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2024-25 Fueling Excellence Athletes of the Week

Head to the ESPN Ithaca Podcenter to listen to interviews with the athletes below!
6/9-6/14
  • Isabel Rossbach – Southern Cayuga Girls Outdoor Track & Field – Finished in 7th place in Class C (and 18th overall) at the state championships in the pentathlon with a score of 2,794, breaking her own school record.
  • Noah Hilker – Ithaca Boys Outdoor Track & Field – Won the Class A state championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:15.78, breaking his own school record by 7 seconds.
6/2-6/9
  • Olivia Frazier – Ithaca Girls Lacrosse – Made a career-high 15 saves in a 15-4 win over Valley Central in the NYS Class A Regional Championship, helping the Little Red advance it to its first-ever state Final Four appearance.
  • Conor Eldred – Groton Boys Golf – Became the first Groton golfer to qualify for states in over 20 years, after helping the Red Hawks go 12-0 during the regular season and win their first Section IV title since 2001.

5/26-5/31

  • Ella Thomforde – Ithaca Girls Lacrosse – Scored a game-high seven goals in a 15-3 win over Corning in the Section IV Class A championship to help the Little Red win its third straight sectional title and its first in Class A since 2021.
  • Rowan Fox – Lansing Boys Outdoor Track & Field – Won the 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles and placed fifth in the high jump at the Section IV Class C championship to help the Bobcats win its second straight sectional title.
5/19-5/24
  • Kristen Johnston – Lansing Girls Outdoor Track & Field – Won the high jump and triple jump and placed second in the long jump and pentathlon at the IAC Championships, helping the Bobcats win the Large School title.
  • Dafydd Williams – Trumansburg Boys Outdoor Track & Field – Won the 100-meter run and the long jump, anchored the winning 4×100-meter relay team, and placed second in the triple jump at the IAC Championships, helping the Blue Raiders finish runner-up in the Large School.

5/12-5/17

  • Natalee Oliver – Watkins Glen Girls Outdoor Track & Field – Won the 800-meter and 1,500-meter runs at three different meets, doing so at the IAC Large School South Division meet, a dual meet against Thomas A. Edison (where she also won the 3,000-meter run), and at the South Seneca Invitational (where she set the meet record in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:30.87).
  • Jack Walters – Union Springs Baseball – Threw a 2-hit shutout with no walks and 7 strikeouts (including his 200th career K) while going 3-3 at the plate with 3 RBIs and 2 runs in a 14-0 win over Tioga in the IAC Small School Championship to help the Wolves capture back-to-back IAC titles. Earlier in the week, he tossed a complete game with 3 runs on 6 hits, 0 walks, and 6 strikeouts while going 3-4 at the plate with 4 RBIs and in a 14-3 win over Moravia to clinch the IAC North Small Division title.

5/5-5/10

  • Maysie Davis – Dryden Girls Outdoor Track & Field – Won the triple jump, high jump, and long jump in a dual meet victory over Trumansburg, then won the long jump again and placed second in the triple jump and third in the high jump at the Parkhurst Invitational.
  • William Stallone – Lansing Boys Golf – Was the match medalist in a pair of wins over Whitney Point. In the first match at RTJ Golf Course, he shot for part with a score of 36 in a 162-243 win, then in the next match at Ford Hill Golf Course, he shot a 33 in a 146-235 win.

4/28-5/3

  • Isabel Rossbach – Southern Cayuga Girls Outdoor Track & Field – Won 4 events in a dual meet win over Groton: (100-meter hurdles, 800-meter run, discus, and long jump) to help the Chiefs seal the IAC Small School Division title with a perfect 4-0 record. She then won the shot put and placed third in the 100-meter hurdles at the Legends of the Night meet.
  • Chris Clarke-Cabezas – Trumansburg Baseball – Drove in a team-high 10 runs across four wins. He first went 2-4 in a 11-2 win over Thomas A. Edison, then went 2-3 with 2 RBIs in a 18-6 win over Elmira-Notre Dame, then went 1-3 with 2 RBIs in a 13-1 win over Lansing, and then went 3-4 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs in a 18-1 win over Whitney Point
4/21-4/26
  • Paityn Delaney – Union Springs Softball – Threw a no-hitter and a perfect game in the same week. She first pitched a 5-inning no-hitter with 12 strikeouts in a 14-0 win over Newfield, then pitched a 5-inning perfect game with 10 strikeouts in a 23-0 win over Groton. At the plate, Paityn had a triple and an RBI against Newfield and a home run against Groton.
  • Levi Murphy – Watkins Glen Tennis – Went a perfect 4-0 and did not drop a single set across a quartet of wins. As the first singles player, he won 6-2, 6-0 in a 4-1 victory over Southern Cayuga; 6-1, 6-2 in a 5-0 win again over Southern Cayuga; 6-4, 6-1 in a 3-2 victory over Lansing; and 6-0, 6-0 in a 5-0 win over Trumansburg.
4/14-4/19
  • Emily LaPorte – Newark Valley Girls Outdoor Track & Field – Won the 400-meter run at the Marathon Spring Fling with a time of 1:14.14, then won the triple jump at the Chenango Forks Rotary Relays with a leap of 32 feet and 1.25 inches.
  • Daniel Johnson – Southern Cayuga Boys Golf – Sank a hole-in-one in a 193-237 win against Spencer-Van Etten at the Club at Shepard Hills in Waverly. The seventh grader finished as the match medalist with a score of 43.
4/7-4/12
  • Paige Ells – Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour Softball – Threw a no-hitter in an 18-1 win over Elmira-Notre Dame. Through wet conditions, the freshman went five innings allowing one unearned run on no hits, 3 walks and 7 strikeouts. At the plate, she went 1-4 with 3 RBI, a walk, and a run scored. Earlier in the week, she walked four times and scored 3 runs in a 19-6 win over Spencer-Van Etten/Candor.
  • Cameron Sinn – Spencer-Van Etten/Candor Baseball – Went 5-8 with 7 RBIs at the plate across a pair of wins. He first went 2-4 with 5 RBI in a 8-3 win over Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour in a game where he also pitched a complete game that included 5 straight scoreless innings. He then went 3-4 with 2 RBI in a 19-0 win over Elmira-Notre Dame.

3/31-4/5

  • Gracie Chalupnicki – Union Springs Softball – Threw a no-hitter with 3 walks and 11 strikeouts and recorded 3 hits and 3 RBIs at the plate in a season-opening 23-0 win over Newark Valley.
  • Gavin Lohmeyer – Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour Baseball – Excelled at the plate and on the mound across a pair of season-opening wins. He first recorded 6 RBIs, 3 hits (including a grand slam), and 3 stolen bases in a 10-0 win over Whitney Point, then threw 6 innings with 1 run, 4 hits, 2 walks and 8 strikeouts and had an RBI single and a run at the plate in a 4-1 win over Dundee/Bradford.

3/17-3/23

  • Maddie Tuttle – Watkins Glen Girls Indoor Track & Field – Finished in 2nd place in the 1-mile racewalk at the Adidas Indoor Track & Field Nationals with a time of 8:45.61.
  • Jairen Francis – Moravia Boys Basketball – Scored 13 points (including the first 8 for the Blue Devils) and added seven rebounds (including 5 offensive boards) and three blocks in a 63-55 loss to Honeoye in the New York State Class C semifinals.

3/10-3/16

  • Jenna Jump – Union Springs/Port Byron Girls Bowling – Led the Section IV composite team to a fourth-place finish in Division II at the state tournament. She bowled a team-high 1,299 series, good for fifth place overall.
  • Zach Szachta – Moravia Boys Basketball – Scored 16 points (including 4 3-pointers) and knocked down a pair of free throws to seal a 55-48 win over Cooperstown in the New York State Class C regionals, helping the Blue Devils advance to their third straight state semifinal appearance.
3/3-3/9
  • Tsadia Bercuvitz – Ithaca Girls Indoor Track & Field – Finished as the state and federation runner-up in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:23.18. That sets a new school record and a Section IV record and is the third-fastest time in the country.
  • Danny Murphy – Dryden Boys Basketball – Scored 15 points, including the game-winning shot, in a 51-48 win over Dryden in the Section IV Class B championship, helping the Lions win their first-ever sectional title in program history.
2/24-3/2
  • Carmen Bishop – Groton Girls Wrestling – Finished in 3rd place in the 126 weight class at the first-ever NYSPHSAA girls wrestling championship.
  • Owen Simons – Ithaca Boys Hockey – Scored 3 goals (including the game-winning goal) and added 1 assist help the Little Red come from behind and defeat Broome County 5-4 in overtime, capturing their second straight Section IV championship.
2/17-2/22
  • Kaydee Jackson – Candor Girls Bowling – Finished in 5th place in Class D at the Section IV Championships with a 543 series to help the Coyotes win the title.
  • Carson Thaete – Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour Boys Swimming – Won 4 events at the Section IV Championships to help the Schuyler Storm win their second straight Class C title. He set school records in the 200 free and the 500 free and was part of the winning 200 medley relay and 400 free relay teams.

2/10-2/15

  • Phoebe Bishop – Groton Girls Wrestling – Won the 94 weight class title at the Section IV Championships with a pair of pins. She became only the third-ever 7th grade wrestler to win a Section IV title, an exclusive list that includes her sister Carmen.
  • Joe Baylor – Moravia Boys Basketball – Surpassed 1,000 career points in a 67-38 win over Marathon. He scored 30 points to become the 8th player in school history to reach that milestone. Earlier in the week, he helped the Blue Devils beat Union Springs 54-48 to clinch the IAC North Small Division title and give head coach Todd Mulvaney his 300th career win.

2/3-2/8

  • Audrey Ensign – Marathon Girls Basketball – Scored a team-high 48 points across a trio of wins. She first put up a game-high 16 points in a 48-20 win over Odessa-Montour, then recorded 8 points in a 48-7 win over McGraw that clinched a sectional berth, then scored a career-high 24 points in a 56-41 win over Groton.
  • Liam Smith – Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour Boys Swimming – Won 4 events at the IAC Championships (200 free, 500 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay) to help the Schuyler Storm repeat as champions.
1/27-2/1
  • Jennie Daum – Union Springs Girls Basketball – Scored a game-high 22 points and added 5 rebounds in a 46-37 win over Thomas A. Edison, then recorded a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 58-35 win over Marathon.
  • Nicco Binns – Lansing Boys Bowling – Bowled a team-high 695 series in a 4-0 win over Tioga, then bowled a team-high 691 series in a 4-0 win over Newark Valley.

1/20-1/25

  • Dallas Bohling – Spencer-Van Etten/Candor Girls Wrestling – Won the 114 weight class title at the IAC Championships. She won her first three matches via pins before taking down Groton’s Remi Marshall with a 10-0 tech fall.
  • Marcos Escalante – Newark Valley Boys Wrestling – Won the 152 weight class title at the IAC Championships and helped the Cardinals win the league title for the first time since 2017.

1/13-1/18

  • Charli Bennett – Southern Cayuga Girls Basketball – Recorded a double-double of 37 points and 18 rebounds and added 4 steals in a 59-50 overtime win at Marathon, then put up another double-double of 35 points (on 50% shooting) and 19 rebounds and added another 4 steals in a 62-23 win at Groton.
  • Xander Scott – Dryden Boys Basketball – Was the Lions’ leading scorer to help them win 4 games in 6 days. He scored 12 points in a 84-48 win over Whitney Point, a game-high 27 points in a 79-47 win over Watkins Glen, 20 points in a 72-51 win over Newark Valley, and a game-high 19 points in a 69-44 win over Sidney.

1/6-1/11

  • Jenna Jump – Union Springs Girls Bowling – Bowled a team-high 639 series in a win over Thomas A. Edison, then bowled a team-high 592 in a win over Groton.
  • Ross Bush – Groton Boys Indoor Track & Field – Broke two school records during the Utica Challenge: the 300-meter run (with a time of 37.97 seconds) and the 600-meter run (with a time of 1:23.31). Earlier in the week at the Twilight Invite, he won the 800-meter run and finished 2nd in the 400-meter run. At the Winter Classic, he finished in 4th place in the long jump and 8th place in the high jump.
12/30-1/4
  • Reagan Burnham – Dryden Girls Indoor Track & Field – Won the 1,500-meter run with a personal-best time of 5:07.68 and placed third in the 1,000-meter run in the Hurley Invitational.
  • Daniel Coston – Watkins Glen/Odessa-Montour Boys Wrestling – Named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 138 weight class at the Odessa-Montour Duals, going a perfect 4-0 (with 2 pins, 1 tech fall and 1 decision) and helped the Schuyler Storm win the team title.
12/23-12/28
  • Addie Oram – Marathon Girls Basketball – Named Tournament MVP of the Miss Holiday Hustle Tournament after scoring 39 points across two games. She first put up a game-high 23 points in a 47-39 win over Deposit-Hancock in the first round, then scored 16 points in a 52-36 win over Tully in the championship game as the Olympians win their third straight tournament title.
  • Aaron Johnson – Union Springs Boys Basketball – Named Tournament MVP of the Cayuga County Holiday Tournament after scoring 31 points across two games. He first tallied 17 points (including a half-court shot) in a 95-44 win over Port Byron in the opening round, then put up 14 points in a 77-50 win over Southern Cayuga in the championship game, making it the Wolves’ second holiday tournament title in three years and 16th overall, tied for the most with Weedsport.
12/16-12/21
  • Heather Gao – Ithaca Girls Hockey – Scored her first 3 career goals across a pair of wins. She first scored the final goal (and added an assist) in a 4-1 win over Oswego at Lynah Rink, then netted both goals in a 2-1 win at Clinton.
  • Isaac Brozon – Southern Cayuga Boys Basketball – Scored 63 points across a pair of wins. He first dropped in 31 points (and added 6 assists) in a 77-43 win over Spencer-Van Etten, then scored 32 points in a 57-43 win over Tioga.
12/9-12/14
  • Leah Antes – Odessa-Montour Girls Basketball – Recorded a pair of double-double across two wins. The freshman first put up 13 points and 23 rebounds in a 54-42 win over Lansing, then had a team-high 14 points and 15 rebounds in a 44-36 win over Spencer-Van Etten.
  • Trevor Middendorf – Newark Valley Boys Wrestling – Won the 124 weight class title at the Dave Buck Memorial Tournament, beating 3 of his 4 opponents via technical falls and helping the Cardinals finish in 6th place. He also helped the Cardinals beat Marathon 74-0 in a dual meet earlier in the week by pinning Gabriel Spizzirri in 1:51 at the 131 weight class.
12/2-12/7
  • Leontine Evans – Groton Girls Wrestling – Won the 235 weight class title at the Larry Goodrich Girls Invitational, pinning all 4 of her opponents and helped the Red Hawks finish in 4th place.
  • Jordan Sidle – Lansing Boys Basketball – Named Tournament MVP of the Lansing Tip-Off Tournament, leading the Bobcats to a pair of wins. He first put up 33 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 8 steals in a 54-47 win over Watkins Glen, then recorded a triple-double of 18 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists and added 3 steals in a 76-64 win over Union Springs.
11/25-11/30
  • Rachel Hartman – Newark Valley Girls Bowling – Bowled a team-high 527 series in a 4-0 loss to Tioga to open up the season.
  • Joe Baylor – Moravia Football – Recorded 9 receptions for 178 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 42-40 win over Trumansburg in the NYSPHSAA 8-man regional semifinals.
11/18-11/23
  • Nicola Soper – Candor Volleyball – Named the MVP of the NYSPHSAA Class D Volleyball Tournament, helping the Coyotes win their first state title since 2019 and their fourth in program history. During pool play (where Candor went 3-0), she tallied 41 kills, 11 digs and eight points. She then recorded a triple-double of 10 kills, 13 digs and 13 points (including the championship-winning kill) in a 3-2 win over Ellicottville in the final.
  • Noah Hilker – Ithaca Boys Cross Country – Finished in 20th place at the NYS Federation Championships with a time of 16:29.10 and helped the team finish in 5th place. It was the highest finish among Section IV runners in the boys race.
11/11-11/16
  • Tsadia Bercuvitz – Ithaca Girls Cross Country – Finished in second place in the Class A Girls race at the NYSPHSAA Cross Country Championships with a time of 17:32.4
  • Dafydd Williams – Trumansburg Football – Caught two receiving touchdowns (one for 67 yards and one for 33 yards to seal the deal) in a 34-12 win over Moravia to win their first-ever sectional title.
11/4-11/9
  • Kathleen Sullivan – Lansing Girls Cross Country – Won the Section IV Class C championship with a time of 20:58.10 and helped the Bobcats finish in second place as a team.
  • Andrew Edsall – Marathon Boys Cross Country – Won the Section IV Class D championship with a time of 17:04.90.

10/28-11/2

  • Eliza DeRito – Ithaca Girls Soccer – Scored two goals in a 3-0 win over Corning to help the Little Red win the Section IV Class AAA Championship. It’s their second straight sectional title and their first outright title since 2018, which was also their last appearance in the New York State Tournament.
  • Manne Vasquez – Southern Cayuga Boys Soccer – Made a season-high seven saves and kept a shutout in a 1-0 win over Marathon in the Section IV Class C semifinals, then made seven more saves in a 2-1 win over Seton Catholic in the Section IV Class C championship. It’s the second time in three years the Chiefs have won a sectional title.
10/21-10/26
  • Catherine Newkirk – Marathon Field Hockey – Scored two goals in a 4-0 win over Moravia in the Section IV Class C quarterfinals.
  • Nik Nelson – Trumansburg Football – Threw for 359 yards and 6 touchdowns in a 69-26 win over Groton.

10/14-10/19

  • Bailey Vliet – Groton Girls Soccer – Scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 overtime win over Tioga to help the Red Hawks win their first IAC Small School championship since 2019.
  • Gavin Marsit – Lansing Boys Soccer – Scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Spencer-Van Etten/Candor to help the Bobcats win back-to-back IAC Large School titles.

10/7-10/12

  • Megan Williamson – Spencer-Van Etten/Candor Field Hockey – Scored 3 goals across a pair of crucial wins. She first netted two goals in a 3-2 win over Marathon to help the Eagles clinch their first division title as a combined program. She then scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Walton.
  • Max Sgrecci – Odessa-Montour Boys Soccer – Scored the game-winning goal directly from a corner kick (also known as an “olimpico”) in a 3-2 overtime victory over Newark Valley to help the Grizzlies win their first IAC division title since 2009.

9/30-10/5

  • Maddy Kalet – Union Springs Girls Soccer – Tallied 7 goals across a trio of wins. She scored a hat trick in a 7-1 win over Moravia and netted 4 goals in a 8-0 win over Whitney Point. She also had an assist in a 3-0 win over Dryden.
  • Jay Miles – Dryden Football – Recorded 24 carries for a career-high 240 yards and 2 touchdowns (including a 58-yard rushing score) in a 34-22 win over Whitney Point.
9/23-9/28
  • Vanessa Downey – Lansing Girls Swimming – Won all 4 events she competed in to help the Bobcats defeat Dryden 92-78. She placed first in 2 individual events (200 individual medley & 100 breaststroke and 2 relay events (200 medley relay & 200 freestyle relay).
  • Riley Jones – Moravia Football – Tallied 3 touchdowns—all in different ways—in a 43-6 win over rivals Groton in the first football game at the newly-renovated Scarry Athletic Complex. He first scored a rushing touchdown (finished with 4 carries for 20 yards), then he threw a 52-yard touchdown, and capped things off with a TD reception (finished with a team-high 4 receptions and 65 yards). He also had 9 tackles on defense.
9/16-9/21
  • Emmi Makie – Candor Volleyball – Recorded 5 points, 2 aces, 9 kills, and 2 blocks in a 3-set win over Newfield, then tallied a team-high 16 points and 6 aces to go along with 13 kills and 5 digs in a thrilling 5-set win over defending Section IV Class C champions Trumansburg.
  • Braxton Young – Southern Cayuga Boys Soccer – Recorded 7 goals and 4 assists across a pair of resounding wins. He first tallied 5 goals and 2 assists in a 17-0 win over Moravia, then had 2 goals and 2 assists in a 10-0 win over Odessa-Montour.

9/9-9/14

  • Skye Honrath – Watkins Glen Girls Soccer – Broke the program’s all-time scoring record with a pair of goals in a 2-1 double overtime win over Elmira-Notre Dame, then scored 4 goals in a 5-1 win over Spencer-Van Etten/Candor.
  • Noah Butler – Ithaca Football – Completed 11 of 16 passes for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns and added a 1-yard rushing TD in a 48-0 win over Oswego.

9/2-9/7

  • Ellie Ouckama – Trumansburg Girls Soccer – Scored 8 goals across a pair of wins. She first netted 6 goals, including 2 directly from a corner kick (AKA an “olimpico”) in a 10-0 win over Thomas A. Edison, then tallied 2 goals in a 5-0 win over Lansing in a rematch of last year’s IAC Large School Championship.
  • Noah Banks – Spencer-Van Etten/Candor Boys Soccer – Recorded 8 goals and 4 assists across a pair of wins. He first tallied 4 goals and 3 assists in a 9-1 win over Whitney Point, then had 4 goals and 1 assist in a 8-0 win over Tioga.