The high school winter sports season is tipping off all around Nassau County. The first team to get going at Mineola High School is the girl's bowling team. The Lady Mustangs opened up with an 8-3 victory over North Shore. Joanna Errico, Jennifer Pirrone, Christina Schulze and Rebecca Madson steamrolled their opponents. Madson started her first varsity match and put in an outstanding effort in the third and deciding game to seal the win for the Mustangs.

Mineola coaches were looking forward to the start of the basketball season. The new coach of the boys varsity basketball team is Scott Donnellan. The rest of the staff includes junior varsity coach Mark Gehrke, eighth grade coach Helmut Bohringer and seventh grade coach Marty Joyce. Donnellan plays his high school ball at Massapequa and graduated from SUNY Oneonta.

Donnellan profiled his large contingent of seniors. Captain John Murphy will be counted on for his scoring and rebounding. Point guard Dan Bailey will be one of the Mustangs' key scorers. Scoring and rebounding will be the strengths of Dave Terezo. Coach Donnellan is counting on strong defensive efforts and intensity from Drew Wachter, Chris Weldon and Ryan Smith, while Chris Gonzalez will add to the scoring and rebounding columns for the Mustangs. Mineola was seeded sixth in the conference by the coaches. Donnellan expects to compete for a playoff spot. He points to Westbury and Glen Cove as the toughest opponents for Mineola. Those teams were county finalists last year and return most of their players. Donnellan looks for valuable contributions from a trio of underclassmen...juniors Eric Wooten and Aaron Kelly plus sophomore Rich Medlock. Wooten and Medlock will be counted on for their scoring and rebounding while Kelley is expected to score and play some point guard. The Mustangs open their league season Jan. 5 after a December full of non-league games and tournaments in Garden City and Carle Place.

Veteran Mineola girls varsity hoops coach Denise Zunno is thinking, wishing, and hoping her team will surprise some people this season. Zunno, a graduate of Northport High School and SUNY-Cortland, has seen a lot of talent come and go over the years and seems to like the mix of this year's team. The rest of the girls basketball staff is junior varsity coach Christine Wiedman and middle school coaches Marty Joyce and Jennifer Barca. Zunno expects a lot from her four seniors. In her profile of her players, the coach said of senior All-Conference guard Katherine Hock - a three-point specialist and strong defender, who averaged four steals per game last season. Senior off-guard Ashley O'Neill is an exceptional shooter, who is quick and strong to the basket. Zunno said we'll be looking for Ashley on the fast break. Senior forward Erin Sanderleaf is a strong rebounder and can shoot the three. Senior guard Mary Warren is what the coach calls her "secret weapon." Mary is a streak shooter with great speed. While there are four key seniors on this team, Mineola will need strong seasons from its juniors to be successful. The coach says forward Maureen Cloghessy is the team's strongest rebounder, offensive minded and strong baseline driver. The coach wants double figures out of Cloghessy. Coach Zunno's youngest daughter, Kristina, is one of those key juniors. Kristina is a strong rebounder and sees the floor well, always looking to get off a good pass. Junior center Nicole McAllister is offensive minded, can drive strong to the basket or shoot from the outside. Junior forward Liz Diaz is characterized as a very aggressive defensive player, who hustles to all the loose balls and never gives up the ball to another player. Junior center Patty Ober is a strong rebounder and strong offensively under the basket. Junior guard Danielle Adams is a strong defender with great speed, who sees the floor and passes well. Returning sophomores Kristen McNalley and Nicole Tsabasis are also an important part of the mix for the Lady Mustangs. Of McNally, coach Zunno says she's a strong rebounder with good game sense. Kristen is very competitive and a strong outside shooter. Tsabasis is cited for her tremendous speed, who plays with heart and hustle. Coach Zunno named junior Cassandra Burke and sophomore Ally Murphy as her hot newcomers. Burke, a forward, will be counted on for her rebounding. Murphy, who plays both guard spots, is a great addition to the team. Ally transferred from Sacred Heart and knows the game well, passes well and is aggressive offensively. The coach is hoping her team will play stronger than the 10th spot in which the Lady Mustangs were ranked by the conference coaches. Zunno says, "We will be competitive with the teams we play. If the girls play team ball and everyone focuses, accepts their strengths and works on their weaknesses we can be a strong contender." The coach pointed to the tremendous potential of her team. She believes the team's record will improve dramatically from last year.

Mineola High School senior Katherine Hock had quite an evening at the recent Nassau County Soccer Awards Dinner. A co-captain on the Lady Mustangs soccer team, Hock received the All-County award she expected. But, then came the surprise. The daughter of James and Susan Hock, Katherine was voted a co-winner of the Suzanne Link Memorial Scholarship Award. Hock shared the honors with Wheatley senior Christine Bashian. The Link Scholarship is awarded to a senior who demonstrates high academic achievement, exceptional athletic ability and an overall commitment to excellence. The Nassau County Girls Soccer Coaches Association votes on the award each year to continue the memory of Suzanne Link, who was a member of the Island Trees soccer team. She lost her life due to the negligence of a drunk driver in the fall of 1983. Katherine will have quite a number of awards by the time her senior year is finished. But, this one will be one of those special ones.