A couple of members of the Mineola High School track and field team continued their season onto state and national levels.

Senior Samantha Hegmann competed n the discus at the Nike Outdoor National Meet in Greensboro, North Carolina. Hegmann threw her personal best of 120'6'', which ranked her 26th out of 55 girls competing in that event. Hegmann is not done yet, however. She recently won both the shot-put and discus in the local Empire State Games trials and will be representing the Long Island region in the State Games in July.

Senior Rob Olszewski also extended his season by competing in the shot put in the New York State High School Meet. In less than ideal weather conditions, the competition went on anyway. In the rainy 43 degree weather, Olszewski threw 42'7'', which placed him 10th in the Division II class.

The Mineola High School boys varsity lacrosse team completed a 4-13 season but, said coach Mark Miller, the team's record didn't reflect its play because of the strength of the schedule and the number of close games that slipped away.

The Mustangs were also plagued by injuries including the loss of junior midfielder Andrew Gross and senior midfielder Aniello Palumbo. But coach Miller got some help from some important newcomers who stepped up and eventually found themselves in starting rolls to help the team.

Juniors Jameson Canning, John Hock and Fred Usma, all first-year players, provided a big boost to the team and will prove to be impact players in their senior campaign, according to coach Miller.

First-year varsity player and captain Ian Stanisic established himself as a formidable face-off man and catalyst of the offense as an attackman. Mineola's attack was rounded-off by senior Filipe Rodrigues, Michael Marques and Kurt Hetzer, who all added to the offense. Hetzer and Marques, both second-year varsity players as juniors, received All-Conference status for their performance. Completing the Mustangs offense were senior Tom Gajdziszewski and junior Zane Kearney, who both played as midfielders.

The Mustang defense was led by senior goalie Leo Morales, who had a 54 percent save percentage. "Leo did an excellent job in the cage, seeing over 300 shots this season," said coach Miller.

Senior defenseman Charlie Molina and Tijo Thomas did their best to limit opponents' scoring opportunities and protect the goal. Junior defenseman Michael Roo anchored the defense with his tenacious defensive play and ground ball ability. Bryan O'Malley and Carl Nunziata were ready when called upon and gave the man-down unit a boost.

"Overall, we had a successful season, taking the necessary steps forward in moving towards our goal of reaching the playoffs. With the added help next year from this year's junior varsity group, the future looks bright for the Mustangs," said coach Miller.