As Mineola High School varsity baseball coach Helms Bohringer begins his seventh season, he lists making the playoffs in May as one of goals and expectations. Afterall, the Mustangs have had a place in the postseason in 16 of the past 17 years.

"We have a chance to win our conference title if our starting pitching and defense comes together," Bohringer said.

The coach points to a half-dozen experienced players as keys to reaching the goals set for the team. Senior Bryan Gallucci is a two-time all-county performer who the coach says has good insticts and is one of the top players in the county. Another key senior is outfielder J.F. Canavan. He's solid defensively and a good contact hitter. Junior Rich Medlock is the Mustangs best power hitter and plays well on the field. Another senior is second baseman Rob Campagna, whom, Bohringer says, has a good stick and will be one of the pitchers. Another pitcher being counted on is senior Tom Aupied, whose strength is his control. Another senior is Peter Danielson, who will be splitting time at catcher with junior Greg Weiss. Bohringer listed Weiss and outfielder George Harrison as two varsity players who will be a key to any success the team has this spring.

As is always the case in Nassau County Class-B, the competition is strong and plentiful. In listing the Mustangs toughest opponents this season, Bohringer said, "Defending conference champion Clarke will be the toughest, along with crossover games against Class-B finalist Wantagh and other playoff teams such as Roslyn, Lynbrook, West Hempstead and Plainedge."

While Mineola has a shorter roster than most seasons, Bohringer is hoping his seniors can lead the way.

The Mineola girls lacrosse program is beginning its sixth season. Past successes have put the program on the map and increased expectations. Coach Kate Sheehan has been in charge of the program since its inception and she now takes Mineola up to Division One status, which arguably is one of the best high school women's lacrosse leagues in the nation. In speaking of the change, coach Sheehan said, "This season brings back familiar faces and presents maybe new faces and new opponents as we move up to Division One. The move up can be debated, but I believe it's a good move for both the players and the program. Our opponents in Division One bring many challenges to the team. But, these are challenges we are ready to handle. Division One brings us two nationally ranked opponents to challenge our skills and we're ready for that challenge."

Such a move necessitates getting strong play from the experienced players. Among the players upon whom coach Sheehan is counting is senior Danielle Adams, who is coming off last season's injury. "Danielle moves back to the attack playing in the home position."

Other returning players are junior Nikole Tsabasis, the leading scorer among returning players from last season's playoff team in Division Tow. Senior Victoria Montalbano will also make her presence felt in the attacking midfield position. Junior Maryann Georgeou will be pairing with Montalbano in the midfield. "Maryann's natural speed and shot selection make her a potential threat every time she is on the field," said coach Sheehan.

Two other returning players who will be moving to the offense are sophomores Alison Carnabuci and Courtney O'Connell. Both players have increased their repertoire of skills with many hours of practice in the off-season. "In the defensive picture, four-year varsity player, senior Lauren Anderson, will lead this unit. Lauren is a model of consistency and a natural leader on the field. Supporting Lauren will be junior Theresa Dolan. Her tenaciousness makes her one of the toughest defenders in the league," coach Sheehan said. "Support for those two incredible defenders will come from returning player Leanne Bohach, a junior. Leanne is another player who has worked incredibly hard at her game in the off-season. New players added to our defensive picture are sophomores Joanna Canning and Margaret Phelan, along with senior Alison Auriemmo. These players had wonderful seasons last year at the junior varsity level and have improved their skills to be included on the varsity squad."

As is always the key in team sports, you can't win if you can't stop the other team from scoring. Obviously, the experienced defense will play a key role in that critical phase of the game. But, so will the position of goaltender.

In the Lady Mustangs' rise to Division One, the play of goalie Allyson Murphy will be crucial. "Allyson has worked very hard in the off-season and brings a new level of seriousness to the position. After a save percentage of 55 percent last season with 211 saves, Allyson is looking to improve those numbers this season," said coach Sheehan.

Murphy will be backed-up by sophomore Melissa Dadich, who will see some field time in the defensive picture as well. Rounding out the varsity picture are freshmen Juliet Barber and Amy Kemmler. The coach assesses that "Juliet is fitting well in the offensive picture and learning much from the senior members of the squad. Amy is doing just as well adjusting to the defensive game demanded at this level. But these ladies should add much to the squad this year," said coach Sheehan, who chose Anderson and Montalbano along with Murphy as the team's co-captains.

The Lady Mustangs opened their 2002 season on March 19 with a 10-2 win over Glen Cove in a Division One game. "Though the girls started off slowly, they quickly shook off the cobwebs and showed the results of hard work they had put in during the off-season and pre-season," said coach Sheehan.

Glen Cove began the game with two early goals from Laura Tripp. But less than a minute later, Nikole Tsabasis got Mineola on the board. Alison Carnabuci tied the score then Danielle Adams notched her first of five goals to put Mineola ahead to stay. The Mustangs led 6-2 at half-time.

While the offense did its job, the defense kept Glen Cove off the board in the last 42 minutes of the game. Coach Sheehan credited Lauren Anderson and Theresa Dolan for leading the defensive play and bringing new varsity players Alison Auriemmo, Joanna Canning, Amy Kemmler and Margaret Phelan up to speed. "Allyson Murphy was great in goal. Though she didn't see much action in the second half, she handled all shots put on her with great skill and dexterity," said coach Sheehan.

Murphy ended up with six saves and a save percentage of 75. Alison Carnabuci, Victoria Montalbano and Nikole Tsabasis each had two goals while Lauren Anderson, Maryann Georgeou and Courtney O'Connel had one each, but the offensive star was Danielle Adams, who netted five.

The Mineola High School girls bowling team was certainly one of the finest on Long Island this season. The final numbers proved it. The team won their conference regular season title and finished third in Nassau County. Senior Christina Schulze owned the conference and county season high average at 201.7, which earned her all-county and all-state honors. Junior Jennifer Pirrone had the eighth highest average in the county at 177.5 and was voted all-county. Senior Lauren Anderson's season average of 148.4 earned her all-league honors. Along with Lauren Landy and Diana Crow, the ladies also earned the team scholar-athlete award, which goes to a squad that maintains a classroom average above 90.

The Mineola team finished in sixth place in the county championship tournament. Schulze and Pirrone bowled games of 245 and 215 respectively, which allowed them to compete in the county individual tournament. Schulze placed second in that competition while Pirrone was 17th. The second place finish for Schulze earned her a spot in the Nassau County Section team that placed sixth in the state tournament at Niagra Falls. Schulze bowled a 252 game at the state tournament.