ON CAMPUS: Kovar Garners All-America Honors; Ward Flourishes As Frosh

By Brett Mauser

Hampton Bays grad Genna Kovar registered 15 goals during her sophomore season and was selected for the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-America Third Team. Photo courtesy Hofstra Media Relations

Southampton - Although fans in the area can't see these athletes on a regular basis anymore, they're nevertheless exciting crowds at the collegiate level. A tour around the country reveals one former Hampton Bays star making it big on a national level while a pair of Bonacker alumni are taking care of business on the college hardwoods as well.

Hampton Bays' Genna Kovar was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-America third team, becoming the fourth Pride player in the program's history to gain All-America status, joining Edith Gallagher (1989), Doni-Melissa Jantzen (2004, 2005) and Charlia Warner (2006). Kovar registered a team-high 15 goals and assisted on five others for Hofstra, which finished the year 12-8. Kovar also garnered All-Colonial Athletic Association first team honors and was also named to the All-Mideast Region first team.

Hayden Ward's 13 points and 14 rebounds helped Oswego State get by Clarkson 60-46 on December 2. Photo courtesy Oswego State Media Relations

Hayden Ward of Montauk has made an immediate impact at Oswego State. In his collegiate debut on November 17, he came off the bench to post a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the Lakers' 82-71 loss to Utica. Ward earned the start in a 69-65 win over New Jersey City on November 20 and responded by tallying four points and 17 rebounds. His only bucket of the second half came with 48 ticks left and put the Lakers up by three. Ward's breakout effort against New Jersey City and then in a win over Medgar Evers earned him a spot on the Max Ziel Tournament All-Tournament Team. Ward then added a 13-point, 14-rebound night in a 60-46 win over Clarkson on December 1. Oswego State stands at 3-1 with the former Bonacker averaging 8.8 points and 12.8 rebounds.

His former teammate at East Hampton, Marcus Edwards, is averaging 8.4 points and 4.0 rebounds through five games with Babson. Edwards led the Beavers with 17 points in their 76-58 victory over Curry on November 18. He followed it up with team highs in points (20) and rebounds (5) in Babson's 74-66 triumph over King's College on November 21. He's hit a bit of a skid, making just 2 of 19 shots over the past three games, but the Beavers are 3-2 and a contender in the NEWMAC. As a freshman, Edwards averaged 9.5 points and 4.4 rebounds.

St. Joseph's (PA) forward Kelly Cavallo of Hampton Bays was named to the Florida International University Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team. Cavallo earned her first career start on Friday and responded by recording her first double-double - 10 points, 11 rebounds - in the Hawks' 64-48 win over the host Golden Panthers on Friday. She came off the bench in Sunday's 81-74 loss to St. John's and set her career-high in points (15) to lead the team and logged 33 minutes for the second straight game. Through six games in her sophomore season, Cavallo is averaging 4.5 points and 4.0 rebounds.

Former Southampton star Julius Anglickas has made a splash with Brockport State. Photo courtesy Michael Pratt, Brockport Sports Information

Julius Anglickas, a two-time state place-winner at Southampton, has already faced some of the country's top competition as a freshman for the Brockport State wrestling team. In four tournaments, he has posted a 3-4 record, with his first victory coming by first-period pin against Cumberland's Travis Aubrey in the Eastern Michigan Open. Anglickas has also scored wins over Purdue's Alex White (6-5) and Oswego's Joe Pesce (12-6). Two of his losses have come to wrestlers ranked in the top 20 nationally according to Intermat - No. 14 Nathan Fernandez (Oklahoma) and No. 20 Ryan Tomei (Pittsburgh). This weekend, the Golden Eagles head to the York Invitational before beginning their dual meet season on December 12 against Lycoming.

St. Joseph's (PA) forward Kelly Cavallo (Hampton Bays) was named to the Florida International University Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team by averaging 12.5 points per game as the Lady Hawks split a pair of games. Photo courtesy St. Joe's Media Relations

Also on the mats, Freddie Wilkinson of Quogue, a Riverhead High grad, has started his senior season at Plymouth State with a bang, going 5-1 to this point. He won three matches in the 125-pound bracket at the Doug Parker Invitational, held at Springfield College, before accepting a forfeit when matched against PSU teammate Josh Huber in wrestlebacks. Wilkinson, a two-time county place-winner at Riverhead, also won both of his dual meet matches.

The St. Joe's (Patchogue) men's hoop team is off to a 3-1 start thanks in part to the contributions of Hampton Bays' Matt Weeks. Through four games, the senior co-captain leads the Golden Eagles in steals (7) and made three-pointers (5) while averaging 6.5 points per game. Last year, Weeks helped St. Joe's win the Skyline Conference and qualify for the Division III NCAA Tournament.

Corey Morris, formerly of Bridgehampton, has started all five games this year for Winston-Salem State. The 6-foot-10, 255-pound center is averaging 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in just over 15 minutes per game. He posted a four-point, five-rebound night in the Rams' 94-57 victory over Atlanta Christian on November 20. It's Winston Salem's only win thus far this year, but it has faced stiff competition in Wake Forest, Oregon, UC Davis and Colorado State otherwise.

Pierson grad Bethany Semlear had her sophomore season with the UConn field hockey team come to a close sooner than expected. The nationally-ranked Lady Huskies were knocked off by Drexel 3-2 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Semlear saw action in 22 games for UConn but did not record a point.

Former Westhampton star Connor Stockton just finished up a stellar freshman campaign with Lesley men's soccer. He ranked seventh on the team in points with six, those coming on a goal and four assists. The Leopards racked up 15 wins on the year and gained the No. 8 seed in the ECAC Tournament, but they were halted there by top-seeded Wentworth.

Westhampton grad Jackie Aldrich was second on the Stockton women's volleyball team as a sophomore. Photo courtesy Richard Stockton Media Relations

The SUNY Cortland women's hoops team has counted on Jennifer Polan, a former star at Westhampton, to provide a lift off the bench and she's done just that. She's averaged 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in helping the Red Dragons compiled a 2-1 record. Her seven points and four boards were key off the bench in Cortland's 66-37 win over Elmira on November 17. Last winter, the Red Dragons won 24 games before being ousted in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Also on the hardwoods, East Hampton's Kaylie Titus has come off the bench for the 3-1 Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan and contributed 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds.

Jackie Aldrich (Westhampton) and the Stockton women's volleyball team qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament by beating Montclair State in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament finals on November 7. The Lady Ospreys went on to face Haverford in the first round where they were knocked off three games to none. Aldrich had eight assists in the tournament loss and was second on the team this season with 450.

Her high school teammate, Brynn Lettieri, shined as a sophomore at Messiah, where she ranked second on the team in kills (213), first in aces (55) and second in total blocks (81). The Lady Falcons went 18-14 this season, falling to Elizabethtown in the Commonwealth Conference semifinals on November 4.

On the tennis courts, Westhampton grad Stephanie DiCapua went 11-5 in singles and 7-8 in doubles during the fall for Cortland State; she also finished second at No. 2 singles in the SUNYAC Women's Tennis Championships in October. At Western New England, junior Ashley Czetlatka (Southampton) finished up the fall season with a 4-2 mark, predominantly playing in the No. 6 singles spot.