At its March 28 Board Awards Ceremony, the Monticello Central School District’s Board of Education honored the Monticello athletes and teams who earned the “Scholar Athlete” distinction from the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.
The following teams were honored as scholar athlete teams. To achieve this honor, a team must collectively maintain a grade point average of 90 percent or greater. The Monticello teams who earned this distinction are:
Girls Alpine & Cross Country Ski – 96.5%
Coach: James Bates
- Sarah Grodin
- Rachel Leventoff
- Mana Iwata
- Liza Mitchell
- Kaitlyn Miller
- Hanna Oestrich
- Sarah Shamah
- Drew Taylor
- Harly Taylor
- Allison Weinstein
- Marley Wells
- Jessica Blakesley
- Olivia Steigler
Boys Alpine & Cross Country Ski – 94.8%
Coach: Haley Heins
- Owen Bassett
- Max Baum
- Sebastian Bresneider Mejia
- Luke Farrow
- Connor Foss
- Kyle Foss
- Ryan Grodin
- Christopher Pitula
- Jack Rein
- Ryan Weiner
Girls Indoor Track – 91.17%
Coach: Matthew Buddenhagen, Richard Sternkopf &
Ariel Batis
- Gabrielle Acosta Herrera
- Madison Carnell
- Meg Cruz
- Taina DeJesus
- Jenassis Forteza
- Aubrey Soller
- Cassondra Turner
- Alejandra Cruz
Nordic Ski Team
Coach Fitchett
- Rachel Leventoff
- Mana Iwate
- Hanna Oestrich
- Olivia Steigler
- Owen Bassett
- Max Baum
- Sebastian Bresneider Mejia
- Evan Waterton
The following students have been honored by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association as “Scholar Athletes”. To achieve this honor, they must, as an individual, maintain a grade point average of 90% or greater, they will receive a certificate and a pin. The Monticello students that have achieved this distinction are:
Cheerleading
Coach: Felicia Ortiz
- Adriana Bracy
- Breanah Bracy
- Lindsey Cruz
- Alisson Jefferson
- Alissa Maybloom
- Destiny Nash
- Jesney Nunez Santos
In addition to members receiving the scholar athlete distinction, the cheerleading team also had an impressive season, being division champions and state qualifiers.
Boys Indoor Track
Coach: Matthew Buddenhagen, Richard Sternkopf & Ariel Batis
- Adam Cavello
- John Creighton
- Quentin Cruz
- Brandon Mancroni
- Dylan Price
- Noah Rogers
- Thomas Vaeth
Boys Basketball
Coach: Christopher Russo
Joshua Gattling-Roque (SC Democrat Boys Basketball Player of the Year)
Girls Basketball
Coach: Ryan Jasper
- Katelyn Babcock
- Dana Kurthy
- Emily LaRuffa
- Jenna Merton
- Aaliyah Mota
- Kelly Smith
Wrestling
Coach: John Doherty
Isaac Hernandez
Ski Team Accolades
Aside from all three ski teams receiving the scholar athlete honor, Athletic Director Kurt Buddenhaggen also noted the teams’ many accomplishments over the past season, including:
Girls Alpine Skiing:
- Division Champions
- Section IX Champions
- 4 State Qualifiers: Sarah Grodin, Sarah Shamah, Drew Taylor, and Jessica Blakesley
Boys Alpine Skiing:
- Division Champions
- Section IX Champions
- 3 State Qualifiers: Kyle Foss, Ryan Grodin, Shane Bittinger ( 2 time section IX Champion)