Salk's seventh grade girls volleyball team was made up of 15 newcomers to the sport. The team was very proud to be part of Salk's athletic expansion program which allowed for twice as many students to play on the team. The turnout, as usual, was high, and both the seventh grade coach, Mr. Completa, and the eighth grade coach, Miss Attanasio were happy to have the opportunity to see many more students participate.

The seventh graders were led by the solid serving of Jackie Muller, Katie Heenan, Victoria Murphy, and Heather Namias. Serving is usually a weak point in the sport at this level, but these players showed both strength and consistency in this area as they scored many points on serving throughout the season. The strongest asset the team had this year was in setting. For newcomers, the team's four setters displayed incredibly soft hands and accurate touch with their sets. The seventh grade setters were co-captain Shannon Hart, Katie Heenan, Patti Gancio, and Amye Lynch.

Salk's eighth grade volleyball team ended their 1997-98 season in mid-January vs. Woodland Middle School. The team may not have won matches, but did win a number of individual games throughout the season. The team of 15 was made up of five returning players, with the remainder of the team being newcomers to the sport. As the season progressed, many players exhibited marked improvement. Outstanding players of the 1997-98 season were Natalie Villemure, whose powerful serve and precise hitting kept opponents attentive, and co-captain Danielle Rodier, whose setting abilities controlled much of the court play.

The Salk basketball program also benefited from the additional teams. Mr. Costello, the seventh grade coach and Mr. Mullins, the eighth grade coach were able to keep twice as many athletes on the roster compared to last year. The seventh grade basketball team finished with a record of five wins and five losses. The boys played well throughout a very difficult schedule, never losing a game by more than three points. Outstanding performers included Joe Wildeson, Chris Sipp, Luke Ingram, and Mike Shaw. All of the boys are looking forward to working together next season.

The eighth grade basketball team had a similar season. They had a very difficult schedule, finishing the season with a four and six record. The boys worked hard all season long, keeping all of the games close. The offense was led by Kevin Lyons, Dan Sullivan, Justin Burkle, Jeff King, and Matt Kelly. Outstanding defense was demonstrated by Dan Valentino, Tom Liverani, Max Reitmayr, Jason McCurry, and Jason Cappadoro.

The second annual Salk Wrestling Intramural Tournament was held on Friday, Jan. 9, at MacArthur High School. The tournament was a huge success, hosting 85 wrestlers, grades 6, 7, and 8. The wrestlers were divided into two divisions, sixth grade, and seventh and eighth grade. The seven champs in the 6th grade division were Billy Tergesen, James Nally, Ed Cuevas, Cliff Heenan, Kevin Urquhart, Brian Abatemarco, and Dylan Ballon. The thirteen champs in the seventh and eighth grade division were Matt DeLorenzo, Todd Yoder, Joey Pulsinelli, Carl Saviano, Michael Calandra, Chris Lynch, Robert Stubbs, John Valente, Adam Molano, Joe Vasold, Eric Schneider, Paul Mazziotti, and Anthony Valanzzano. The Salk wrestling season began on Jan. 20 for the seventh and eighth grades.

The intramural cheerleading squad continued its enthusiastic support to all of the Winter I athletic teams. The girls have done an outstanding job and we look forward to seeing them during Winter II.

Coach John Lipani is pleased to report that the seventh grade boys basketball team just completed a successful season with a record of 6-4. Highlights of the season were two thrilling victories over Howitt and Salk. In the game against Howitt, the Wildcats were trailing by one point with four seconds remaining when Rob Spauster sank a shot at the buzzer and stunned Howitt 56-55. Phil Bachmann's 16 points, Ray Montoro's 13 points, Spauster's 10 points, Tommy Davidson's nine points, and Chris Kelly's six points, paced the Wildcats to victory. The second thriller took place against cross-town rival Salk. The Wildcats were trailing by nine with just under four minutes remaining, but came storming all the way back to defeat Salk 60-59. The comeback was capped by Bachmann's basket with one second remaining on the clock. Montoro's 18 points, Bachmann's 17 points, Spauster's 12 points, and Mike Cosenza's four points led the way for the Wildcats. Leading scorers of the year for the Wildcats were Bachmann with 17 points per game, Montoro with 14 points per game, Spauster with 11 points per game, and Davidson with 6 points per game. Coach Lipani would like to thank the team for its hard work and dedication throughout the season. With all our players returning and moving up to the eighth grade team, Wisdom Lane basketball's future looks very bright. Members of the 1997-98 seventh grade boys basketball team are; Chuck Allen, Phil Bachmann, Matt Buckley, Mike Cosenza, Mike Cunningham, Jesse Darcy, Tommy Davidson, Mike Davis, Brian Frers, Sean Joyce, Chris Kelly, Brendan McHugh, Kevin Meekins, Ray Montoro, Rob Spauster, and managers Greg Kenny, Jackie Marckesano, Theresa McCarthy, and Adam Wurtzel.

After a sluggish first game, the Lady Wildcats bounced back quickly too defeat Hicksville 43-21. Christina Buckley led the way for the Wildcats with 17 points. Lisa Alberti's 12 points, Samantha Smith's six points, Lisa Uschakow's 11 rebounds and Jen Johnson's 10 rebounds also helped lead the Wildcats to their first win of the season. The Wildcats continued their winning to defeat Woodland 30-17. Alberti led the Wildcats with 17 points in the game. Meghan Moran's 10 rebounds and Jen McLeer's six rebounds also helped lead the Wildcats to victory. Amanda Halpern, Tina Rigalos, Erin Ray, and Lauren Buccello also provided outstanding defense for the Wildcats. The Wildcats went on to win their third game in a row when they defeated Packard 39-30. Alberti paced the Wildcats with 18 points. Smith chipped in with 12 points in the victory. Ashley Rogala, Jen Corcoran, Kristie Ryan, Jen Rudolph, and Shannon Signoriello also provided outstanding plays for the team. The Wildcats' record sits at 3-2 and the girls look forward to a successful second half of the season.