By Andy Simek
MONTICELLO — June 13, 2006 – The outstanding senior athletes of Monticello High School were honored Thursday at the school’s 18th Annual Athletic Awards Banquet.
Approximately 150 people attended the event, which was held at Carpenito’s restaurant in Monticello. During the ceremony, school officials honored those athletes who are about to graduate and who deserve some recognition for their athletic achievements.
The coaches of these athletic young men and women spoke of the good times and the bad, and told the families of these students how proud they were of their children and the hard work and the glory that they brought to the Monticello sports program.
Kenneth Garry, the Director of Athletics at Monticello High School, said, “It’s an awesome bunch of kids who merit a lot of recognition and respect for their achievements this year.”
The seniors, along with some of the younger, more exceptional athletes, were honored with a variety of awards and plaques.
Many of these honors were bestowed upon the students for maintaining high standards of academics along with their rigorous athletic regimen.
There were 12 students who made the Principal’s List, which rewarded students for maintaining a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above for their high school career. There were also eight other students who made the prestigious Superintendent’s List, for maintaining a 3.5 GPA or better.
Two students, Rachael Huffman and Kristen Van Hage, also received the Doctorate of Sport for earning at least nine varsity letters in the duration of their high school sports careers.
The most anticipated award of the evening was the Mayor’s Trophy, presented by Monticello Mayor Jim Barnicle.
“This was one of the strongest classes that I’ve seen in the last few years, both academically and athletically,” said Barnicle before announcing his choice for the recipient.
The tough decision for this prestigious award was Brad Cooper, a varsity basketball star who has scored more than 1,000 points during his high school career – a feat that only five other students from the Monticello High School have achieved.
Cooper, who is excited to be getting the chance to be a ball boy for the New York Knicks next season, said, “Mayor Barnicle has been real good to me, and it feels really great to get this award. I feel really special.”
The following awards were handed out at the ceremony:
The Coach’s Award, which is given to one member of each varsity team for excellence of performance and sportsmanship: Marisela Acevedo, Jeffrey Brink, Alexis Brinkerhoff, Alexis Bruno, Emma Cohen, Brendan Devine, Rochelle Gibson, George Gilmour, Alexandra Gonzales, Keenan Hall, Desiree Laguna, Ian Laufersweiler, Jackalyn Litwak, Anthony Ng, Pollyanna Palhano, Iris Robinson, Janelle Slutsky, Kristen Van Hage, Michael Washington, Te'Neshia Washington and Michael Zadorian.
Superintendent List, which is for athletes with a final GPA of 3.5 or above who have also received at least three varsity letters: Mark Blackford, Keenan Hall, Krystian Krol, Desiree Laguna, Meredith Levine, Katherine Mahan, Anthony Ng, Kristen Van Hage and Emily Zier.
Principal’s List, which is for athletes with a final GPA of 3.0 or above and who have received at least one varsity letter: Joseph Bonnaci, Jeffrey Brink, Ciara Gaglio, Rachael Huffman, Jennifer Kavanaugh, Edward Ma, Liila Mack, David Melchionne, Brittney Morse, Anthony Poli, Marissa Smithem and Michael Zadorian.
Doctorate of Sport, which is given to athletes with at least nine varsity letters: Rachael Huffman and Kristen Van Hage.
Master of Sport, which is given to athletes with at least six varsity letters: Jeffrey Brink, George Gilmore, Keenan Hall, Desiree Laguna, Meredith Levine, Katherine Mahan, Brittney Morse, Marissa Smithem and Emily Zier.
Bachelor of Sport, which is given to athletes with at least three varsity letters: Carolina Arbelaez, Robert Bittinger, Mark Blackford, Joseph Bonnaci, Eksho “Ann” Burke, Brad Cooper, Jennifer Kavanaugh, Krystian Krol, Tracyan Leslie, Jackalyn Litwak, Liila Mack, Anthony Ng, Anthony Poli and Todd Sonnenschein.
Senior Award, which is given to seniors who have received a varsity letter for three, four or five plus years, whose number will be shown in parentheses:
Alpine Skiing – Jeffrey Brink (4), Rachael Huffman (4), Anthony Poli (3) and Kristen Van Hage (5)
Volleyball – Tracyan Leslie (3) and Marissa Smithem (3)
Boys’ Basketball – Brad Cooper (3)
Wrestling – Robert Bittinger (4) and Anthony Ng (5)
Girls’ Basketball – Liila Mack (3) and Brittney Morse (4)
Girls’ Tennis – Meredith Levine (4)
Girls’ Soccer – Katherine Mahan (4), Brittney Morse (4), Kristen Van Hage (4) and Emily Zier (4)
Boys’ Golf – George Gilmour (6)
Baseball – Joseph Bonnaci (3)
Cheerleading – Carolina Arbelaez (3)
Softball – Rachael Huffman (3), Desiree Laguna (3), Jackalyn Litwak (3) and Marissa Smithem (3)
Track and Field – Keenan Hall (4)
Boys’ Tennis – Ed Ma (4)
Boys’ Soccer – Krystian Krol (5)
Girls’ Golf – Eksho “Ann” Burke (4) and Meredith Levine (4).