BALLSTON SPA — Ana Gold, a Ballston Spa native and senior infielder on the Duke University softball team, recently earned a “golden ticket” from the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), a new professional organization launching in June.

The golden tickets are being awarded to some of the top college players in the country prior to the inaugural AUSL College Draft, which will air on Saturday, May 3 at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. 

The AUSL will feature four teams playing a 24-game season in a traditional format. The league’s advisors include Kim Ng, the former general manager of the Miami Marlins and a former assistant general manager for the New York Yankees.

Gold’s college career at Duke has been wildly successful. As of Monday, her career slash line was .309/.412/.610. She’s smacked 49 homers, 7 triples, and 28 doubles for the Blue Devils since her freshman year in 2022. She’s also stolen 50 bases and totaled nearly 200 hits in a little more than 600 at bats.

Last season, she set a number of Duke softball records, including smashing two grand slams in one game and knocking in 8 runs in a single game. She also set the program’s all-time career home run record.

At Ballston Spa High School, she was ranked the No. 39 prospect in the country (according to Extra Innings Softball), was named three times to the Suburban Council’s First Team, and was a two-time Second Team All-Stater. She batted .411 with 12 home runs and 33 RBI as a freshman before improving to .418 with nine home runs and 34 RBI as a sophomore.

Gold’s older brother Luke was an All-ACC baseball infielder at Boston College before being selected in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA — Lucille Murphy, a Saratoga Springs High School grad and district treasurer, was crowned a women’s weightlifting champion at the 2025 Masters National Championships in Atlanta, Georgia last weekend.

Murphy earned a silver medal in the 72kg snatch, and she won a gold medal in the 89kg clean and jerk. Her total of 161kg earned her the title of 76kg 40-44 age group national champion.

Murphy was previously district treasurer for the Galway Central School District. For 11 years, she was also a youth rowing coach for the Saratoga Rowing Association. 

MALTA — The Albany-Saratoga Speedway is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a season-opening Super DIRTcar Series event on Friday, April 18.

Drivers will duke it out over 60 laps with $7,500 to win. Pits open at 3 p.m., the grandstands open at 5, hot laps start at 6 p.m., and the race itself will follow soon after.

“The best drivers in the Northeast will meet a stout group of Albany-Saratoga regulars for a battle that will likely take all 60 laps to decide,” said Super DIRTcar Series Announcer Mike Warren in a Q&A on the series’ website. “There is no place in the Capital Region where you’ll see better racing, and it’s normal to see a driver win from outside the top 10 every week.”

In addition to celebrating 60 years in business, this season is an especially notable one for the speedway. Late last year, plans to replace the racetrack with a 700-unit residential development were derailed by the Malta Town Board. The speedway’s current owner, Howard Commander, said via a real estate agent who spoke at a December town board meeting on his behalf, that he “fully” supported the proposed project. Commander decided to try to sell the speedway due, in part, to the financial challenges of maintaining and operating the track.

The speedway sits on valuable real estate: a 50-acre parcel along Route 9 North. The track originally opened in 1965 and features racing on Friday nights from April through September. The track’s future after the 2025 season is uncertain. 

BALLSTON SPA — The new Ballston Spa High School girls flag football program is seeking funds for team jackets, warm-up jerseys, a senior night, senior scholarships, and an end-of-season banquet.

“As a brand new program, we’re starting with zero funding,” the team’s booster club said on its GoFundMe page. “Your donation—big or small—makes a meaningful impact. Every dollar brings us one step closer to supporting the incredible athletes and coaches who are working so hard to build this program.”

For more information or to support the program, visit www.gofundme.com/f/yj8r5-support-ballston-spa-girls-flag-football.

CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY — Skidmore College’s women’s 1V8 and men’s 1V8 rowing teams both won the grand finals at the Knecht Cup Regatta in New Jersey last weekend.

“Anytime we travel, it inevitably throws us off our rhythm and routines. The athletes did a great job staying focused and stepped up when they needed to,” said Head Coach Manny Valentin in a statement. “We’re always in search of more speed, and the team did an excellent job executing their race plans and coming out on top this weekend.”

MEN’S RECAP

The men’s 1V and 2V boats entered a 14-boat event, with heats on Saturday and finals on Sunday. The winner of each heat advanced directly to the Grand Final, while the next three fastest times filled out the remaining spots. The 7th through 12th fastest crews moved on to the Petite Final, while the 13th and 14th fastest were eliminated after Day 1.

The men’s 1V won their heat with a time of 6:37, finishing six seconds ahead of Ithaca. The 2V placed third in their heat, ahead of Milwaukee School of Engineering, clocking the 11th-fastest time overall and earning a spot in the Petite Final.

On Sunday, the men’s 2V faced St. Mary’s A and B, Washington College, Case Western, and Franklin & Marshall in the Petite Final. Skidmore crossed the line in 6:45, securing 11th place overall. St. Mary’s A won the Petite Final with a time of 6:34.

Shortly after, in the Grand Final, the 1V engaged in a thrilling back-and-forth race with Trinity College. Neither crew held more than a seat’s lead throughout the entire 2,000 meters. In the final sprint, Skidmore edged out Trinity by 0.49 seconds to take the win. Ithaca, Catholic, Trinity B, and MSOE rounded out the field.

WOMEN’S RECAP

The women competed in a 16-boat field under the same format as the men’s event. Crews needed either to win their heat or post one of the 12 fastest times to advance to Sunday’s finals.

The Skidmore women’s 1V won their heat in dominant fashion, finishing 10 seconds ahead of Washington College, whose time was 7:54.64. The 2V placed third in their heat with a time of 7:54.08. In a narrow margin, the 2V edged out Washington College B to earn a place in the Grand Final.

On Sunday, the 1V jumped out to an early lead in the Grand Final and never looked back, claiming victory by 3.24 seconds over nationally ranked No. 11 St. Mary’s. The 2V battled for fourth but ultimately finished fifth overall with a time of 7:33.49, just behind Washington College.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A baseball league that emphasizes good vibes over competitive play will soon have a presence in Saratoga County.

Sandlot baseball welcomes players of all skill levels, genders, and backgrounds. As long as you’re 25 or older and have your own glove, you’re eligible to participate. The league’s season runs from June until November, with weekly practices and biweekly games. Only wood bats are allowed.

“We care more about building the community around the game,” says the New York Sandlot Collective on its website. “We play games and do our best, but oftentimes you’ll hear people on the bench racking their brains trying to figure out what the inning is or what the score is…

That’s because the score and the 27 outs take a back seat to ensuring we’re all having fun playing this game that we love.”

The creation of the league was inspired by Jack Sanders, a Texan who authored the “Sandlot Manifesto.”

“If sandlot is to baseball what punk is to rock ‘n’ roll, then Jack Sanders is our Joey Ramone,” said former U.S. Representative and 2020 presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke in a blurb for the book.

For more information on the sandlot baseball league, visit nysandlot.org. To get in touch with the league, email info@nysandlot.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — With the Liberty League Tournament only a month away, Skidmore College’s baseball team has established themselves as serious postseason contenders. The Thoroughbreds won their latest series against fellow Liberty Leaguers Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2 games to 1. The pair of victories improved Skidmore’s conference record to 8-1 and their overall record to 15-6-2.

Meanwhile, senior Ewen Donald broke his school’s hitting streak record by earning at least one hit in 22 straight games. His streak was still ongoing as of last Sunday, when he smacked a single against Rensselaer. His record now stands at 25 games.

Donald’s 2025 slash line of .394/.429/.515 is a career high for the outfielder. He’s also hit 13 doubles, 2 homers, and 1 triple this season.

Other Skidmore standouts this season include 6’6” senior Sam Kornet (.398/.518/.773, 8 home runs), freshman EJ Stefanelli (.375/.481/.563), sophomore infielder Quinn McDonald (.351/.500/.456), senior Trey Bourque (.327/.419/.449), and senior infielder Zachary Leiderman (.307/.443/.480). 

On the mound, the Thoroughbreds have been led by sophomore Chase Siegel (3.67 ERA, 1.25 WHIP in 34.1 innings), Charles Modlin (1.50 ERA, .67 WHIP in 12 innings), and Cal Champeau (3.86 ERA, 1.91 WHIP in 14 innings).

Skidmore is scheduled to play two doubleheaders this weekend at home: one against Ithaca College on Saturday, and another against Hobart College on Sunday. Both doubleheaders begin at noon.