LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — “They all had the same goal, to be the best possible ballplayer on the team,” said varsity softball coach Anthony Durkin.

He was talking about his squad in a speech during the 2022-2023 Sullivan West Spring Athletic Awards Presentation on June 7.

“They cheered each other on in success and supported each other in the rough times,” added Durkin. “Softball is a team sport, and that’s the way we played it—the right way.”

As the presentation progressed through the junior varsity and varsity teams, culminating with the conferral of several special awards and scholarships, that was the prevailing theme expressed by the cadre of dedicated coaches.

After 21 years covering local high school sports, and picking up a New York State Public High School Athletic Association award as Sports Writer of the Year—and being recognized as a “Legend of Section IX’ in the River Reporter—Richard Ross finally got to have his say at the podium. His last event before retiring as a noted sports scribbler and photographer was covering the two-day New York State Track Championship .

“I did it my way,” he said proudly as he addressed the assembly. Then he added a few words to the athletes.

“The message is about success. Oftentimes we equate success with those who win trophies, get the honors [but] that only represents a fraction of the people who are engaged in athletics… every single athlete in this room has been successful,” he said. “Success is reaching down inside yourself to make yourself better, to be the best version of yourself… reach down and go one step further.”

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Varsity awards

Boys’ golf (coached by John Meyer)

Rally Cruz, Most Valuable Player.

Girls’ golf (coached by Pat Donovan)

Lucia Kennedy, Miss Golf.

Girls’ track and field (coached by Joe Ebeling, assisted by Kelly Schadt-Kelly)

Jasmine Green, Rookie of the Year

Violla Shami, Team Most Valuable Player.

Boys’ track and field (coached by Justin Diehl, assisted by Sean Reuss)

Peter March, Track Most Valuable Player

Dillan Hanslmaier, Field Most Valuable Player

Softball (coached by Anthony Durkin, assisted by Samantha Cummings, Kurt Scheibe and Mike Ellmauer)

Gracyn Halloran, Highest Batting Average

Elizabeth Reeves, Miss Softball.

Baseball (coached by Ty Ebert, assisted by Jeremy Ernst)

Jaymes Buddenhagen, Coaches Award

Jacob Hubert, Most Valuable Player

Select Senior Awards

Dillan Hanslmaier and Elaine Herbert

Coaches Awards

Anna Bernas and Max Ebert

Milt Gaebel Perseverance Awards

Paige Muzuruk and Andrew Hubert.

Most Valuable Athlete Awards

Georgeanne Cardona and Jaymes Buddenhagen

David F. Curreri Memorial Scholarship Award

Georgeanne Cardona

Billy Moran Scholarship Award

Elaine Herbert

Senior Athlete plaques were presented to the following students:

Hannah Abplanalp (volleyball, softball); Lucy Arzilli (volleyball, softball); Felicity Bauernfeind (soccer, basketball); Anna Bernas (soccer, basketball); Becca Brewer (fall cheerleading, winter cheerleading); Nathan Coy (football); Robert Davidson (indoor track, outdoor track); Cheyenne Decker (cross country, softball); Kaylee DiBiase (soccer); Max Ebert (football, baseball); Kaylee Feller (volleyball, winter cheerleading); Matthew Gattus (golf); Brianna Haass (soccer, softball); Serena Harting (soccer, winter cheerleading); Alyssa Martin (volleyball); Nate Mendoza (soccer, outdoor track); Will Nearing (soccer, outdoor track); Michael Schroeder (soccer, outdoor track); Cameron Sullivan (football, baseball); Beth Sykes (volleyball); Robert VonGerichten (football); Anabella Wagner (fall cheerleading, winter cheerleading); and Rodney Wilson (football).

Three-Sport Senior Athlete plaques were presented to the following students:

Jaymes Buddenhagen (football, basketball, baseball); Georgeanne Cardona (soccer, basketball, softball); Dillan Hanslmaier (football, indoor track, outdoor track); Elaine Herbert (soccer, basketball, softball); Andrew Hubert (football, basketball, baseball); Lucia Kennedy (soccer, alpine skiing, golf); and Paige Muzuruk (soccer, basketball, softball).