Three Mineola High School winter sports teams enjoyed not only strong seasons, but earned the honor of competing in the playoffs. Leading the pack was the Girls Varsity Bowling Team, which was Nassau County Champions and went on to the state tournament. The Mustang Kegglers finished seventh in the state championships, the highest finish for a Nassau County Team in many years. Coach Bill Smith's team consisted of seniors Joanna Errico, Alison Conti and Melissa Purdy, along with juniors Christina Schulze, Lauren Anderson and sophomore Jennifer Pirrone. And Schulze had a day to remember. She set state records for individual, three-game and six-game scores.

The Mineola Wrestling Team followed up its League Championship season by finishing in the elite top eight teams in Nassau County. Eight wrestlers reached All--League status and earned spots in the Nassau County Championship Tournament. Those Grapplers who competed for the county championship were Steve Ricciardi, Hernando Gauto, Paul Bispo, Joe Selby, Raul Gonzalez, Joe Cerulli, Dan Harvey and Craig Gunder. Cerulli, Harvey and Gunder are all juniors and they also attained All-County status. Gunder, who wrestled at 152 pounds, won the County Championship and competed at the state championships in Syracuse . Gunder gave Mineola its second county champion in three years. The Mustang Wrestling Team was also the first Mineola boys' team ever to earn the New York State Academic Achievement Award.

The Mineola Girls Basketball Team learned that the old saying "Never Give Up" paid dividends. The young squad went through some growing pains. It was a season of frustration and elation, wins and losses, ups and downs. But, in the end, the Lady Mustangs' 9-and-9 overall record (5-and-7 league) earned them a spot in the Nassau County Class-B Playoffs. It was the first time since 1999 in the post season for the girls basketball team. So, most of the players got their first taste of playoff action. They got it up close and personal, losing to top-seeded Garden City 63-17. The Mineola girls got a chance to play against Long Island's All-Time leading scorer, Bethany LeSueur. Post-season honors were garnered by three of Coach Denise Zunno's seniors. Guard Katherine Hock was named All-Conference. Guard Ashley O'Neill was voted All-Division and forward Erin Sanderleaf received All-Scholastic Honors. Coach Zunno said Hock "was clearly our best defensive player." She averaged three steals per game and scored 8 points per game. Hock hit 22 three-pointers during the season and was second on the team with 139 points. O'Neill was "our strongest offensive player," said Zunno. She averaged 10 points per game and led the team with 179 points. The coach said "Ashley's most impressive game was against Lynbrook, when she hit four of five from three-point range and ended with a game high 19 points. Sanderleaf's scholastic honor was no surprise. She has an 88.5 average while enrolled in a strong academic program, which includes A.P. courses. Erin scored an 1,180 on the S.A.T. and contributes to the school in many other ways as a member of the student leadership program, while also being the senior editor of the Yearbook, senior class treasurer and a member of the Key Club. Coach Zunno also selected O'Neill, Sanderleaf, Liz Diaz and Kristin McNally as "Strive for Excellence " winners. That is an award given by Mineola coaches for players who exhibit coachability, a desire to be the best athlete they can be, ability to accept constructive criticism and attempt to make those changes.

Coach Zunno went on to praise other members of her playoff team. "Forward Maureen Cloghessy provided offense and strong rebounds," She averaged 7 points and seven rebounds per game. Center Patty Ober also provided a strong inside presence, averaging six rebounds and two blocked shots per game." The coach also called attention to forward Kristen McNally. "Kristin came through with a strong offensive showing and displayed incredible game sense through the season. She is a quick thinker on the court," said Zunno. McNally hit 40 percent of her shots this season and averaged 5 points per game. Among those coming off the bench was the coach's daughter, Kristina Zunno. The coach said, "Kristina gave us some good minutes with strong rebounding and tough boxing-out." The team voted Kristina the "Most Team Spirited." The coach also was quick to point out the accomplishments of Danielle Adams, Mary Warren, Liz Diaz, Nikole Tsabasis, Cassandra Burke and Ally Murphy. Of Adams, Zunno said, "Danielle defensively forced a number of key turnovers and generated quite a handful of assists" Mary Warren missed most of the season due to injuries. But the coach said when she came back, "She played with tremendous heart and hustle." Zunno picked out Liz Diaz as a player "who continues to play with incredible aggression and a strong desire to win." Nikole Tsabasis is the quickest player on the Mustang team and Zunno said, "She had quite a few key steals and plays with a competitive spirit." The coach was blown away by the improvement of Cassandra Burke, who she said "improved tremendously during the season and began to play at both ends of the floor with skill and ability." And Mineola's backup point guard, Ally Murphy "provided us with some flashy play, behind the back passes and strong athletic moves to the basket." Coach Zunno summed up the group by saying, "What was very unique about this team is the fact that they played like a team. Just about everyone got into the box score at some point during the season. In fact, in many games, at least seven-to-eight players provided offense and everyone contributed in some way or another defensively.

The coach concluded by saying, "Their main goal was to win and it didn't matter who took the shot, who rebounded or who made the great assist. Every athlete had confidence and faith in one another making this season a true success."