A pack of post-season trophies have been earned by golf, track-and-field and tennis teams and individuals from Catholic high schools in the diocese.
Dominic Bozzelli topped the talented McQuaid Jesuit boys’ golf team by winning two individual state championships. The McQuaid junior started out by shooting rounds of 69 and 73 in the NYSPHSAA tournament held at Cornell University June 1 and 2. His 2-under-par total of 142 tied him for first place, and he then won on the first playoff hole. Bozzelli went on to fire a 2-under-par 70 to capture the state Federation title on June 8 at Mark Twain Golf Course in Elmira.
Earlier this spring, Bozzelli’s Knights earned the Section 5 team championship on May 28 at Country Club of Mendon. McQuaid posted a total of 301 to win by six strokes over runner-up Penfield, with Bozzelli shooting 74 to finish as comedalist and teammate Andrew Lane placing one stroke back at 75. It was the school’s first sectional team title.
In the Southern Tier, Elmira Notre Dame dominated its golfing competition by winning the Section 4 Class C crown as well as the Interscholastic Athletic Conference championship. The Crusaders also went undefeated during the regular season, posting a 13-0 record.
Meanwhile, many track stars have put themselves in line for state championships of their own. During the Section 5 state qualifier held June 6, first-place finishers included B.J. Murray of Aquinas Institute in the boys’ 100- and 200-meter dashes; McQuaid’s Tomarris Bell in the boys’ pentathlon with a Section 5-record 3,642 points; Aquinas’ Brianna Cromartie in the girls’ 200 and 400 dashes; Our Lady of Mercy’s Jamiee McClary in the girls’ 100 hurdles; and the Aquinas girls’ 400 relay. And, at the Section 4 state qualifier on June 5, Notre Dame’s Olivia Weeks won the girls’ triple jump. The state meet is set for June 13-14 at the University at Buffalo.
In sectional track championships, Our Lady of Mercy won the Class A team title on May 30 while Aquinas finished second. Individual winners were Cromartie in the 100, 200 and 400; McClary in the 100 hurdles; Mercy’s Kendra Zaffuto in the 1,500; Aquinas’ 400 relay; Aquinas’ Jessica Walker in the long and triple jumps; Mercy’s Jaime Miller in the discus; and Aquinas’ Lindsay Sturnick in the pentathlon.
Murray led the Aquinas boys at the sectional Class A boys’ meet on May 30 by winning the 100 and 200 dashes, and AQ’s 400 relay was victorious as well. In the Section 4 Class C championships, held May 29, Elmira Notre Dame placed third in team scoring behind first-place finishes from Weeks in the triple jump and Kelsie Foster in the 400 dash.
Finally, in boys’ tennis, Elmira Notre Dame won the Section 4 Class C/D West championship on May 15. The Crusaders went on to capture the overall sectional C/D title five days later as ND’s Dan Freeman won 6-0, 6-2 over Jay Bartishevich of Trumansburg in the championship match.
