Area athletes earn high honors

Just two weeks after winning their second state championship in the past four years, the postseason honors are rolling in for the Ichabod Crane softball team.

Calista Phippen was named New York State Class B Player of the Year and Tracy Nytransky was chosen Class B Coach of the Year this week by the New York State Sportswriters and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports (NYSSCOGS).

The Riders softball team, along with Ama Boham, Crane’s state champion hurdler, and track coach Patrick Sanger, were honored on Wednesday at the state capitol in Albany by Senator Kathleen A. Marchione.

“It’s pretty awesome to be honored like that and to have three of our players honored,” Nytransky said. “It’s obviously a testament to the hard work we have all put in this year. It was very nice of Senator Marchione to invite us up to the state capitol to honor the whole team, as well.”

Phippen finished her stellar high school career by putting up incredible numbers her senior year: 22-1 record, 0.09 earned run average, 357 strikeouts in 148 innings, two earned runs and 23 hits allowed, 19 shutouts, seven no-hitters, eight one-hitters. She was 77-7 over her four-year varsity career with 1,193 strikeouts and 15 no-hitters.

Nytransky continued her run of success at Ichabod Crane, guiding the Riders to their third state Final Four appearance in four years and second state championship. She finished the season sitting on 299 career coaching victories and has averaged 18 wins per season since taking over the varsity program in 2002.

Junior Gabbie Cox was a first-team selection at shortstop. Cox collected a team-high 38 hits in 80 at-bats for a .475 batting average and led the team in runs scored with 33. She also drove in seven runs and struck out just three times all year.

Riders' junior catcher Jenna Downey was also honored, earning second-team All-State status for batting .313 with three home runs and 23 RBI.

Greenville’s Ava Fitzmaurice was named to the Class C All-State first team for a second time after leading the Spartans to their third consecutive Section II title and second straight appearance in the state Final Four.

Fitzmaurice, a three-time Patroon Conference MVP, finished the regular season with a .491 batting average, seven home runs and 22 RBI, while compiling a 12-2 record on the mound with a 0.73 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched.

The Spartans’ Caila Benning earned second-team All-State status.

Also in Class C, Maple Hill’s Arianna Papas was named first-team All-State and her teammate, Alyssa Houghtaling, earned second-team recognition.

Chatham junior catcher Brooke-Lyn Doyle was named named third-team All-State, while Cairo-Durham’s Jenna Poulsen was a fifth-team selection.