Sports

TZ's Sinanaj, Nyack's Ferrante Named Rockland's Top Spring Athletes

Baseball player Chris Beers and lacrosse player Kelly Guerci were Pearl River's nominees for the Rockland County Senior Athletes of the Spring, which went to Dee Sinanaj of Tappan Zee and Nyack's Alex Ferrante.

Each sports season, the athletic directors at Rockland County's 11 high schools nominate male and female candidates for Rockland County Senior Athletes of the Season.

From those nominations, a committee made of current and past coaches, officials and athletic directors chooses the top male and female senior athletes in the county for that season.

They selected Tappan Zee softball player Dee Sinanaj and Nyack golfer Alex Ferrante as the 2013 Rockland County Senior Athletes of the Spring. 

Sinanaj is the starting shortstop and No. 3 hitter for the Tappan Zee softball team, which won the Section 1 Class A championship Saturday against Pearl River. They will play in the state regional finals Wednesday.  She hit three home runs, five triples and five doubles, averaging more than one RBI per contest for the Dutchies.

Ferrante won the 2013 Rockland County Individual Golf Championship and finished second in the Section 1 finals, falling by one stroke on a playoff hole. He qualified for the state tournament and shot the low score, a 71, in the first day of competition Sunday before finishing in a tie for fifth for the tournament. Ferrante will attend Fairfield University on a golf scholarship.  

The committee includes retired Suffern AD Bob Buono, retired Albertus Magnus and Pearl River AD Tom Collins, retired Nanuet football and wrestling coach Rich Conklin, retired Pearl River AD Tom Doherty, Suffern boys track and field coach Steve Dugandzic, Commissioner of Rockland County Officials Jimmy Kane and former Nanuet AD Judy Slutsky.

The nominees they chose from are as follows:

  • Albertus Magnus: Matt Dale, baseball; Lauren Gruffi, lacrosse
  • Clarkstown North: Josh Forman, baseball; Gabrielle Kraushaar, crew
  • Clarkstown South: John Kukura,baseball; Alyssa McQuillan, track and field
  • Nanuet: Brandon Strathy, baseball; Caitlin Lenihan, track and field
  • North Rockland: Dan Demetrops, baseball; Carrie Small, track and field
  • Nyack; Alex Ferrante, golf; Taylor Bertolacci, lacrosse
  • Pearl River: Chris Beers, Pearl River; Kelly Guerci, lacrosse
  • Ramapo: Joshua Williams, baseball; Janae Wilson, softball
  • Spring Valley; Vincent Burns, baseball; Natanaelle Germain, track and field
  • Suffern: Jason Weinberg, tennis; Sarah Adler, track and field
  • Tappan Zee: Zachary Young, lacrosse, Dee Sinanaj, softball
Those 22 were honored with the nominees from the fall and winter at a breakfast Tuesday morning at the Pearl River Elks Club in Nanuet. 


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