Friday April 19, 2024 
By Eric Schuman
It was an exhilarating week for AP sports as sectional matches took place for many of the athletes. On 2/3, the indoor track team competed at the Suburban Council Championships. The girls 4×4 team of Lydia Ware, Gabby Skiba, Megan Glanton and Sophia Morone set a new school record time of 4:17.696 and took second place in the event.
Averill Park wrestling also experienced success in sectionals as Sean Malenfant and Nik Koch each placed first in their respective weight classes on 2/9. This earned them both spots at the New York State Tournament.
The boys’ bowling team placed 7th out of 15 at their Suburban Council Championships. Parker Brown recorded a high single of 233 and Joe Keller scored a high series of 612 in the outing.
The girls’ basketball team brought home two wins this week over Niskayuna on 2/4 and Saratoga on 2/8. They defeated Niskayuna 50-34 behind 17 points from Kelsey Wood and 12 from Olivia Kelly. The game against Saratoga was much closer as AP won 47-44. Amelia Wood scored 15 to lead the Warriors in scoring.
Boys’ basketball fell to Niskayuna on 2/7, 52-45. Thomas Hacker led the team with 16 points and Avery Pascucci recorded 13. On 2/8, the Warriors fell 64-54 to Saratoga. Zach Price scored a team high 24 points for AP and Ben Romer scored 11.
The Capital District Jets fell to Bethlehem 12-2 on 2/6. One of the Jets’ goals came on an assist by AP senior Tristan Shelhamer. On 2/9, the Jets fell to CBA 4-2. Shelhamer tallied a goal in the loss.
I will be back next week with more AP sports updates.
Go Warriors!
This week’s scholar athlete is Nancy Mainville. Nancy is the number one thrower on the Varsity Indoor Track team, as well as a co-captain for the girls’ throwers. Nancy has been a
thrower on the outdoor track team for 4 years, but only began indoor track during her Junior year. Along with throwing, Nancy played for the Varsity Tennis team in the Fall. Nancy says the hardest part about throwing is learning proper form. “Without form, the shot and weight won’t go very far. Form is something that always needs to be improved.” In order to perfect her throws, Nancy works on her form and weight training during the offseason. Her favorite part about track
is seeing the culmination of her hard work at meets. This year, Nancy hopes to achieve a good mark in weight throw and shot put at sectionals, as a final showing of her efforts in indoor track.
Nancy does not only show hard work in her sports, but in school as well. Nancy has maintained a GPA of 90 throughout high school. This achievement was recognized when she
was inducted into National Technical Honor Society. This year, Nancy is taking a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) class outside of Averill Park, along with Economics and Participation
in Government at the high school. In her future, Nancy hopes to continue her education in order to become a registered nurse. Additionally, Nancy is president of SADD (students against destructive decisions) and Vice President of AWOD (A World of Difference).
Nancy does not only attribute her successes to her own efforts, but to the help of others as well. Nancy says “my teammates have been a huge impact, especially Marty (Bond) and Jamie (Cocca) always helping me with form.” Nancy would also like to thank her coaches for continuously guiding her during the season. Lastly, Nancy says “a good friend of mine, John Rud, is a former thrower and during the year he’s always helping me make the corrections needed.”
We all wish Nancy the best as she continues her work in the nursing field.
Eleven Averill Park wrestlers placed in the top 5 in the Section 2 Class B Tournament, extending their seasons and qualifying for the Section 2 finals being held at the Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, where they will wrestle to earn a spot at the NYS Championships later this month. Leading the way were Nik Koch, who for the third straight year pinned his way to being the Class B Champion at 220 pounds and Sean Malenfant, who added his first Class B Championship at 152 pounds to his already impressive wrestling resume.
Also earning the coveted sectional patch that goes to the top 3 place finishers in each weight class were Andrew Lee (2nd place at 120 pounds), Alex Cooper (3rd place at 160 pounds) and Xavier Graham (3rd place at 285 pounds). Joining them at the Section 2 Championships will be 4th place finishers Michael Clark, Mason Lumbra and Dominick Paradise, as well as 5th place finishers Anthony Dutcher, Nathan Fischer and Ray Hebert. Good luck to all these young men in their attempt to earn sectional glory!
~Submitted by the AP Wrestling Coaching Staff
Olivia Kelley goes up for two of her 12 points on this Monday night game against visiting Niskayuna HS. Olivia, EmmaLee Morgan and Christina Parrattino were recognized in pre-game ceremonies as the team’s only seniors. AP won this game 50-34.