Westhampton Beach Saw A Number Of All-State Performances This Past Spring

There were a number of All-State performances this past spring at Westhampton Beach High School.

Sarena Choi won two gold medals in the triple jump back in June: a New York State Division I medal, and a New York State Federation gold. The federation encompasses athletes from all schools in the state, not just public schools.

Before her two golds, Choi was named All-County and All-League. According to Westhampton Beach head coach John Broich, who has led the team since 1986, Choi, who was also named to Newsday’s All-Long Island First Team, became the first girl ever at the school to win gold medals in back-to-back seasons in the same event—Choi won gold for the indoor triple jump in March.

Jack Ryan and Laurence Barr-Forget both earned All-County honors during the boys spring track season. Both reached the state meet but couldn’t place high enough for All-State honors. Ryan, who also was All-Academic, competed at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in June and placed just four spots out of an All-American finish (10th) in the 2,000-meter steeplechase.

Peter Sullivan, Jack Meigel, Juan Lasso, Ermel Bautista, Alex Lidonnici and Kieran Ryan each earned All-League honors while on the track team.

The Westhampton Beach softball team had its best season in program history. It led Class A in home runs, finished with a 23-8 record and, most impressive of all, reached the county final for the first time in program history.

Lauren Ramos was named Class A Second Team All-State, she was named to Newsday’s All-Long Island Second Team, was All-County, League IX Player of the Year and was named to the All-Tournament Team, along with teammate Alexis Valerius. Lexi Miller was also named All-County. Angie Acampora, Brooke Walker and Jessica Ferrick were each named All-Division.

Ben Osborne of the Westhampton Beach baseball team was named Class A Eighth Team All-State and also earned All-County honors for the second year in a row. Sam Kaplan, Matt Pesce and Jake Viera were All-League while Ryan Wagner was Academic All-League.

Riley Smith and Danny Tocco placed fifth at the New York State Tennis Championships in Flushing, Queens, matching the last Westhampton Beach doubles pair that reached states—Cooper Lacetera and J.D. Sipala—who also placed fifth in 2012. They led a strong showing for the Westhampton Beach boys tennis team that shared the League VII title with East Hampton.

Owen Williams, Josh Kaplan, Brennan Tomlinson and Andre Insalaco all earned All-County honors while Andrew Hempel and Adam Sheren were All-Division. Chris O’Rourke, Sean Toner and Daniel Caputo were each All-League.

The Westhampton Beach girls lacrosse team had a successful season, reaching the county semifinals. Isabelle Smith was named to Newsday’s All-Long Island Second Team and earned All-County honors for the third consecutive season, having earned All-County in the winter (basketball) and fall (volleyball). Lindsay Rongo was also named All-County while Emilee Downs was an All-County Honorable Mention. Maureen Duffy and Gianna Murphy were each named All-Division and Murphy was also named to the All-Rookie team. Smith and Downs were named to the All-Tournament Team and Reilly Dunning was given the team’s Unsung Hero Award.

Chris Merle was named All-County and All-Division for his efforts during the boys lacrosse season. Tristan Hogan was also All-Division.

The girls lacrosse and track teams, baseball, boys tennis and softball teams all garnered Scholar-Athlete Team Awards.

It wasn’t an easy season for the Hampton Bays baseball team this past spring, and particularly tough for two of its players, James and Louis Puccio, whose mother, Lori Puccio, died after a three-year battle with breast cancer in the middle of the season. Just a week after their mother died, James and Louis were back on the field for an already short-handed Baymen team.

For playing the majority of the season while mourning the death of their mother, James and Louis Puccio were given the Dr. Frank Segretto Courage Award by the Suffolk County Baseball Coaches Association, given to players who have overcome adversity.

Louis Puccio also earned All-League honors as did Andrew Hafemeister. Brandon Ruiz was All-Academic.

Mackenzie Tyler was named Class A Sixth Team All-State and earned All-County honors for the second year in a row on the softball team. Lily Candelaria was All-League and League IX Rookie of the Year.

Mateo Ariza, Chris Downs, John Ferguson, Jesse Haynes, Jason Huzau and Milan Moraga each earned All-League honors during the boys track season. Marley Montague reached the New York State Track and Field Championships for the second year in a row in the pole vault.

Felipe Salazar and Patricio Pulla were All-League tennis players in the spring. Gabe Guambana received the Sportsmanship Award.

Colette Levine was named All-Division during her time as the goalie on the Hampton Bays girls lacrosse team. Cassidy Moore was an All-County Honorable Mention, and Karla Solano was given the team’s Unsung Hero Award.