Scholastic Roundup: Kelly O’Donnell — the pride of St. Joseph’s College

April 1, 2022 Andy Furman

Scholastic Roundup logo

Share this:

She’s the best in school history.

Kelly O’Donnell is the most prolific scorer in the history of Brooklyn’s St. Joseph College basketball.

The St. Edmund Prep grad joined the 2,000-point scoring club and at the same time set a new program scoring mark as the Lady Bears closed their season with an 89-65 loss recently, at Manhattanville.

With her game-high 24 points, O’Donnell became the 53rd player in Division III women’s basketball history to top 2,000 points. She finished with 2,009 and surpassed Rosanne Wahl – class of 2000 – at 2,004 as the new scoring leader.

The league’s leading free-throw shooter, O’Donnell collected half of her 24 points from the free-throw line, going 12-for-15. She also grabbed a team-high-tying seven rebounds to push her program record to 978.

* * *

Xaverian High’s jayvee girls’ lacrosse team topped Kennedy, 14-8 for their second win of the season. Kassidy Baez led the scoring with five goals and an assist. Darrien Pennachio scored four goals with an assist. Anastasia Vouvoudakis scored two goals, Lyall Berat had a score and two assists, and Lilliana Devito and Kate Ryan each added a goal. Saraye Jackson made six key saves in goal in the final five minutes.

Xaverian’s boys’ outdoor track and field team had a successful CHSAA season-opener. Stand-out performances included junior Matthew Perkins placing third in the 400-meter hurdles and second in the 400-meter dash; sophomore Justin Schwartz placed fifth in the sophomore 1,600-meter run; soph Mike Abayev placed third in the soph 400-meter dash; and freshman Luke Dembinski placed fifth in the frosh 110-high hurdles.

The varsity golf team for the Clippers topped St. Peter’s at Silver Lake last Wednesday, with senior Henry Shannon, junior Mike Sikiric and freshman Bryan Faherty winning in their matches.

* * *

Pratt Institute’s men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the Oscar Moore Invitational hosted by Rowan University, last Saturday.

On the men’s side, four personal records were set. Nikolas Protopapas ran his best time in the 5,000- meters, finishing third (17:59.45). Thomas Perrone set a program record in the 1,500-meters (4:21.03).

Jack Phelan recorded his personal best in the long jump (5.79-meters). Asa Brandyberry set the mark in the hammer throw (27.54).

On the women’s side, Ava Hunwick set her best in the 400-metters, finishing in a time of 1:08.57. In the 200-meters, Alexis O’Rourke finished in a time of 30.77.

Pratt returns to action tomorrow (Saturday) in the Ramapo College Invitational.

The women’s tennis team evened their season record (2-2) by downing William Paterson, 9-0, last Sunday.

The doubles team of Sophie Bischoff and Nastazja Cancellaro rolled to an 8-0 win at first doubles. Carolina DePontes and Julia Ognibene along with the team of Moira Cunningham and Nicole Delp earned 8-2 wins at second and third doubles, respectively.

Bischoff, Ognibene and DePontes all earned 6-0, 6-0 wins in singles.

Cancellaro won 6-0, 6-1 and second singles while Cunningham took the victory at fifth singles, 6-2, 6-2.

The six spot – playing in her first match – Victoria Delgado – earned the come-from-behind win, 4-6, 6-0, 10-1.

Pratt returns to action, April 7th when it hosts Manhattanville College, at 7 pm at the USTA.

* * *

Eliot Weiss has been coaching championship chess teams at Edward R. Murrow High School since 1981.

“I started the team,” he recently told the Eagle, “When I first came to Murrow.”

Weiss, 68, has been playing ice hockey for some 50 years.

He suffered a horrific (left) broken leg last Friday evening which required emergency surgery.

Murrow’s chess team is scheduled to compete in the National Championships, April 6th – in Memphis, Tenn.

“All that is on hold right now,” Weiss said.

The 11-member team is set to leave on the 6th and return – hopefully with another title – on the 11th.

Edward R. Murrow’s chess team has won eight national championships, 18 state titles and 21 City Championships.

Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected] Twitter @AndyFurmanFSR