Mineola High School track and field Head Coach Kristin Degnan has done wonders with the revived Mustang program. In only its second year of existence, Degnan has turned the Mineola program into a force in Nassau County. The coach said, "At the beginning of this season, the goals were clear cut. We wanted to improve on last year's finishes. The boys winter track team finished sixth and two athletes earned All-Conference honors. The girls team finished with only six points in the conference meet."

Well, this year's girls winter track team achieved its goals and then some. In the Conference IV Championships, the Mineola girls went from a last place finish in 2002 to Conference champions in 2003. This was Mineola's first girls track championship and the first for Mineola overall since 1975, the year coach Degnan was born.

The Lady Mustangs ran-up 92.5 points, which was 26.5 points more than the second place team. Individual honors went to 10 girls. Conference championships were earned by Maryanne Georgeou in the 3000-meter run and Nicole Lapin in the high jump. The 4X200 relay team of Juliet Barber, Allie Kain, Beth Basile and Kasey Hughes won the Conference championship. All four girls on that relay unit were named All-Conference.

Coach Degnan said, "Kasey Hughes ran like a veteran. She passed two teams right before the finish line to give Mineola the relay championship. In fact, Kasey earned All-Conference honors in every race she ran." She earned honors in the 600 and 300-meter runs as well. Georgeou also earned All-Conference honors in the 3000 and 1500-meter runs. Margaret Phelan and Julia Yan worked together to finish second and third in the 1000-meter run and both earned all-conference awards. Lapin's championship in the high jump earned her All-Conference too. Jess Donahue also capped off her season by being named All-Conference in the shotput. Joanna Cohen tried a new event at the conference meet. She debuted in the 1500-meter racewalk and earned All-Conference honors. Coach Degnan said, "It's safe to say the girls team surpassed all goals and expectations this season. Congratulations to the overall team Conference IV champs."

The boys track team did well in its conference meet too. Four Mineola athletes earned All-Conference awards. Joe Stigliano tied his personal best in the high jump in placing second. For that he was an All-Conference performer. He then came back and anchored an extremely exciting relay race. The 4X400 relay team of Ed Kaiser, Jason Moston, Tim Palma and Stigliano won the conference title, edging their closest pursuer by three-tenths-of-a-second. All of the young men were named All-Conference.

Coach Degnan said, "Ed Kaiser had a great night. He shattered the school record in the 600-meter run to finish fifth. Jason Moston set a school record in the 1000-meter run. Ryan Barry and Craig Strein set personal bests in the 600, as they ran great races. Alex Jansen leads a strong group of freshmen in Edgar Galindo, Tom Varughese, Craig Strein and Tijo Thomas. The future looks bright for the Mineola boys."

As mentioned earlier, coach Degnan deserves congratulations for a job well done. She went onto say, "I never imagined such great success from a second year program. I'm extremely proud of the athletes for all of their hard word and dedication."

Coach Degnan also gave credit to assistant coach Mike Santa Maria, saying "Last year I was by myself. So, having Mike this year allowed us to do more specific workouts with distance, sprints, high jumpers and throwers."

The coach also pointed out how much she appreciated the help of Brian Donahue. "We are extremely grateful for his knowledge, experience and generosity," she said.

The Mineola boys varsity bowling team made it to the county tournament for the second consecutive year. The Mustangs had to fight-off a slump to qualify. The big match was the final one of the regular season. Mineola was faced with having to average a 770 series for the team to make the county tournament. Coach Helms Bohringer explained, "The boys started slowly. But, in the second game, all the piece (or pins) fell into place."

Behind junior Peter Marson's 247 game, the Mustangs rolled a very impressive 843 series. Captains Joe Tiseo and Anthony Tretolo rolled 213 and 204 respectively. In the finale, Marson once again was on fire. He bowled a 253. The team finished with a 788 and put Mineola in the county tournament by beating North Shore three games to none. Coach Bohringer pointed out that Vito Errico bowled two very strong games during an earlier match against Carle Place. Errico's work kept the team average above the other teams that were trying to reach the county tournament. Coach Bohringer was proud to announce that the fine seasons Vito Errico and Anthony Tretolo had earned them both All-County honors. Peter Marson was named All-League and Co-Captain Joe Tiseo was an All-Conference bowler.