With the next season of Whitman sports underway, let’s take a look at our winter teams and their accomplishments thus far.
Girls’ basketball has gotten off to a great start, going undefeated in their first five games. This can be contributed to the team’s fast-paced offense, solid defense, and great chemistry. In fact, earlier in the season in the game against Centereach, every player on the team scored, winning 72-36. 22 of those points came from senior, Brittney Coleman. When asked what has been working for the team so far, she said that her teammates “have been shooting and playing really well together” and discussed how close they have become over the years.
Boys’ basketball has started the season at a respectable 3-3. Still very involved in the playoff hunt, the team is ready to heat up and go on a winning streak. Their next home game is on Tuesday, 12/20 against Lindenhurst.
Hoping to defend his state championship title from last year, Terron Robinson is leading the Whitman Wrestling team. Earlier this month, the team participated in the Andrew Peers Memorial Tournament, in which Kevin Romano took first place in his weight class for the second year in a row. Just this past weekend, the team faced Connetquot, with Robinson continuing his winning ways.
Our track and field teams have been enduring the cold weather, running endless laps and training for their meets this season. The young season has already seen plenty of highlights. John Creeron ran our school’s best 600m time in seven years with a 1:27:79, while Sean Smyth ran the mile in an astounding time close to 4:30. Michael Giarrizzo, who has contributed his share of amazing performances throughout his career at Whitman, explained that working out in “below freezing temperatures” and all the hard work the team puts in “pays off” when they “place in meets.” The girls’ team has been training hard as well. Led by Shelbi Wuss, who is newly committed to American University for track and field, the team has been participating in invitational meets at Suffolk Community College and at the Armory in New York City.
The Fencing teams are also off to great starts. The boys’ team has a 5-0 record while the girls are 4-1. This past weekend, the team participated in a 64-person tournament. Senior, Paige Tortorice, made it all the way into the top-16. With much of the season left to be played, the team hopes to capitalize on the experience and skill of veterans such as Tortorice, James Reilly, and Adam Meskill to bring them to playoffs.
Last but not least, Whitman’s bowling team has been steadily improving with each meet. The team has many strengths that can be built around in helping the team get off to a good start. Brian Corcoran, who has already won five games, explained that one of those strengths is the lineup: “Our one and two players, Trevor and Ethan, help a lot in our head-to-head games.” If the team can get off to even better starts in their meets, they seem prepared to strike.
Our winter sports teams are clearly doing a great job representing our school and fighting for each win. With the second half of the season right around the corner, hopefully the teams can build off their positives, improves their negatives, and become well-rounded as they head toward the playoffs.