A crowd of spectators awaits the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course on June 7. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced last week that the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will return to the Saratoga Race Course in June 2026 for a third and final year while construction is completed at the new Belmont Park on Long Island.
The announcement confirmed speculation that the event would return once more to the Spa City.
Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus said that his organization and its partners are already working on plans for a third Belmont on Broadway concert in 2026.
Next year’s Belmont Stakes will be held on Saturday, June 6. The race will once again be contested at 1.25 miles, rather than the traditional 1.5 miles, due to the configuration of Saratoga’s main track.
The Saratoga Central Catholic baseball team celebrates after winning their first-ever state title. Photo by Holden Goodridge, 8th grade student photographer at SCC.
Photo of the Saratoga Springs varsity baseball team celebrating its state title win via the Saratoga Springs City School District.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — In a remarkable moment in the city’s history, two Saratoga Springs-based high school baseball teams won their respective class state championships last weekend. Both title victories were the first in each program’s history.
“We may need to change the City of Saratoga Springs’ slogan from ‘Health, History, and Horses’ to ‘Health, History, Horses, and Baseball,’” wrote Mayor John Safford.
According to the latest Saratoga Springs City Council meeting, plans are currently in the works for a celebratory parade on June 25 that would run on Broadway from Congress Park to City Hall.
Saints Make History
The Saratoga Central Catholic varsity baseball team won the Section 2 Class C Championship last Saturday, defeating Deposit-Hancock 4 to 0 at the SUNY Binghamton Stadium.
It was the first baseball title in the school’s history, and only the second state championship for any sport in school history.
In the state title game, junior Pierce Byrne (who has already committed to Siena College) had a stellar performance on the mound, racking up 11 strikeouts and allowing only one hit in 7 innings of work. At the plate, Spa Catholic took an early lead after Ryan Gillis socked a three-run homer in the first inning. Brian Selig Jr. and Ronan Rowe each contributed two hits in the victory.
“I’m proud, humbled, grateful, and blessed to coach these guys,” said Coach Alphonse Lambert in a message posted to social media. “They are a resilient group who I [love] so much.”
“This victory is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and teamwork of our student-athletes and coaching staff,” Saratoga Central Catholic said in a statement. “We are incredibly proud of their performance and the way they represented SCC on and off the field.”
In the state semifinal game, also in Binghamton, the Saints defeated Section 9 champion Burke Catholic, 5 to 2. In that contest, Rowe hit a triple and an RBI single, while Max Britten drove in two additional runs with his own single. On the mound, Carson Moser allowed just one earned run, striking out 5 and allowing 2 hits in 4 innings. Luke Dejnozka pitched 3 additional innings in relief, earning the win and allowing no runs.
When leaving for their pair of games in Binghamton, the baseball squad was treated to a police and fire-escorted farewell that saw a packed crowd of students, teachers, and parents cheering outside the high school on Broadway.
Prior to their victories in the state final four, Spa Catholic captured their sixth sectional championship by beating Granville 5 to 2 at the Joe Bruno Stadium in Troy.
The Saints finished 27-1 on the year, tying the school record for most wins in a season.
Offensive statistical standouts this season included Britten (slash line: .386/.463/.421), Byrne (.395/.489/.645), Kihl Kelly (.405/.520/.544), Jason Pescetti (.471/.553/.571), Rowe (.474/.550/.645), and Selig Jr. (.382/.560/.500).
Pitchers Byrne (1.33 ERA in 42 innings), Dejnozka (0.51 ERA in 27.1 innings), Selig Jr. (0.41 ERA in 34 innings), and Tyler Weygand (1.14 ERA in 24.2 innings) shut down the Saints’ foes all season.
Four members of the Saints’ historic 2025 baseball team will soon graduate: Rowe (Oswego State commit), Hunter Fales (St. John Fisher University), Gillis (SUNY Adirondack), and Weygand (Barton College). But in a news release, the school said that a “talented underclassman group stands ready to carry the torch.”
Blue Streaks Stun Ketcham
The Saratoga Springs High School varsity baseball team capped off a successful 21-6 season with its first-ever Section 2 Class AAA state championship last Saturday, vanquishing Ketcham 8 to 5.
Jack Rigabar got the Blue Streaks’ party started with a triple in the first inning before being brought home off a single by Alex Landau. Brady Mills later added an RBI hit of his own, again driving in Rigbar. Cooper Villiere added a sac-fly in the third before Saratoga was able to capture the lead, 6 to 5, following a few wild pitches by Ketcham. From there, the Blue Streaks squeezed and didn’t let go, crossing home plate twice more to secure the W.
The victory was far from assured heading into Saturday’s game. Ketcham was appearing in its third-straight state final, having captured a title of their own in 2023.
Prior to the historic victory, Saratoga earned its spot in the title game after a 2 to 1, extra-innings win in the semifinals against Niagara Falls.
The state title victory came after an unusual season that saw Saratoga lose 6 of its first 12 games before then winning 15 straight. Although some may have counted them out, the Blue Streaks never stopped battling.
Photo of the Blue Streaks departing for the state championship game in Binghamton via the school district.
Students, teachers, and parents gather outside the Spa Catholic High School to cheer on the baseball team en route to the state championship game in Binghamton. Photo provided by Aiden Lambert.
WILTON — The 2nd annual Flutters of Hope Pickleball Classic at the McGregor Links Country Club will return on June 14–15 (rain dates: June 21–22).
All proceeds directly support individuals and families affected by eating disorders. This year’s event is dedicated to Carly Kempf, who recently lost her battle with an eating disorder.
Some of the top amateur players in the region will be competing at the event, which will also feature a silent auction.
For more information or to register, visit www.fluttersofhopeinc.org/pickleball-classic.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Dottie Pepper, a Saratoga Springs High School graduate and member of the Blue Streak Hall of Fame, said she was rendered “speechless” after a scholarship was established in her honor.
The Dorothy L. Pepper ’87 Endowed Scholarship for Women’s Golf was created by Alec and Susan Taylor with the goal of supporting and expanding scholarship funding for women’s golf, Furman University announced last week.
Pepper is a CBS Golf analyst and a former professional golfer who won two major championships and 17 LPGA Tour events. Prior to her career in the pros, she was a standout golfer at both Furman and Saratoga.
“Dottie is an icon,” Alec Taylor said in a news release. “She’s the best announcer in professional sports. She’s modest, a world-class golfer. Her comments are so insightful. Everything about her epitomizes Furman.”
Pepper said she was looking forward to mentoring players who benefit from the scholarship named after her.
“It’s an opportunity to touch so many networks that golf provides and open doors to, and to provide a valuable education, too,” Pepper said.
Pepper was heavily recruited out of Saratoga Springs High School, where she graduated in 1983. She was named All-American three times at Furman, and was a standout on Saratoga’s golf team, starting in the 8th grade. She won the New York State Amateur (1981) and New York Junior Amateur (1981 and 1983) titles, was a member of the 1981 Junior World Cup team, and was a low amateur at the 1984 U.S. Women’s Open. She was inducted into the Blue Streak Hall of Fame in 2010.
Runners participate in the 2023 Firecracker4 road race. Photo by Super Source Media.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Registration for the July 4th Firecracker 4 road race in Saratoga Springs is now open at firecracker4.com.
This year’s event is expected to attract more than 2,500 people. The race participants range in ability from elite athletes, who complete the four miles in under 20 minutes, to everyday families and individuals who are trying to become healthier through running or walking. Proceeds from the Firecracker 4 benefit trail development, recreation programs, and other healthy lifestyle programs.
The 2025 Firecracker 4 will include the following prizes:
• $2,500 awarded to the three largest teams in the Run Your Colors and High School Alumni programs, for donation to their charities of choice
• $7,500 in cash prizes to the top finishers overall and in age group categories
• All registered participants will receive a commemorative ASICS performance shirt
The Firecracker 4 starts at 9 a.m. on July 4 on Broadway in front of the Saratoga Springs City Center, proceeds through the downtown shopping district, and then winds through the historic streets of Saratoga’s East Side neighborhood, where numerous bands play on street corners and residents cheer and set up garden-hose misting stations for the runners. Participants this year will finish the race under a giant American flag hoisted by the Saratoga Springs and Maple Avenue Fire Departments.
Ballston Spa High School student-athletes were honored during the school’s annual college athlete recognition ceremony on June 3. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
BALLSTON SPA — Dozens of Ballston Spa High School student-athletes were honored during an annual college athlete recognition ceremony on June 3, including state wrestling champion Mia Collins.
34 students were recognized in total, including athletes headed to Division I, II, and III schools. Six of them were three-sport athletes and 13 were two-sport athletes. Collectively, the group had a cumulative grade point average of 92%.
During the ceremony, State Senator Jim Tedisco and Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh honored Collins, the New York State 132-pound division wrestling champ. Collins is currently ranked eighth nationally in her weight class.
“Mia Collins is a trailblazer and a tremendous student scholar athlete whose state championship victory capped off an undefeated regular season record of 10-0, along with being the first New York State Girls Wrestling Champion from Ballston Spa High School,” Tedisco said. “With Mia being only a junior, I have a feeling her already incredible athletic career is just getting started.”
“I’m incredibly proud to see Mia reach yet another milestone in her athletic career,” added Walsh. “Maintaining a 98 grade point average as a senior and excelling at a sport as she has is an amazing accomplishment. I can’t wait to see what other glass ceilings Mia will shatter as she furthers her education at Columbia over the next four years. Who knows, maybe we’ll see her on ESPN or at the Olympics before her college career is done.”
Below is a list of the student-athletes honored at the ceremony, as well as the higher education institutions they’ll be attending:
Declan Bain — SUNY New Paltz, soccer
Jessica Bowens — Hartwick College, basketball
Gabrielle Bozeth — Marist College, track & field
Kaleigh Capasso — Vermont State University at Castleton, volleyball
Mia Collins — Columbia University, wrestling
Nicholas Commisso — Hudson Valley Community College, baseball
Matthew Cook — SUNY Brockport, lacrosse
Brayson Cornick — Southern Connecticut State University, football
Emily Dierna — Loyola University of Maryland, crew
Kyle Fives — Mount St. Mary College, baseball
Kate Fletcher — Westfield State University, lacrosse
Ayla Hathaway — Lasell University, soccer
James Haughton — University of Rhode Island, baseball
Devin Hemraj — University of Buffalo, track & field
Nathan Hill — Stevens Institute of Technology, baseball
Kala’i Leahey-Makanani — University of Buffalo, track & field
The August Belmont Trophy is hoisted in the winner’s circle after Sovereignty’s victory in the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
ARATOGA SPRINGS — A cascade of rain dampened the track, but not the spirits of attendees of the 157th Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in Saratoga last weekend, when Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty once again outran his top foe and the morning-line favorite Journalism to claim a second leg of the Triple Crown.
“I feel we beat a good field of horses,” Sovereignty’s trainer Bill Mott told the New York Racing Association (NYRA). “Journalism is a really good horse. I’ve watched him here this last week and I’ve looked at him – he’s in good form, he looks great, his hair is good and his weight is good. I think he was ready to run today and he ran a good race, you know…Sovereignty was good enough to run him down and get the job done.”
Mott also indicated after the race that he’s interested in running Sovereignty in the Travers Stakes, which will be held at the Saratoga Race Course on August 23.
Belmont Stakes Day, June 8, was hindered by an onslaught of morning rain that finally cleared in the early afternoon. Races 9 and 12—the Grade 1 Jaipur and the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan—were both rescheduled for the following day due to the weather. As a result, the all-sources handle for Belmont Stakes Day suffered, falling from $125.7 million in 2024 to $101.8 million this year. Attendance also declined slightly, from 50,000 last year to 46,243 on Saturday.
Schuylerville varsity runner Meaghan Lynch poses with her medals after breaking two school records at the Beantown Winter Classic in Boston last year. Photo via the Schuylerville Central School District.
SCHUYLERVILLE — Schuylerville High School junior runner Meaghan Lynch continued breaking school records during her 2025 outdoor track season, etching her name into the history books three additional times.
Lynch hit a long jump of 19’ 6” at the Glens Falls dual meet to set her first new record. Then at another dual meet against Queensbury and Amsterdam, she broke the 200-meter school record by crossing the finish line in 26.21 seconds (the previous record was held by Suzi Hanehan). Last but not least, she erased a 38-year-old school record by clocking in at 12.60 seconds in the 100-meter dash.
The success built upon her achievements during the most recent indoor track season, when she took first place in the long jump at the state championship meet; earned first place in three events at the Section 2, Division III championships; and represented Schuylerville at the national level, competing in three events at the prestigious New Balance Nationals Indoor Championship.
Players line up for the national anthem and introductions during an Opening Day matchup between the Amsterdam Mohawks and the Oneonta Outlaws at Rao Family Stadium in Shuttleworth Park. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
AMSTERDAM — The Amsterdam Mohawks, 13-time champions of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL), subdued their ruffian rivals, the Oneonta Outlaws, 8 to 5, in an Opening Day contest at home last Thursday.
Ballston Spa native Matt Sgambati earned the win on the mound, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings in which he whiffed a whopping six batters. Joe Gold, another Mohawk pitcher who calls B-Spa home, struggled a bit in one inning of work, allowing two runs. (Gold’s sister Ana was recently drafted by the Athletes Unlimited Softball League after a successful career at Duke University, and his brother Luke was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2022).
Reigning PGCBL MVP Cade Ladehoff met expectations by socking a two-run dinger over the towering 280-foot leftfield wall (aka the Mohawk Monster) in the bottom of the sixth to shatter a 2-2 tie game. Outfielder Brandon McCraine added a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh to make it an 8-2 ballgame. The Outlaws managed to grab three more runs collectively in the 8th and 9th, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the home squad.
McCraine finished 2-4 on the night; cleanup hitter Chris Holacraft went 2-3 with three runs and a walk; and third baseman Jayden Harriel went 2-3, smacking a double and driving in 2 runs. Pitcher Derek Duval also racked up 4 strikeouts across three scoreless innings.
“It felt really good,” McCraine said about his homer after the game. “That was the first one in a while. It feels really good to get that first one off my bat so hopefully there’s more to come.”
This year’s Mohawks roster includes a number of pitchers from Saratoga County, including Joe Gold (hometown: Ballston Spa, college: Boston College), Mason Veronezi (Burnt Hills, Coastal Alabama Community College), James Redick (Clifton Park, Fordham), Matt Sgambati (Ballston Spa, Stony Brook), and Brad Curtis (Clifton Park, Siena).
The team is aiming for its first-ever PGCBL “grand slam” this season after winning three straight league titles. To aid in that effort is the returning MVP Ladehoff, although he will only be in Amsterdam for a couple weeks before he skips town to join the prestigious Cape Cod League.
Since the end of the 2024 season, a number of Mohawk alumni have made waves in the majors. Luke Maile signed with the Kansas City Royals, Matt Shaw made his debut with the Chicago Cubs, and Matt Gorski had his first stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dozens of other ex-Mohawks are currently playing for minor-league teams scattered across the country.
Amsterdam’s regular season will continue until late July/early August, when the PGCBL postseason begins.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Former Skidmore College baseball player Matt Ferrari recently summited Mount Everest, even posing at the top of the mighty mountain with a Skidmore baseball banner.
Ferrari was part of the esteemed 2005 baseball team that captured both the Liberty League regular season title and the tournament championship. They were also the first baseball team to represent Skidmore in the NCAA Division III tournament, where they entered the New York Regional Tournament as the No. 2 seed, earned a pair of victories, and ultimately finished in third place. Ferrari and his teammates were inducted into the Skidmore Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
Less than 8,000 people are believed to have ever summited Mount Everest, which stands at more than 29,000 feet tall.
