FORT MYERS, FLORIDA — Saratoga Springs native Dolly Cairns was named the Atlantic Sun Conference’s Scholar Athlete of the Year for the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles, the league announced last week.

Cairns, a fifth-year senior, has registered a 3.936 GPA while completing her master’s degree in health science. On the court, she’s been one of the best three-point shooters in the nation, making a team-best 57 triples this season and shooting 45% from beyond the arc. 

Cairns started in 28 of the 30 games this season for the Eagles. Her season-high 21 points came against California Baptist. Cains also added 14 points to defeat Big East opponent Georgetown, and scored 11 to defeat Power 4 foe Cincinnati en route to being named to the Atlantic Slam All-Tournament Team. Cairns also helped the Eagles win its 8th straight Atlantic Sun Conference regular season conference title.

Cairns is the all-time girls basketball scoring leader at Saratoga Springs High School, netting more than 2,000 points to set the record. In 2019, she committed to the University of Rhode Island, where she played for two seasons before transferring to Florida Gulf Coast.

BINGHAMTON — The Saratoga Racers saw their postseason dreams dashed last Saturday, falling to the Binghamton Bulldogs 127 to 101 in the semifinals of the American Basketball Association (ABA) Eastern Conference White Division playoffs.

The game was competitive after the first quarter, with Saratoga trailing by only 4. But the Bulldogs ran away with the contest in the second stanza, outscoring the Racers 40 to 21. The lead proved to be insurmountable. 

John Ryals led all Saratoga scorers with 23 points, while big man Shaheem Sanders added 17. 

Binghamton advanced to face Buffalo in the White Division championship, but fell to the No. 1 seed eXtreme by only 1 point, 99 to 98.

Saratoga ended its inaugural season with a 13-7 record.

“We didn’t get the result we wanted last night, but what a season,” said Racers Owner Keith Harrington in a Facebook post. “To finish the season ranked #19 in the country and in the White Division Semifinals exceeded expectations.”

Harrington added that the team would be back “bigger and better” next season.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Racers standouts Tobias Holmes and John Ryals were both named to the All-ABA Second Team last week, while teammate RJ Rosa received honorable mention.

The All-ABA distinctions are given to players selected from more than 150 ABA teams scattered throughout the country.

Both Ryals and Holmes are former ABA All-Stars, while this season was Rosa’s first in the league. All three players have routinely led Saratoga in scoring throughout the year.

The Racers finished their regular season on Feb. 23 with a 13-6 record. They’ll next face the Binghamton Bulldogs on the road in a single-elimination playoff game on March 8. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Section 2 boys basketball postseason got underway last week with Ballston Spa, Saratoga Central Catholic, and Schuylerville all taking the court.

In Class C boys action, the No. 3 seed Spa Catholic Saints walloped No. 14 Lake George, 85 to 28. In that game, Bryce Peterson led all Saints scorers with 16 points, while David Redgrave chipped in 11 and Jasyn Thompson added 10. With the victory, Spa Catholic advanced to the quarterfinal round to face No. 6 Hoosic Valley. In that matchup, they again won easily, 53 to 24, and advanced once again to the semifinals/final four. Against Hoosic, Tyler Hicks led all scorers with 15 points, while Thompson and Ronan Rowe added 11 and 9 points, respectively. The Saints knocked down 11 three-pointers in the contest.

In the Class B first round, No. 15 Schuylerville defeated No. 18 Bishop Gibbons, 65 to 40, advancing to the second round to play a tough game against the No. 2 seed Mechanicville. The Black Horses put up a valiant effort (leading by 8 points at halftime) but were ultimately unsuccessful, falling to Mechanicville 70 to 59. Ollie Bolduc led Schuylerville with 25 points and Adam DeGregory added 12 in the loss. 

In Class AA, the No. 9 seed Ballston Spa Scotties fell to No. 8 Queensbury, 66 to 45. Queensbury controlled the early part of the contest, but B-Spa battled back in the closing minutes of the first half and into the third quarter. Ultimately, however, Queensbury’s lead proved insurmountable. 

“This year’s team was a fun group to watch and always played hard from tipoff to final buzzer,” said Ballston Spa Mayor Frank Rossi after the loss. “Thank you to the seniors for their contributions to the basketball program, and I hope the underclassmen will follow in the leadership shoes of the seniors by practicing hard in the offseason.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College’s highly decorated riding team will officially transition to a coed program beginning this fall.

The change aligns Skidmore’s program with the broader equestrian community, where men and women compete together in most formats, including the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) and the Olympics.

“The equestrian sport community at large operates as a coed discipline, with men and women competing equally at the highest levels,” said Skidmore College Athletic Director Gail Cummings-Danson in a statement. “Aligning Skidmore’s program with this standard enhances its reputation and prepares students for broader competition while also creating an athletic environment that values talent, dedication, teamwork, and belonging.”

“We are very excited to welcome men to the Skidmore riding team as we transition to coed,” said head coach Belinda Colgan. “Allowing the opportunity for both men and women to compete together equally is unique in collegiate sports, and we are excited for this next chapter of Skidmore Riding.”

The College said that the move to coed will contribute to an even stronger and more dynamic team.

Skidmore’s riding program has earned nine IHSA national team titles since 1990, most recently in 2023. No other team has won more national championships.

ITHACA — The four-day 2025 Liberty League Swimming and Diving Championship was a successful event for Skidmore College, which earned a total of 30 podium finishes, broke 19 school records, and captured an individual conference championship.

On day one (Feb. 19), Skidmore kicked off the meet with senior Nicolas Sodi earning a runner-up finish to highlight five individual and two relay podium finishes, in addition to four new program records being set. With Sodi securing a silver finish in the 500 free on the men’s side, the women saw four records fall in the 500 free, 200 IM, 100 back, and the 400 medley relay.

On day two, Ryan Delfico defended his title in the 400 IM A-Final, cruising through the first two strokes to stay in contention, before making his move in the breaststroke portion of the race to take the lead and hold on for a back-to-back conference championship victory with the fastest time of 4:03.19. The senior’s victory highlighted another eventful finals session from the Thoroughbreds, who placed five individual podium finishes alongside two relay podium finishes, while also breaking program records in the men’s 200 free, women’s 400 IM, women’s 100 fly, and women’s 200 free relay.

The Thoroughbreds wrapped up day three of the meet with four individual and four relay podium finishes, in addition to four new program records being set: the men’s 200 fly and 800 free, and the women’s 200-medley relay and 100 breast.

On the final day of the meet, Skidmore earned a silver finish in the men’s 200 back, as well as a runner-up placement in the women’s 1650 free. The men also reset the record books in the 200 back, 200 breast, and 400 free relay. The women broke school records in the 1000 free, 1650 free, 100 free, and 400 free relay.

Overall, the men’s team finished the meet in fifth place after scoring 850 points, while the women finished fourth with 857 points.