By Kevin Placide ‘21

On Tuesday, November 20, the Fall Athletic Awards ceremony recognized Chaminade’s fall athletes for their numerous achievements throughout the season. Several athletes were awarded trophies that highlighted the excellence and proficiency they demonstrated in their sports. The night began with an ETV presentation showcasing the 2018 fall season. Following the presentation, Chaminade’s athletic director, Mr. Donald Scarola, came to the podium to thank all the parents, coaches, and student-athletes who made the fall season a success.

The Swimming and Diving Team was the first to be recognized.. The coaching staff reflected on the freshman team’s undefeated season, and Connor LiBassi ‘22 was named the MVP.

After swimming and diving, the freshman soccer team was represented on the stage. Mr. Brian Anselmo ‘89, the team’s head coach, praised the team on their third-place league finish, scoring 57 goals while only conceding only 9 throughout the season. Francesco Pavano ‘22 earned the MVP.  Then, Mr. Matthew Chicavich ‘98, the coach for junior varsity soccer, discussed the

squad’s strong season, which included two wins over Long Island powerhouse Massapequa High School. Mr. Chicavich then awarded Liam Russelman ‘21 with the MVP award. To conclude the presentation of the soccer teams, Mr. Alvaro Pham, the varsity soccer assistant coach, came spoke about the extraordinary varsity soccer season. The team was able to score 63 goals while only conceding 14.  Jose Pena ‘19 was awarded the Student Athlete award, Luca Iacona was named the MIP, and Ben Szemerenyi was named MVP.

Coach Callinan then spoke onstage and reflected on the crew season. He named Noah Marotta ‘22 as the freshman MVP, Gabriel Eller ‘21 as the sophomore MVP, Kevin Figueroa ‘20 as the junior MVP, and Aidan Slattery ‘19 as the senior MVP of this year’s crew team.

Following Mr. Callinan, Mr. Gregory Gerner ‘10, the freshman football coach, commended his team for a strong season, and he presented the MVP award to Jack Cascadden ‘22.  Mr. Bilgen, the coach for JV football, then complemented the JV football team on a hard-fought season. He also mentioned the team’s heartbreaking loss in the finals to Iona Prep in overtime. Mario Fischetti ‘21 was awarded the title of MVP.  The varsity football coach, Mr. Dolan, discussed the varsity team’s season with both humility and optimism. He then awarded the George Toop Award to Sean Tariche ‘19, the Benyo Award to Anthony Pecorella ‘19, the DeJesu Award to Brandon Janosko ‘19, and the Terri Award (MVO) to Philip Arnold ‘19.

Mr. Kevin Beirne ‘00 was the next coach onstage, and he applauded this year’s cross country team. After giving the freshman MVP award to Owen Sweeney ‘22, he spoke about the sophomore’s hard work that helped propel them to a third-place finish in the CHSAA. Following his speech, he named Frank Naudus ‘21 the sophomore MVP.  Mr. Beirne proceeded to honor the varsity squad, which placed 5th in the league and qualified for the NY State Federation Championship. Finally, he presented Jack Curley ‘19 with the MIP/Lt. Licalzi Award, and Brendan McGrath ‘19 with the MVP award.

Mr. Scarola then returned to the podium and thanked everyone for celebrating this year’s fall athletes. To conclude the evening, Bro. Tom Cleary, S.M. ‘81 and Mr. Scarola presented a coaching award to Mr. Anselmo in recognition of his twenty-fifth year of coaching. Students and coaches alike are now looking forward to building upon this year’s successes and preparing for next year’s season.