playoff bid ' by Lauren Korzeniewski 路 In the last match of the season, the Boys' Varsity Bowling team defeated the second ranked team in the division, Martin Van Buren, on October 28 by a score of two games to one. During the match, junior Benjamin Harson bowled a 248, and sophomore David Joseph bowled a: 233. Both bowlers shattered theirrespective old high scores of 193 and 160. "I was hoping to improve this season, but we'll finish in the same standing as last year, unfortunately," said head coach Lawrence Ceraulo. The crucial loss this team suffered was against Thomas Edison High School on October 21. The games took place atJib - Lanes, with the "B" team taking the only win of the day. The high score in the "B" team's match was sophomore Jonathan Criscione's~l74 pins. The "B" team also
includes seniors Michael Borress, Adam Wiener and Joseph. The "A" team has lost both of their matches, the second by 190 pins. Thomas Edison had a total score of 728, while Townsend Harris bowled only 537 collectively. The "A" team includes seniors, Alvin Gattoc, Simon Shaw, and Joseph Miller, as well as Harson. There is alSo a "C" team, with senior Tarun Suri, junior Eric Park, and sophomores Jorge Cubas, Matthew Aglialoro and Michael Finkelstein. ''We can bowl much better; today we just weren't doing as well as we should have," said Joseph. 路 The sentiment is also shared by Ceraulo. "I am disappointed with the team's progress this year. We have six seniors on the team and I expected a little more froin everyone," he said.
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