Massapequa Holds Annual Senior Athletic Awards Dinner

paid tribute to graduating student-athletes at the Senior Athletic Awards Dinners on Tuesday night at the Knights of Columbus in Seaford.

Coaches from the three sports seasons and administration were on hand to present awards to individuals who excelled in their respective sports, both in terms of performance and sportsmanship.

“Massapequa is a special place and it is such an honor to be around these athletes and the coaches who have so much pride and passion in their sports,” said District Director of Athletics John Piropato. “To be part of that is a perfect scenario to be an Athletic Director.”

Multiple teams topped Nassau County, Long Island or State competition in 2010-11, highlighted by the State championship run by the girls’ Soccer team in the fall. The boys’ Volleyball team won a Nassau County title, the Wrestling team collected a dual meet championship and the boys’ ice hockey team swept Bellmore-Kennedy for a County title of their own.

Following individual “White Letter” awards for each team, special honors were rewarded to select athletes. The Kristen Bednar Memorial Sportsmanship Award was awarded to both Samantha Berna and Nick DeLuna. The Coaches Award, presented by Principal Barbara Williams and Martin Voigt, was awarded to Christina Fiorinelli and Nick Chicoine.

The final award, the Superintendent’s Award, presented by Superintendent Charles Sulc, was given to Amanda Schmidt and Andrew Valenski. Schmidt received 12 total varsity letters at Massapequa and was a five-time All-County and state-qualifying runner. Valenski received 11 total varsity letters, was previously named an All-County and All-Long Island runner, and currently holds nine different school records.

Seven different Massapequa coaches received the Nassau County Coach of the Year Awards in their sports. The list includes Barbara Lowell (Field Hockey), CarolAnn Habebb-Kiel (Girls Volleyball), Bruce Stegner (Girls Soccer), Mike Lisa (Girls Winter Track), Joe Catalanotto (Wrestling) and Tim Radomski (Boys Lacrosse and Assistant Coach for Football).

“Our student-athletes and coaches receiving so many postseason awards and honors has the program rolling in the right direction and we all work very hard to make sure that happens,” Piropato added.

In all, the senior student-athletes amassed $1.5 million in scholarships offers to various schools. The number is a convincing tribute of the hard work and recognition they put in and the dedication to teammates and the Massapequa athletic reputation.

Notable Individual/Team Performances:

Samantha Berna, Girls Volleyball: Led the team to an 11th consecutive Nassau County title, was the County Class AA Most Valuable Player her senior year and served as a team captain for four of her six years on the team.

Andrew Valenski, Cross Country/Track and Field: A six-time All-Conference runner and holds nine school records, including the 4K and 5K races. He helped the Winter Track team earn a top-30 ranking in the United States.

Danielle Di Verde, Girls Swimming: Led the Chiefs to a great season, where she competed on the national level, falling just short of All-American status in her senior year.

Amanda Reverberi, Girls Soccer: Earned the New York State Player of the Year after helping her team to a state title. She is also one of nine graduating seniors who will go on to play collegiate soccer.

Nick DeLuna, Cross Country/Track and Field: Was named the Nassau County Athlete of the Year, the first time an individual from Massapequa has won the honor since 1969.

Conor Wetzel, Wrestling: Won over 100 matches in his high school career and was a leading heavyweight for the Chiefs in his senior year. He finished in fifth place in New York State at 189 pounds this past season.

Mike Mottola, Ice Hockey: Served as the starting goaltender and earned the teams’ Most Valuable Player en route to a Nassau County Championship in his senior season.

Rob Enright, Boys Lacrosse: Helped the team to a runner-up finish in Nassau County as the leading defender. He received All-American status and earned a scholarship to play collegiate lacrosse at Johns Hopkins University, one of the nations’ top programs.

Nicholas Fetzer, Boys Soccer: The senior defender was a true team leader and nearly pushed his team on to the Long Island title, but fell to Brentwood last November. Received recognition for his great level of effort in an October game against highly-ranked St. Anthony’s.

Fall Cheerleading: In this true team sport, the girls earned three trophies and placed third at the National Championships this past season. They also raised over $3,000 for the “Make A Wish Foundation” since the start of the school year.

White Letter Award Winners (by sport):

Fall Cheerleading: Danielle O’Connell

Field Hockey: Katie Cooney

Girls Volleyball: Samantha Berna

Boys Volleyball: Jesse Finkel

Boys Golf: Chris Miller

Boys Cross County: Andrew Valenski

Girls Cross County: Amanda Schmidt

Football: Lee Henderson

Boys Soccer: Nicholas Fetzer

Girls Soccer: Victoria Lander

Girls Swimming: Danielle Di Verde

Girls Tennis: Alexandre Bentz

Boys Basketball: Matt Smocovich

Girls Basketball: Sam DeSandis

Winter Cheerleading: Toniann Keiling

Boys/Girls Winter Track: Nick DeLuna

Rifle: Nicholas Bartolomei

Boys Bowling: John McGinley

Girls Bowling: Kaitlyn Mottola

Ice Hockey: Justin Von Wieding

Boys Swimming: Mike Bordengo

Gymnastics: Jessica Realmuto

Wrestling: Conor Wetzel

Baseball: Eric Amato

Boys Tennis: Thomas “TJ” Bilski

Boys/Girls Spring Track: Tim Callahan

Boys Lacrosse: Kevin Gatti

Girls Lacrosse: Christina Fiorinelli

Softball: Monica Capolongo