In just a few months, Aidan Ifkovits already has made a mark in college track and field and announced himself loudly.
The former New Paltz High School star set the University of Tennessee freshman record for the weight throw last month, launching it 67 feet, 9¾ inches at the East Coast Invitational. That distance was seventh-best in Vols' program history and ranks him among the top freshmen in the country.
Ifkovits dominated that event in high school, winning a state championship last year and taking first at the New Balance National Indoors.
Beacon native Dayion Thompson earned NABC All-District honors this month after leading the Utica University men's basketball team to the Empire 8 conference championship and an appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament. Thompson averaged a team-high 15.6 points with 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals, leading the Pioneers to 21-8 overall.
Sisters Anastasia and Yianna Giannoulis both earned selection to the Greek women's lacrosse national team. The former Red Hook High School standouts will compete this summer in the Heritage Cup, an international tournament that includes teams representing 20 countries.
Anastasia is an attack on the Wilmington University women's lacrosse team, and she is their second-leading scorer this season with 14 goals and six assists. The Communications major has also thrived academically and is scheduled to graduate a year early this spring but, she said, she plans to use her fourth year of athletic eligibility to pursue a master's degree.
Yianna is a month into her freshman season with the Belmont Abbey women's lacrosse team and has scored three goals. The midfielder finally was cleared for a return to the field last fall after a months-long recovery from an ankle injury she suffered in her final high school game. She made her return in December at a winter training camp with the Greek team.
Zach Barber once starred for the Our Lady of Lourdes football team, excelling as a defensive playmaker. His ballhawking skills translated well to the collegiate level as the King's College senior earned All-American honors.
The safety had 55 tackles, five interceptions, 17 pass deflections and a fumble recovery, helping the Monarchs go 10-2 last fall. The Fishkill native had two pass breakups in their win over Ursinus in the first round of NCAA Division III tournament.
Hopewell Junction native Rachel Tama earned National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American honors after a dominant season at SUNY New Paltz. The former John Jay-East Fishkill star had 26 goals and 11 assists and ranked second in the nation in goals per game. The junior forward already holds the program record with 108 career points.
Brian Kelly, a former Red Hook lacrosse standout, is putting the finishing touches on a sterling career at St. John's University. The senior has earned Big East Offensive Player of the Week honors twice this season, including earlier this month when he was recognized for a three goal, six-assist performance in a win over Mercer.
The attack has 181 career points, which ranks third all-time for St. John’s, and he was an All-Big East first-team selection last year.
Sure, six games is a small sample size in a softball season, but Arielle Reddick has been impressive nonetheless.The John Jay grad earned a starting job as a freshman and has dominated immediately for Purchase College. The shortstop has an eye-popping 2.144 OPS. She’s hitting .750 with two homers, five doubles, two triples, 11 RBI and three stolen bases.
Her former high school teammate, Hannah Greer, is shining at Michigan State. The sophomore is batting .313 with a .967 OPS and three homers in 22 games.
Owen Paino, one of the most heralded baseball prospects that Dutchess County has produced, hit his first home run for Ole Miss on Feb. 25. Against a left-handed pitcher, the lefty-swinging freshman blasted a shot to right-center in the sixth inning of the Rebels' 15-8 win over Southern Mississippi.
The former Roy C. Ketcham shortstop fulfilled a verbal commitment he made to Mississippi as a ninth-grader, withdrawing from the MLB draft last summer despite being a highly-regarded prospect. Paino helped lead Ketcham to three Section 1 titles and a state championship and was named the Gatorade New York Baseball Player of the Year last spring.
Former Ketcham teammate Ryan Mealy earned his first collegiate win for the Monmouth baseball team on March 15. The freshman allowed three hits in four scoreless innings with five strikeouts in a road win over Georgetown. The righthander followed that outing with three scoreless innings against Hofstra last Saturday.
Emily Grasseler got first-team All-ECAC after an excellent sophomore season on the United States Merchant Marine Academy women's basketball team. The Millbrook native averaged 15.6 points and 10.3 rebounds, leading USMMA to 24-3 overall and an appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament. Grasseler, a 6-foot forward, also was named the Skyline Conference Player of the Year.
University of Maine track and field standout Kelcie Horst won the 300-meter dash at the Black Bear Invite in January. The senior ran a personal-best 41.48 seconds, helping Maine take first place overall. She also had wins in the 200 and 400 meters during the indoor season.
Horst starred in high school for the Red Hook girls soccer and track and field teams, and set the school record in the 100 meters in 2021, breaking her mother's mark.
Despite dealing with persistent back pain, Joey Naso starred as a placekicker for the Bridgewater State football team. The Hopewell Junction native was an all-MASCAC selection after a season that included him making all 26 of his point-after kicks and setting a program career record with 94 extra points. The junior also was an Academic All-District One Division III selection.
After a rough outing to begin the season, Poughkeepsie native Andrew Speranza has been solid in his last five appearances for the Marist University baseball team. The left-handed pitcher threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts against Farleigh Dickinson in his most recent outing last week. Speranza, who led Spackenkill to a state championship in 2022, began his collegiate career at St. Thomas Aquinas before transferring last year to his hometown school.
Pawling graduate Mikaela Mammola is off to a solid start with the Mercy University softball team. The freshman outfielder is batting .286 with five runs and is 5 for 5 on stolen bases in 10 games thus far.
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: College credit: Ifkovits, Greer and Barber shining at NCAA level
