At Mitchell Park the boys track team had five athletes meet the requirements to compete at the highest level in the county. Seniors Matt Verity, Dean Yep, Luke Babiarz, Junior Jeff Rudloff and sophomore Rich Tarver. In the 110 high hurdles trials Jeff ran a 17.85 while Luke ran a 21.21. Jeff was 11th and Luke was 15th in the meet. In the 100 meter dash trials Rich ran 12.44 (7th in heat) and Dean ran 12.57 (7th in heat). In the 200 meter trials Matt ran 23.81 (4th in heat) and Dean ran 25.26 (8th in heat). In the finals on Thursday Matt came in 4th in the 200m with a time of 23.43 and just missed being named All-County by 0.22 seconds. Matt just started running the 200m dash this year. In the 400m Intermediate Hurdles Jeff ran 1:06.94 followed by Luke's 1:07.03. Jeff was 13th in the county and Luke was 14th in the county. Luke just started running hurdles this year. The 4x100m relay team was ranked 6th in class B and 10th in the county. On the Wednesday trials the team of Matt, Jeff, Rich and Dean ran 46.44 and followed it up by a 5th place finish in the finals Thursday with a time of 46.27. In the 400m Matt was called for a false start. He was ranked 3rd in the county. The team decided not to compete in the state qualifiers due to many factors.

"The 2000 boys track season is now over. It was a season of changes. With a new head coach and a change of direction the team worked well with each other and had success at many levels. The five athletes that made it to the county meet were all in the top 20 of the county in their events. The goals set by many of the athletes this season were met as every athlete had a personal best in their events. Nineteen different athletes scored in the meets. Matt Verity was named All-Division in the 200 and 400. Almost all the athletes on the team competed in at least three different events. This diversity and youth leaves much hope for next year. The following athletes should be praised for their hard work and dedication during the long season:

Luke Babiarz, Luis Bautista, Mike Biscardi, Anthony Condello, Anthony Genova, Pin Liao, John Mahoney, Italo Naves, William Ng, Tin Chin, Mike Peluso, John Peralta, Mark Phegley, Miguel Quinones, Jeff Rudloff, Anthony Sullivan, Richard Tarver, Matt Verity, Dean Yep, manager, Katie Berlangero." I wish success for all the seniors. Matt and Pin who will be running at SUNY Binghamton. Dean will attend Georgetown. Luke will attend Johns Hopkins. Mike Peluso who will skip the long jump and play football. Thank you for a great season. A beginning of a new tradition. Thanks to Coach Gallo for his constant assistance and support," said Coach Vignolini.

The Boy's Varsity Lacrosse season came to an end on a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon with a 13-7 playoff loss to Bellmore - JFK who came out hot as they opened a 5-0 lead. Glen Cove came back with two goals (one each by Chris Thaw and Alex Gratsias), but Bellmore answered with two more goals in the last 30 seconds of the quarter.

With spirits dampened, the Big Red fought back with solid performances from seniors Chris Thaw (2 goals), Alex Gratsias (1 goal, 1 assist), Dave Brown (1 goal, 2 assists), Jon Torres (1 goal) and Paul Graziosi (1 goal). James Robbins added a goal and Chris Corbin and Brian Cavallo recorded an assist each. On the defensive side, Brad Beisler, Dave Graziosi and Chad Gleason worked hard to stop many JFK assaults. Dan Bellissimo added 13 saves in the goal.

As the season came to an end, the seniors realized how far they have come over their three seasons for the Big Red. Winning just 3 games their sophomore season, the Class of 2000 led Glen Cove to only its third post-season appearance ever! "This group has always worked hard and has been a pleasure to coach," said Head Coach Steve Tripp. "Not only are their skills and team play outstanding, they are terrific people too."

Congratulations boy's lacrosse on a terrific season and good luck to our seniors as they head off to college!