BALLSTON SPA — According to Coach Matt Germann, Ballston Spa runners Kala’i Makanani and Gabrielle Bozeth both broke school records for the 200m. The girls team also set a school record for the sprint medley relay.
Earlier this month, Bozeth set her school’s 300-meter dash record with a time of 39.91 at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s (NYSPHSAA) indoor track and field championships in Staten Island.
GLENVILLE — More than 80 athletes from across the Northeast attended the 35th JMJC Open Developmental Event hosted by the Jason Morris Judo Center last weekend.
The event aims to help develop athletes and prepare them for competitions by getting them matches in a more casual environment. This year’s event featured U.S. Sr. National Champs Ari Berliner, Kell Berliner, Nicole Stout, and Melissa Myers. Burnt Hills 8th graders Rand and Dani Morris also participated. The event is the brainchild of Teri Takemori and four-time Olympian Jason Morris.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs Recreation Department is offering locals a chance to try out tennis with an area expert: high school varsity tennis coach Tim O’Brien.
On Friday, April 12 from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., the East Side Rec tennis courts will be devoted to those interested in seeing if they might just be the next Serena or Nadal.
Pre-registration is encouraged at www.saratogarec.com. Any questions can be sent via email to recreservations@saratoga-springs.org.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs boys’ varsity swim team enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in school history this year, earning top honors among Section 2 competitors at the state meet in Ithaca earlier this month.
“We had a wonderful year with an 8W and 3L season in the Suburban Council,” Coach Bill Asay told Saratoga TODAY. “All of the boys improved dramatically with their personal best swims at the sectionals.”
Led by Coach Asay, the 200-medley relay at states included John Gregory, Anthony Sanchez, Rob Shontz, and Anderson Baird. This squad broke the school record at sectionals in February. Then at the state meet two weeks later, it broke its own record. They finished 11th overall at states. The 400 freestyle relay also qualified for the state meet, finishing 14th overall.
Blue Streaks individual swimmers also had some strong showings. Sanchez set a school record in the 100 breaststroke at sectionals, then finished 39th in the 200 IM, and 26th in the 100 breaststroke at states. At states, Gregory placed 25th in the 100 butterfly and 28th in the 100 backstroke. Baird finished 18th in the 200 IM, and 18th in the 500 freestyle. Sanchez, Gregory, and Baird all qualified to compete in the finals on the second day of states.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — New York Racing Association (NYRA) President & CEO David O’Rourke heaped praise on Saratoga Springs at an Industry Influencers event on Wednesday morning hosted by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
O’Rourke said it was a “literal no-brainer” to host the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at the Saratoga Racecourse. “Saratoga has been an amazing partner for NYRA and horse racing period,” O’Rourke said. “In terms of Saratoga, since the 16 years I’ve been there, the growth has been phenomenal.” When asked how people outside New York are reacting to Belmont at Saratoga, O’Rourke replied that “everybody wants to be here.”
O’Rourke said that ticket sales for Belmont have “obviously gone well” and have attracted people from all over the country. He confirmed that Belmont would only be in Saratoga for two years: 2024 and 2025. In 2026, the new Belmont Park facilities on Long Island, which are currently under construction, should be ready to host racing events.
O’Rourke touched on a few other topics in his conversation with Chamber President Todd Shimkus, including NYRA’s partnership with television broadcaster Fox Sports. O’Rourke said that national coverage of horse racing at Saratoga would likely increase its emphasis on “the lifestyle aspect of Saratoga,” akin to coverage of Churchill Downs and Louisville during Kentucky Derby broadcasts. “That kind of allows us to really sell the whole package of Saratoga,” O’Rourke said.
In terms of safety issues for the upcoming summer meet, O’Rourke said that NYRA was confident in the track surface last year and is still confident this year. He said the tracks are tested multiple times per day, and that there will be no change in their composition. “They are, every which way you could look at them, some of the best surfaces in the country,” he said.
The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be held at the Saratoga Racecourse from June 6 through June 9. Belmont Stakes Day, on June 8, is sold out but some tickets are still available for the remaining three days.
GALWAYS — Galway Central School District basketball player Chris Maher was named to the 2nd team of the 2023-2024 Western Athletic Conference Boys Basketball All-Stars in the Mohawk Division. Players named to the All-Star teams were selected by local coaches.
SCHUYLERVILLE — The Schuylerville High School varsity cheerleading team competed in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s Competitive Cheerleading Championship in Binghamton earlier this month. The team ranked 7th in the state for Division 2 Large Varsity. Prior to the state competition, Schuylerville won its third consecutive Section 2 Class C Championship under Coach Charlene Becker.
BALLSTON SPA — As legendary (and fictional) dodgeball coach Patches O’Houlihan once said, “if you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.” Luckily, no wrenches were thrown at the Ballston Spa Middle School’s 8th Grade Dodgeball Tournament.
More than 115 students across 19 teams participated in the event. This year’s winner had the creative team name, “I Paused My Game To Be Here!”
TAMPA — Kevin Smith, a native of East Greenbush and a graduate of Columbia High School, grew up watching New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter on TV. Now, Smith may have a chance to play at Jeter’s position in the Bronx.
“Every kid growing up in New York grows up watching the Yankees,” Smith told YES Network’s Jack Curry on Monday. “I was one of those kids watching Jeter every night.”
Smith has been with the Yankees throughout spring training in Tampa, but a recent injury suffered by Oswald Peraza has increased Smith’s odds of making the team as a backup shortstop. Smith is among a handful of infielders with major-league experience vying for the job. So far this spring, he’s gotten 20 at-bats, the seventh most of any Yankee. Last week, he hit an RBI single against the New York Mets.
Smith is primarily known for his defensive abilities, and has said he can play short, third, or second base. A 2022 Baseball America scouting report said that Smith’s “power and defensive skill set could allow him to stick around as a utility player.”
“I’m just trying to have the best spring that I can, have the best day and do the best work that I can, day in and day out, and let the chips fall where they may,” Smith told Curry.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Skidmore College baseball team opened its season with a pair of victories against St. Joseph’s University Brooklyn at the Verrazano Babe Ruth Field in Staten Island on March 3.
The first game featured a three-run home run from Sam Kornet. Reliever Christian Giresi notched six strikeouts while earning the save. The Thoroughbreads finished with a 6-5 win. In game two, Skidmore dominated, 17-1. Freshman outfielder Owen Roy hit a grand slam in his collegiate debut. St. Joseph’s pitching was unruly throughout the contest, resulting in 12 walks and 7 hit-by-pitches.
The team next headed south for the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Florida, where they lost both games of a double-header to Haverford College on March 10. The first game was a narrow 2-1 defeat, but Skidmore was blown out 20-6 in the second contest.
On March 11, the Thoroughbreads eked out a razor-thin, extra-innings 10-9 victory against Wisconsin Lutheran. The game had a wild conclusion. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 10th, sophomore Eddie Galvo reached first base with a single, scrambled to second after a wild pitch, stole third, and then ran home for a walk-off win.
As of press time, Skidmore was 3-2 on the year. Sam Kornet had been stellar thus far, earning a 1.402 OPS across all five games. Jaden Torrado, a senior outfielder from the Bronx, was also off to a great start, with 2 doubles, a triple, and a 1.158 OPS.
On the pitching front, senior Ameer Hasan has led the way with a 2.89 ERA in 9.1 innings. For his efforts, Hasan was named to the Liberty League Honor Roll.
Skidmore will have a busy schedule this week, playing a double-header against Rhode Island College on March 13, a game against Franklin and Marshall on the 14th, and two more games on the 15th against Wisconsin Lutheran and Ohio Wesleyan. The team will wrap up its trip to Florida against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Saturday.
Skidmore’s first home game will be on Friday, March 22 against Bard College at the David Alexander Castle Diamond in Saratoga Springs.
Skidmore had been scheduled to begin their season on March 2 at Baruch College, but the game was canceled. Another scheduled game against SUNY Oneonta on March 6 was postponed.
