Photos provided by Saratoga Springs Varsity Softball Booster Club. Not pictured: #21 Ava Goodman – Freshman, Utility
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs varsity softball team put it all together at the right time last season, capturing the Section 2 Class AA Championship. This season, the Blue Streaks are off to a strong start in their quest for a second straight sectional crown.
Head coach Geoff Loiacono said that while the team has gotten off to a great start, the remainder of the Blue Streaks’ league schedule will be “a grind.”
“It’s a grind from day one right through the rest of the season. Suburban Council is competitive, it’s always competitive, it’s always there for the taking,” said Loiacono. “It’s who gets hot, and it’s who gets the right hit at the right time.”
Saratoga returned much of last year’s championship squad, with 10 of the team’s 12 players returning from 2022. The Blue Streaks are 11-1 to start this season, with their only loss coming on April 18 against Troy.
“I feel like we feed off of each other, especially in our batting lineup,” said senior infielder Karley Austin. “If we start off good, everyone’s good for that entire game. … Our energy’s a lot better this year than it was last year.”
The Blue Streaks feature a pitching combo of sophomores Jacqueline Cutting and Charlotte Drabek, who Loiacono said have been “holding down the fort” on the mound.
“You’ve got to have girls who throw strikes, play defense, throw girls off here and there,” said Loiacono. “They’re both doing a really nice job, and we’re going to continue to use them how we can.”
Seniors Karley Austin, Mackenzie Waghorn, Zaynah Aparece, Maddy Vaughn, and junior Sarah Decker have been key players offensively for Saratoga, but Loiacono also stressed that the Blue Streaks have many different players “that step up at different times.”
“Some nights it’s our hitting, some nights it’s our defense, some nights it’s pitching. It just really depends on the game, and on the situation, on what sticks out best for us,” Loiacono said. “When we put it all together is when we’re great.”
Saratoga has seven games remaining in the regular season, with several tough league opponents still on the schedule, which Waghorn said will be “a good test for sectionals.”
“I kind of prefer it, because then we get that kind of atmosphere at the end of the season, and it feeds right into sectionals, which I think will definitely help us,” said Waghorn.
“I think our biggest thing is we just have to stick together as a team,” Austin added. “We can’t separate, we can’t think of just us. We definitely have to stick together.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga varsity baseball team is off to a quality start to the 2023 season, as the Blue Streaks begin the hunt for their second straight Section II title.
Saratoga beat Shaker in the Section II Class AA Championship series last season and were off to an 8-1 start entering Wednesday’s games. Head coach Andy Cuthbertson said the team’s mindset is to “reload, not rebuild.”
“Our expectations are very high every single year. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that we were going for it every single year,” Cuthbertson said. “Obviously, coming off as the Section II champs last year, we’re going to have a bullseye on our back.”
The Blue Streaks returned much of last season’s team, with Cuthbertson saying while the team lost some key returners, they also have a strong group of “core guys” returning.
Cuthbertson named juniors Michael Mack and Christian Mello as two of the team’s top pitchers, also saying Trevor Duthaler and Adam Weiss will factor in on the mound. The Blue Streaks’ head coach also made note of freshman shortstop Raul Rodriguez, who took over the position during Saratoga’s sectional run last season as an eighth-grader.
“We threw him right into the fire,” said Cuthbertson of Rodriguez’s role last season. “He saw a ton of quality at-bats. He’s already getting looks from colleges. He’s on the 40-man roster for the 15U USA baseball team. Bright future ahead for that kid.”
Junior catcher Camden Rhude, and senior outfielders Matt Salway, Owen Redick, and Drew Adams have also been key players for the Blue Streaks early in the season.
Cuthbertson said early on, the team was focused on developing culture and chemistry, saying he wants the squad to “eat strategy for breakfast.”
“Really trying to develop Team 84. That’s a concept that we have, (the) 84th team in the history of our school,” said Cuthbertson. “We try to latch onto that, making sure our program is rich in culture. Kids really feel part of something.”
Playing in a deep Suburban Council, Cuthbertson said the Blue Streaks will look to take things pitch by pitch as they move further into the season.
“Our league is very strong, well-coached, a lot of good kids,” Cuthbertson said. “Really, it’s playing pitch by pitch, inning by inning, and being in a good spot. Hopefully you’re playing your best baseball at the end of the season.”
Mickey Walczak (#42) during a game at West Virginia (Photo by West Virginia University Athletics Communications).
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Former Saratoga Springs High School star Mickey Walczak became one of the best athletes to emerge from the Capital Region, starring in both football and basketball before going on to play football at West Virginia University.
Walczak, one of the Blue Streaks’ most decorated athletes, passed away on March 28. Walczak was born and raised in Saratoga and captained both the Blue Streaks’ football and basketball teams to Foothills Council championships during his time in school.
He eventually played football for West Virginia from 1979 to 1982, where he was named Offensive MVP of the Mountaineers’ 26-6 upset win over Florida in the 1981 Peach Bowl.
Former Saratoga varsity boys’ basketball coach Damian Fantauzzi said Mickey was “one of the best athletes to ever come out of the area.”
“I mean, I can’t begin to tell you how athletic he was,” said Fantauzzi, who coached Walczak in basketball. “He’s the kind of kid, when he’s running, it looks like he’s walking, because he’s so smooth. And he’ll beat you.”
Walczak played three years of varsity basketball at Saratoga, and was captain of the team in 1977-78, his senior year, when the Blue Streaks finished the regular season undefeated and won the Foothills Council championship. Saratoga remained unbeaten until a 61-60 loss to Niskayuna in the Section 2 Class A Championship game, finishing with a 20-1 record.
“I think in a way, he knew how talented he was,” said former Saratoga varsity basketball assistant coach Rich Johns. “And he knew the others really watched him, because he was so gifted.”
“He led by example, really,” added Fantauzzi. “His game did all the talking for him, whatever game it was.”
Louisa Foye, a longtime friend of the Walczak family, spoke of memories watching Mickey play CYO basketball for St. Clement’s under longtime Saratoga Central Catholic coach Bob King.
“He was just already physically so far advanced from all these other little guys that were 10 to 12 years old,” said Foye.
And while Walczak’s football ability took him to West Virginia, he didn’t even begin playing the sport until his junior year of high school.
He ran for over 1,000 yards in both his junior and senior seasons, and was captain his senior year, helping lead the Blue Streaks to an undefeated regular season and a Foothills championship.
“He had so much power,” said Tim Doherty, former Saratoga football quarterback, noting Walczak was also a strong punter. “A couple times, like, ‘How can a human kick a ball that far?’”
“He was so strong, and it was natural,” Fantauzzi added. “He wasn’t like a weightlifter and all that stuff; he was just natural.”
Foye said that then-Saratoga football head coach Blase Iuliano “could put (Mickey) anywhere” on the field.
“Punt returner, punter, running back, wide receiver/wing like he was at West Virginia, and on defense,” said Foye. “He could do it all, and I think that’s what set him apart.”
Foye said after college, she returned to Saratoga Springs for a year, which also coincided with Walczak’s senior year at SSHS. When Walczak went off to college, Foye said she also would travel with Mickey’s mother, her own mother, and others to watch Mickey’s games at West Virginia.
“I was lucky that year, I was able to go to all of his basketball and football games,” Foye said. “I was grateful to be home, because they had really good teams.”
Walczak compiled 871 yards and nine touchdowns of total offense at West Virginia, including eight catches for 75 yards and a touchdown in the 1981 Peach Bowl victory. His 41 receptions ranked second on the team during the 1981 season.
Walczak was inducted into the Capital District Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
Doherty also recounted memories of growing up and playing sports together, including their first matchup in Little League baseball. Doherty was pitching and said his first pitch hit Walczak in the leg.
“I think the baseball was more damaged than Mickey. It was like hitting a telephone pole,” said Doherty. “We just laughed, you know?”
Doherty remembered time spent as kids playing basketball at the Walczak’s house, fishing in Yaddo, and more.
“We all hung out together. It was a really tight group,” Doherty said. “Mickey and I were in the same class, fifth and sixth grade at Caroline Street School. Then we went to junior high, we were the first class in the junior high at West Avenue. You grow up with guys, you spend a lot of time together. A lot of laughs.”
Doherty also said that Mickey’s son, Dillon, has also picked up the passion for fishing from his father.
Foye recounted seeing Walczak ride his bike throughout the city, often on his way to play a pickup game with friends.
“When he was a young boy right through teenage years, when other kids might be driving, he would ride his bike all over town,” added Foye. “And he never used his hands. He would be carrying a basketball, equipment, whatever, going from his house to East Side Rec or wherever. He would ride that bike all over town with no hands.”
Doherty said, “it was a tight-knit group of guys,” recounting memories of pickup games played throughout the city.
“You get on the kitchen telephone, and dial it up, ‘Where’s the baseball game today after school?’, or on a weekend, Saturday morning,” said Doherty. “Sandlot football, sandlot baseball. Just a lot of memories and good times.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame will present its annual Kentucky Derby preview program on Saturday, April 29 at 12 p.m. in the Museum’s Hall of Fame Gallery. Racing experts Tom Amello and Michael Veitch will be on hand to offer analysis and predictions for the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby and answer questions from the audience about the upcoming Triple Crown series. The program is open to the public and included with paid Museum admission. Following the Derby discussion, there will be a special presentation of the 33-minute documentary film Mill Reef: A Legacy of Heart.
Amello has produced the “Trackfacts” selection sheet at Saratoga Race Course since 1988. In April of 1992, he began production of a television version of Trackfacts for Capital OTB TV. He has also served on numerous panels at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, hosted various racing education seminars, and recently began an online series for America’s Best Racing about understating the odds board at the racetrack and betting strategies.
Veitch covered horse racing for The Saratogian and its racing supplement, The Pink Sheet, from 1979 through 2017. He serves as chairman of the Museum’s Hall of Fame Historic Review Committee. A former host of “Down the Stretch” on Capital OTB, Veitch’s writing has appeared in a variety of media outlets, including Daily Racing Form. He is the author of three books on Saratoga racing history: “Foundations of Fame: 19th Century Thoroughbred Racing in Saratoga Springs,” “Summit of Champions: Thoroughbred Racing in Saratoga Springs 1901-1955,” and “Legacy of Excellence: Thoroughbred Racing in Saratoga Springs 1956-2008.”
Mill Reef: A Legacy of Heart chronicles the legendary racehorse Mill Reef, who was named English and European Horse of the Year in 1971 when he won the Epsom Derby Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Eclipse Stakes, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, among others. Mill Reef was bred in Virginia by Hall of Fame Pillar of the Turf Paul Mellon and campaigned by Mellon’s Rokeby Stables in Europe from 1970 through 1972. Overall, Mill Reef won 12 of 14 starts. He was trained by Ian Balding.
In 2020, the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, which is located in Upperville, Va., and was founded by Mellon’s late wife, Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, set out to create a film to chronicle the remarkable achievements of Mill Reef and tell the bigger story of Mellon’s passion and dedication to thoroughbred racing and breeding. The documentary, directed by Virginia native Cassidy Glascock, has previously been screened in Middleburg, Va., and at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, where Mellon was inducted as one of the institution’s inaugural Pillars of the Turf in 2013.
“This film was a true labor of love and teamwork, combining years of footage and photographs with the help of Brough Scott, Emma Balding, Oak Spring Garden Foundation staff, and collaboration with many museums and galleries,” said filmmaker Cassidy Glascock. “While I never met Mill Reef or Mr. Mellon, I hope that we have captured their essence and retold this story in a way that would make them proud.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Shredders, a local 501c3 nonprofit whose mission is to empower kids by getting them on mountain bikes, is hosting their second annual Bike Swap on Saturday, April 29 in the Saratoga Spa Park, Hawthorn Pavilion.
The Swap is an event to buy and sell gently-used bikes and cycling-related items – for kids and adults. There will be bikes, bike racks, cycling clothing, wheels, tools, and other cycling-related accessories. Swing by to drop off items to sell from 10 to 11 a.m., and then come shop from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Proceeds from the event will go toward getting more kids on bikes. Saratoga Shredders runs programming for kids on bikes in the Spring and Fall, with summer camps in the Summer. Program registration for Summer Camp is now open.
There are 4 different programs running this Spring between Albany and Queensbury – girls-only programs and coed programs for kids grades K-12. Their aim is to remove as many barriers to entry for the sport of mountain biking. They provide full program scholarships and bikes to kids in need.
To learn more about Saratoga Shredders and to register for mountain bike Summer Camp, visit saratogashredders.com.
Nick Delpopolo (white) throws opponent on his way to Pedro’s Challenge Gold (Photo by Lou DiGesare).
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake — Athletes from the Jason Morris Judo Center were busy competing all over the world on April 1.
Two-time Olympian and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake graduate Nick Delpopolo looked sharp, winning a 73 kg Gold Medal at the Pedro’s Challenge in Danvers, MA, going 5-0 on the day. JMJC teammate Melissa Myers also performed well on her way to winning a Gold in the 70 kg category, going 4-0.
While Delpopolo and Myers were competing in Danvers, Ari Berliner, Kell Berliner, Hannah Martin and Nicole Stout were participating at the Antalya, Turkey Grand Slam event, which is an Olympic qualifier. Ari and Kell both made it to the round of 32, gaining 120 points. Ari boosted his world ranking to #45 in 66 kg and Kell, who competes at 81 kg, jumped up to a career high #71. Hannah (63kg), who is also a BH-BL graduate, sits at #35. Nicole reached a career high #67 at 78 kg.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fl. —After a storied high school gymnastics career, Ava Dallas (Saratoga Springs High School – Class of 2021) traded in her leotards for cheer pom-poms as a member of the University of New Hampshire Cheer Team.
Dallas and her Wildcat teammates recently won the NCA College Cheer National Championship in the Advanced All-Girl Division I category held in Daytona Beach, Florida from April 6 to April 8. UNH scored 97.49 points, besting six other teams in their division from all across the country.
On the last day of the competition, UNH shared the bandshell stage with the likes of Navarro and Trinity Valley of Netflix series “CHEER” fame, as well as the other National Championship teams. UNH was victorious again, scoring 97.78 points and taking home the 2023 All-Girl Grand Champion title, a first in school history.
Dallas was a four-year letter winner for the Blue Streaks gymnastics team as well as captain both her junior and senior year. She was a Section 2 All-Around Champion and the leading Section 2 all-around gymnast each year that she competed at the NYSPHSAA Gymnastics Championships (2018, 2019, 2020). She currently holds the school record on the balance beam (9.60).
The UNH cheer team is a powerhouse in college cheer circles. They previously won the NCA College Cheer National Championship in 2017. Dallas’ tumbling skills were a key component to the Wildcat’s winning routine.
Dallas said, “It was a little bit of an adjustment going from high school gymnastics to competitive college cheer, but I worked really hard on my jumps and this year was incorporated as a base on some stunts and pyramids. All the hours spent at practice and going to exhibitions leading up to Nationals feels so worth it now. I will covet the memories I have made with my teammates this magical year.”
Dallas is no stranger to National Championships. As a 12-year-old, she won the 2015 YMCA National Gymnastics Championship (Wichita, Kansas) in the Level 4 Senior Division.
IRVINE, CA — The Adirondack Northstars 14U AA girls hockey team traveled west last week, and returned home as national champions.
The Northstars beat Team Colorado 2-1 in the championship game of the 2023 Chipotle-USA Hockey Girls Tier II 14U 1A National Championship, the first national title won by the program. Head coach Ben Marcantonio said the win was “surreal.”
“Honestly, it still feels surreal,” said Marcantonio. “The past week has been a whirlwind.”
The team played six games in total from March 30 to the championship on April 3, winning all six. The Northstars defeated teams from Wyoming, Texas, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Tennessee prior to the championship victory over Colorado.
Marcantonio said entering the tournament, he told the team to simply “play their game.”
“They’ve been playing great all year long, and I didn’t want to put any added pressure on them to feel like they had to perform,” Marcantonio said. “So they just went out there and played their style of play, and force what we know and what we do best on other teams.”
Marcantonio said the team plays a very similar style to the Adirondack United varsity girls high school team, who are coached by Northstars 16U head coach Jeff Willis. 11 of 18 players on the 14U team were members of the United squad this winter, Marcantonio said.
“(Jeff) and I kind of have the same philosophy. We don’t really stop playing offense,” said Marcantonio. “The best defense is a good offense. We pressure other teams to make mistakes when they’re in their defensive zone and capitalize on those. When we are in our own zone, we don’t give the team time and space to actually make a play or make a decision.”
In the title game, Queensbury’s Emily MacAuley scored both goals for the Northstars, initially giving Adirondack a 1-0 lead in the first period before making it 2-0 early in the second.
Team Colorado responded with a strong third period, and cut it to 2-1 with 3:36 remaining, but the Northstars held strong defensively in the final minutes to lock up the national championship. Marcantonio said the win was “a total team effort.”
“Emily was the goal scorer for both of our goals in that championship game, but our team really rallied around each other and made a commitment to each other to finish out the game as strong as we started,” said Marcantonio.
Marcantonio said Adirondack’s ability to buckle down defensively in the final moments “says a ton” about the character of the team.
“We have seventh-graders, eighth-graders, and ninth-graders on the team,” Marcantonio said. “Their ability to adapt to adverse situations, it just shows me how much heart (they have) and how much they wanted this for each and every one of those girls on that team.”
The team was recently honored at Cool Insuring Arena during the Adirondack Thunder’s 4-1 win over the Maine Mariners on April 7. Marcantonio said the championship is “very special” for the squad.
“It’s a special group of girls. They worked hard all year long,” Marcantonio said. “They constantly came to work. … They definitely were all-in when it came down to the commitment to the game and to each other.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Central Catholic varsity softball team enters 2023 on a mission. The Saints did not field a varsity team last season, but have their eyes set on a sectional appearance this year.
“It’s a young group, but I think a very talented group,” said head coach John Dowd. “We’re up in the varsity waters, so we’ll see what happens. But I’m expecting good things.”
The Saints are led by junior catcher and team captain Ryan McDonald, who homered in a season-opening loss to Tamarac on April 5. Dowd also said the team will feature a strong pitching trio of Grace Schaefer, Hailey Ogniewski, and Paige Bujno.
“Our pitching, although it’s young, we have three very good pitchers,” Dowd said. “All travel pitchers.”
“I think the team is definitely really young, but I think we’re strong,” said McDonald. “Coming up, I think we’re going to be pretty good this year.”
Dowd said that while the team has a very young lineup, with no seniors on the roster, he feels the offense will “come to fruition” as the season progresses.
“We lost a couple players from last year, but I’m expecting the offense to pick up as the season goes along,” said Dowd.
“We’re just trying to grow a lot as a team,” added Ogniewski, a sophomore. “I think, by the end of the season, we’re going to be pretty good.”
The Saints’ goal this season is to reach sectionals and “make some noise,” Dowd said. While many of the current varsity squad spent last season at the JV level, that team lost only two games in 2022.
“We had a couple girls that had to play varsity the year before, that came back down to play JV, which is obviously a huge ask for them,” said Dowd. “I told them that if they made that commitment, that our goal was to get to sectionals. Our goal is not only to get to sectionals, but to get to sectionals and make some noise.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Kristi Wagner achieved her dream in 2021, qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as a member of the United States rowing team. Now, she’s back at it, and she’s inviting everyone along for the ride.
Wagner is hosting a new podcast titled ‘The Other 3 Years,’ hosted by Bright Sighted Podcasting. The show, which is set to release its first episode on April 21, will document Wagner’s training process and time spent between Olympic Games.
The podcast was born after Wagner met with Christine O’Donnell, the founder of Bright Sighted Podcasting. O’Donnell is a Saratoga Springs native who rowed at the Saratoga Rowing Association before joining the team at the University of Minnesota, and said she was put in touch with Wagner by SRA head coach and executive director Eric Catalano.
Wagner said the podcast will provide insight into what an Olympic athlete does during the time between Games, and the work that goes into preparing for the Olympics.
“Every year kind of looks similar, in that we do all of our training and competing and selections and camps and everything, but we just have a world championship, world cups, and domestic races and stuff instead of the Olympics,” Wagner said. “I think that’s something that people don’t really know.”
A native of Weston, Massachusetts, Wagner said she began rowing in high school before eventually joining the team at Yale University. After deciding to begin her Olympic journey, she moved to Saratoga Springs in 2016 to train with ARION (Advanced Rowing Initiative of the Northeast), a rowing team consisting of Olympic hopefuls.
“The whole idea was, there’s this elite team which will bring athletes in and give them subsidized housing and also give them a job,” said Wagner. “I coach the middle school and high school rowers at Saratoga Rowing. We had coaching, a training plan, equipment, transportation to races, and that kind of thing.”
Wagner said her experience in Tokyo at the 2020 Olympic Games (which were delayed to 2021 due to COVID-19) “was awesome,” despite the precautions taken.
“It was bigger than life, almost,” said Wagner. “I really wish that my family had gotten to go, because they have made a lot of sacrifices and done a lot to support me.”
Wagner said that due to COVID-19 restrictions, the rowing team traveled home almost immediately following their final race.
“Literally 24 hours after our last race, I was walking down Broadway,” Wagner said. “That was a really weird aspect of it, to watch the closing ceremonies on TV and be like, ‘Was it a fever dream? Was I actually there?’ But it was really awesome.”
Wagner placed fifth in the double sculls at the 2020 Games. Now, she’s aiming to make it to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics, saying she feels she can keep improving and that she is still enjoying the sport.
“I just think it’s a very cool and special thing, to try to get the most out of yourself, in any regard. I feel like I’m not at my best yet,” said Wagner. “I feel like I can still improve, and I’m still having fun in the process. It’s also a bit addictive. Finding that level of success is like, ‘OK, well that felt so good. I want to try to feel it again, but I want it to be even better.’”
O’Donnell said the experience of working with Wagner on the podcast has “been really awesome,” so far.
“Kristi is magnetic. She’s really easy to be around,” said O’Donnell. “I enjoy spending time with her and producing these episodes. I actually feel like producing her show has helped me become a better human. It’s been really cool.”
Wagner said she is a huge fan of podcasts, and also said working with O’Donnell has been “incredible.”
“She’s really awesome. She’s made the whole process very smooth and seamless for me,” said Wagner. “But it’s also been really nice for me to kind of reflect on things. I feel like normally, this is true with anything, you kind of have some sort of goal or something you’re working towards, and you just kind of work and do it. It happens, and then you kind of reflect. This has been more, in the process, I’ve had to reflect. Which has been fun, and exciting.”
Wagner also said that while the Olympic aspect of her story is unique, many parts of her life will be relatable to a wide audience.
“I just think that my story, it’s unique in that there aren’t that many people that do this, but also a lot of things in my life are the same as anybody’s life,” said Wagner. “I still do a lot of the same things that other people do and have the same concerns and worries. I just wanted to share that, because I think sometimes people get afraid or think that they can’t have big goals because they’re so far away.”
O’Donnell echoed this, saying Wagner feels “like someone they already know when they listen to her.”
“She just is very relatable,” said O’Donnell. “But I think people are going to listen to her because she’s reminding them if they have a dream or a goal or this thing that they want to do in their life, they have to go all-in to make it happen. That’s what she’s done during the three years between the last Olympics and this Olympics. Anybody who has a dream who wants to make it a reality should listen to this show.”
Ultimately, Wagner said she hopes the podcast inspires people “to chase their own dreams.”
“I think I’ve spent a lot of time in my life feeling that people who accomplished really big things had tons of confidence and woke up like that. Just everything was easy for them, and they had this goal, and they just did it,” said Wagner. “That hasn’t been my experience. You fail a lot on your way to success. But there’s no reason that other people are allowed to have bigger dreams than anybody else.”
‘The Other 3 Years’ will release its first episode April 21 on all major streaming and podcasting platforms.
