Winter
• Gunnar Zemering became the second state swimming champion in Bethlehem history when he won the 50-yard freestyle title at the March 2 meet in suburban Rochester, and he did it from the far outside lane.
Zemering barely qualified for the finals, which placed him in Lane 8. As it turned out, that was all he needed as he out-touched Alexander’s Robert Brown at the wall to win the state title with a time of 21.10 seconds.
“I never thought I would be a state champion,” said Zemering, who joined Ken Neff on the short list of Bethlehem swimmers to reach the top of the podium. “I thought I’d be high up there, but never on top. My whole swimming career, I have been trying to make states. Winning is a huge, unexpected bonus.”
• The Bethlehem girls basketball team failed in its quest to win the Section II Class AA title for the third time in this millennium, but the Lady Eagles made history when they played in the first girls final at the Times Union Center. Emia Willingham-Hurst scored 15 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and added five steals in Albany’s 64-47 victory over Bethlehem. Jenna Giacone had 14 points, and Gabby Giacone added 13 points for the Lady Eagles.
• Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk lost to Colonial Council rival Watervliet 43-35 in the Section II Class B girls basketball championship game. It was head coach Bruce Stott’s swan song, as he retired from guiding the Lady Indians.
“I know they were trying very hard – not just for them, but for me as well,” said Stott. “And I tried very hard to help them reach this goal.”
Ailayia Demand had 16 points for Watervliet, which won its sixth Sectional title in the last seven years. Olivia Vosburgh had 12 points for Ravena.
• Bethlehem and Guilderland both fought hard in the Class AA boys basketball Sectional quarterfinals before coming up short. Bethlehem led Troy 51-48 late in the fourth quarter, but the Flying Horses closed the game on a 7-2 run for a 55-53 victory. Guilderland led Christian Brothers Academy 27-25 early in the third quarter before losing 55-41.
• Eventual state champion Saratoga Springs scored four times in the second period on its way to a 5-0 victory over Bethlehem in the Section II Division I hockey semifinals. Eagles’ goaltender Kevin Cooley made 31 saves against the relentless Blue Streaks, while Bethlehem only got 11 shots on goal.
• Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk’s Alex Soutiere recovered from losing in the opening round of the state wrestling tournament to finish third in the Division 2 285-pound weight class. Soutiere rattled off three consecutive wins in the consolation bracket and received a forfeit from the wrestler he lost to, Alfred-Almond’s Connor Calkins, to reach the third-place bout, where he defeated Lowville’s Brandon Fayle 3-2.
Guilderland’s Josh LoGiudice and Mike Lainhart also competed at the state tournament in Albany. LoGiudice finished with a 1-2 record in the Division 1 99-pound weight class, while Lainhart lost both of his bouts at 106 pounds.
• Bethlehem’s Samantha Taillon was part of Section II’s third-place girls intersectional medley relay team at the state indoor track and field championships in Ithaca. Teammate Grace Smith tied for fourth place in the girls high jump, while Steve Booker placed 10th in the boys 1,600-meter race.
Spring
• The Guilderland softball team won its first Sectional title in 15 years at Bethlehem’s expense, as the Lady Dutch defeated their neighbors 8-3 in the Class AA finals. Guilderland jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on RBI doubles by Gabriella Marino and Jenna Cubello. Four more Guilderland runs in the third inning spelled Bethlehem’s doom.
“I coach a lot of those (Bethlehem) girls in summer ball,” said Guilderland coach Lou Marino. “It’s hard, but I’m glad they were there and they were happy for us. It’s kind of a unique situation.”
“Besides the fact that we play them twice a season in league play, the girls know each other very well from playing together during the summer,” said Bethlehem coach Karen Gentile. “So you have to come up with something new when you meet in a game like this, and unfortunately it didn’t work out for us.”
• The Guilderland girls lacrosse team ended a three-year championship drought by beating Shaker 15-8 in the Section II Class A finals. Morgan Hardt scored five goals, and Cara Quimby contributed four goals and two assists for the Lady Dutch, who lost by one goal in each of their previous two trips to the Sectional finals.
• Tack on one more Sectional title for Guilderland, as its boys tennis team edged Bethlehem 5-4 in the Class A team championship match. The Dutchmen then dominated the Sectional doubles competition, as their team of Erick Kopff and Alex Federov defeated teammates Michael Zhu and Bill Dong 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) in the finals. Both doubles teams advanced to the state tournament.
• The Voorheesville baseball team won its second straight Sectional title as it knocked off top-seeded Fort Plain 14-4 in the Class C finals. Nico Church doubled twice, tripled and singled for the Blackbirds, who entered the playoffs as the No. 10 seed. Pitcher Mike Young limited Fort Plain to four hits in a complete-game victory.
Guilderland tried to reach the Class AA Sectional finals as a high seed, but Shaker ended the Dutchmen’s playoff run in the semifinals with a 7-3 victory. The Blue Bison scored five times in the third inning to take control of the contest. Guilderland finished the season with an 11-12 record.
• The Guilderland boys lacrosse team’s Sectional run ended with a 17-7 loss to eventual Class A champion Shenendehowa in the semifinals. Kyle Marr scored five goals, and Brian Rogers tallied three times for the Plainsmen. Bethlehem’s playoff run ended in the quarterfinals with a loss to Christian Brothers Academy.
• Saratoga Springs resident Megan Hogan set a women’s division record in winning the 25th annual Delmar Dash. Hogan completed the 5-mile race with a time of 27:38, which was good for fifth place overall. Albany’s Alex Paley claimed the men’s division title with a time of 25:22.
This year’s Delmar Dash was the first one organized by the husband-and-wife duo of Aaron and Diana Knoblauch. The Knoblauchs took time to honor race creators Hank Steadman and Alan Via before the start of the race. Via and Steadman gave the start command to the runners.
“It’s amazing that something we started 25 years ago with 303 runners has become a community event,” said Steadman.
• Bethlehem Central High School graduate Michael Fish was picked by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 32nd round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft. Fish earned the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s Baseball Player of the Year award after leading the league in home runs (12), hits (80), runs scored (54), total bases (134) and slugging percentage (.626) at Siena College. The senior outfielder also ranked second in the MAAC in runs batted in (49) and doubles (16).
• Bethlehem Central High School grad Ryan Flynn did some stellar baseball work behind the scenes. As Baseball New Zealand’s Chief Executive Officer, Flynn built a national team that finished second to Taiwan in a World Baseball Classic qualifier. Taiwan entered the tournament as the fourth-ranked team in the world, but Flynn’s New Zealand team gave Taiwan two tough games in the qualifier. New Zealand beat Thailand and the Philippines.
• Guilderland High School graduate and former University at Albany running back Drew Smith impressed NFL scouts at a pro day combine in March, which landed him a three-year free agent contract from the Buffalo Bills in April. Unfortunately, a hand injury during training camp led to the Bills dropping Smith before the start of the season.