By Andy Simek
MONTICELLO — June 12, 2007 — Some of the best and brightest high school students in Sullivan County also represent their schools very well through their athletic achievements.
Last Thursday evening, Monticello High School honored many of these outstanding students at its annual Senior Sports Awards Banquet.
The ceremony was a chance for all the Monticello coaches to recognize and reward the hard work and dedication their seniors have put in the past four years.
Andrew Moss, a wrestler, soccer player and baseball player who also won the Best Male Athlete award, noted “what you take away from sports is character; regardless of whether we continue with them or not, sports have prepared us for the rest of our lives to deal with anything.”
The school’s most prestigious sports award, The Mayor’s Cup, was presented to Te’neshia Washington, who played soccer and was a member of both the indoor and outdoor track and field teams. Washington also won the Coach’s Award for indoor track and Best Female Athlete.
The Mayor’s Cup is given annually to the senior athlete who overall shows the greatest sportsmanship, athletic ability, integrity on the field and off and who, above all else, never gives up.
When asked how she felt about winning the 2007 Mayor’s Cup, Washington said she “wasn’t expecting it at all.”
The other award recipients were as follows:
Best Male and Female Athlete
These awards are given to those two individuals who, across all sports, have shown the greatest accomplishment, determination and dedication. The winners were Andrew Moss and Te’neshia Washington.
Scholar Athlete Awards
These awards are given in two categories. Those seniors who made it on the Superintendent’s List has maintained a 3.5 Grade Point Average (GPA) for their entire high school career while at the same time achieving at least three varsity letters. Those on the Principal’s List have a 3.0 GPA and have obtained at least one varsity letter.
Superintendent List: Alexis Brinkerhoff, Jaclyn Bunce, Tara Feller, Joanna Goldfarb, Jared Goldstein, Andrew Moss, Iris Robinson, Janelle Slutsky, Caitlin VanKeuren, Te’neshia Washington and Logan White.
Principal’s List: Diane Accardo, Nicole Accomando, Christine Bunce, Jesse Campanaro, Brendan Ference, Katherine Gonzalez, Meredith Gray, Roselyn Gray, Christopher Ketcham, Ashley Mangabang, Darian Niforatos and William VanHage.
Senior Plaques
These were awarded in three different categories – the Doctorate, Master and Bachelor of Sport. The plaques were given to those students who, in their four years of high school, achieved at least nine, six or three varsity letters, respectively. The number in parenthesis following each student-athlete’s name indicates how many varsity letters he or she earned.
Doctorate of Sport: Jaclyn Bunce (10), Joanna Goldfarb – (10), Ashley Mangabang (9), Iris Robinson (11).
Master of Sport: Alexis Bruno (7), Tara Feller (6), Brendan Ference (7), Katherine Gonzalez (6), Roselyn Gray (8), Andrew Moss (7), Te'neshia Washington (7), Janelle Slutsky (8).
Bachelor of Sport: Nicole Accomando (3), Alexis Brinkerhoff (5), Jesse Campanaro (4), Joshua Cohen (3), Jared Goldstein (4), Meredith Gray (4), Michael Hughes (5), John Lacey (3), Jason Lubniewski (4), Darian Niforatos (3), Zachary Siegel (4), Caitlin VanKeuren (4), William VanHage (4), Logan White (4).
Senior Awards
These awards are given to the seniors who have received varsity letters for at least three years. The numbers after the names indicate how many years they achieved varsity status.
The winners were: Alpine Skiing: Jaclyn Bunce – 4, Jared Goldstein – 4, Jason Lubniewski – 3, William VanHage – 3; Wrestling: Alexis Bruno – 4, Andres Diaz – 4, Andrew Moss – 3; Volleyball: Iris Robinson – 3; Girls’ Basketball – Iris Robinson – 4; Girls’ Tennis: Tara Feller – 4, Meredith Gray – 4, Ashley Mangabang – 6, Caitlin VanKeuren – 4; Girls’ Soccer: Katherine Gonzalez – 3, Darian Niforatos – 3; Softball: Nicole Accomando – 3, Jaclyn Bunce – 4, Katherine Gonzalez – 3, Ashley Mangabang – 3; Track and Field: Brendan Ference – 3, Joanna Goldfarb – 4, Roselyn Gray – 4, Iris Robinson – 3, Janelle Slutsky – 3, Te'neshia Washington – 4; Baseball: Joshua Cohen – 3, Michael Hughes – 3, John Lacey – 3; Boys’ Tennis: Zachary Siegel – 4, Logan White – 4; Girls’ Golf: Alexis Brinkerhoff – 5; Cross Country: Brendan Ference – 3; Indoor Track: Roselyn Gray – 3; Nordic Skiing: Joanna Goldfarb – 4, Janelle Slutsky – 4
Coach’s Awards
These awards are given to one Varsity player for each sport. The winners must show integrity and hold a high standard of school service as well as show outstanding athletic performance and sportsmanship.
The winners were: Nicole Accomando – Softball, Alexandra Astras – Cheerleading, Alexis Brinkerhoff – Girls’ Golf, Alexis Bruno – Wrestling, Emma Cohen – Girls’ Cross-Country, Rebecca Concors – Girls’ Track and Field, Divinne Depuy – Girls’ Alpine Skiing, Brendan Devine – Boys’ Indoor Track and Cross Country, Tara Feller – Girls’ Tennis, Joanna Goldfarb – Cross-Country Skiing, Katherine Gonzalez – Girls’ Soccer, Shane Jones – Boys’ Basketball; Jason Lubniewski – Boys’ Alpine Skiing, Andrew Moss – Baseball, Jason Osrow – Boys’ Track and Field, Pollyanna Palhano – Girls’ Basketball, Iris Robinson – Girls’ Volleyball, Pedro Rodriguez – Boys’ Soccer, Jesse Smith – Boys’ Tennis, Ryan Sonnenschein – Boys’ Golf, Te'neshia Washington – Girls’ Indoor Track.