Archdiocesan Runners Win State Track Titles

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Pedro Bravo and Sierra Dinneen won state titles to lead Catholic students from the archdiocese at the New York State Indoor Track and Field Championships held at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island March 7.

Bravo, a senior at Iona Preparatory School, ran 4 minutes, 14.40 seconds to win the boys’ 1,600-meter run.

Miss Dinneen, a senior at Notre Dame Academy, clocked a winning time of 2:51.39 in the girls’ 1,000.

The CHSAA boys’ intersectional distance medley relay team—Chris Paxis, Msgr. Farrell; Mike Hubert, Archbishop Molloy; Jake Meregildo, Cardinal Hayes; and Wesley Noble Jr., Bishop Loughlin—took first place in 8:55.41.

 

Wrestling

Iona Prep’s Matt Kelly captured the 195-pound state high school division 1 wrestling championship at the Times Union Center in Albany Feb. 29.

“Matt had an incredible season,” Iona Prep coach Thomas Straehle told CNY. “After finishing third (at the state meet) last season, a state championship was his number one goal. He was unstoppable at the state meet, going 4-0 and unscored upon.”

Kelly, who will wrestle at Binghamton University next season, won two bouts by technical fall, one by major decision and the other by decision. He outscored his opponents, 49-0.

Kelly, the top seed, defeated third seed Nicholas Franco of Farmingdale, 11-0, in the final.

Kelly’s teammate and top seed, AJ Kovacs, suffered an 8-5 loss to second seed Tommy Askey in the final at 152 pounds. Kovacs will wrestle at North Carolina State next season.

 

Boys’ swimming

Two individual swimmers and one relay from Catholic high schools in the archdiocese swam to All-American Consideration times at the state swimming and diving championships at the Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow March 7.

Xavier’s 200-yard medley relay team of Henry Engler, Matthew Loftus, Brian Baldwin and Sean Baldwin placed second in an All-American Consideration time of 1 minute, 34.52 seconds.

Fordham Prep’s Jack Kelly was third in the 100 backstroke with an All-American Consideration time of 56.35, and Our Lady of Lourdes’ Micha Faughnan swam to a third-place, All-American Consideration time of 4:30.33 in the 500 freestyle.