Scholastic Roundup: Finally, some good news for St. Francis athletics

April 22, 2022 Andy Furman

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There’s some good news for St. Francis College Terrier fans.

The key word – some.

With the relocation of the school from Remsen Street to The Wheeler Building (181 Livingston St.) this fall, the concern was a real one.

Where would the athletic teams play their fall/winter sports – volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball –as there is no gymnasium in The Wheeler Building.

Irma Garcia was named St. Francis College Brooklyn’s Director of Athletics in 2007, and became the first-ever Latina to lead an NCAA Division I Athletics Department. Photo courtesy of St. Francis College

“I had a long talk with Irma Garcia (Athletic Director),” Dan Lynch, Jr., the former Terriers’ baseball coach – and son of the winningest basketball coach at the college, said. “She told me that the gym at 180 Remsen Street – aka The Daniel Lynch Gymnasium – would be used through December, 2022. She also said there would be two major events – a dinner honoring all Hall of Fame members and a special Dan Lynch Sr. Night.”

In fact, Lynch notes that Garcia asked him to oversee the planning of both events.

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Speaking of the Terriers, the women’s track and field team took split squads Eastern weekend to the UConn Northeast Challenge and the Hofstra Invitational. At both meets, the Terriers scored top 10 individual finishes in multiple events.

Armani Dunkley scored the highest finish for St. Francis College in any event of the meet, taking ninth-place in the high-jump (1.60m) – she also placed 10th in the 200-m dash (24.99) at Storrs, Conn.

Beyonce Blake finished 11th in the triple-jump final (11.29-m) and Janee Patterson was the Terriers’ lone finisher in the 400-m hurdles final, taking 12th (1:07.73).

In the Hofstra meet, Jennessy Diaz (13.53, 10-m final) and Tolulope Atolagbe (1:04.94 – 400-m final) – each took first place finishes. Atolagbe rounded out the top three in the 100-m final (14.38).

The Terriers were the only team to run in the 400-m final, with Christina Rene (1:06.81) and Esther Richardson (1:07.68) finishing second and third, respectively. Rene (27.36) and Shayla John (27.64) were the top Terriers in the 200-m dash, finishing second and third. Richardson (2:35.19) and Maria Grijalva (2:35.66) battled throughout the 800-m run to a two-three finish.

Junior Carol Nieves (6:13.05) placed second in the one-mile run. The Terriers will compete in the Rider Invitational, Saturday, April 23rd.

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More Jackie – Jeff Schrier taught a three-week unit about Jackie Robinson in a Sports Literature class – first at Jefferson High School, then at Tilden. “I was appalled when I asked the classes who Jackie Robinson was,” he said. “Only two kids even knew he was a ball player. I began the unit by writing a quote on the board, ‘Jackie Robinson was more important to the civil rights movement than Martin Luther King.’”

This March 4, 1946, file photo shows Jackie Robinson of the Montreal Royals baseball team, in Sanford, Fla. All players, managers, coaches and umpires will wear No. 42 on Thursday, April 15, 2021, to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day, marking the anniversary of the date the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Famer made his Major League Baseball debut and broke the sport’s color barrier in 1947. AP Photo/Bill Chaplis, File

Schrier says there was almost a riot in the class. “By the end of the unit, the kids were aware of the angst Jackie went through. I rewrite the original quote on the board. This time there was not a peep in the class. I told the class that because they were so upset by the quote at the beginning of the unit. I never got to tell them who said it. They asked who it was. I answered in three words – Martin Luther King!”

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Thomas Perrone ran a 4:15.02 in the 1,500 meters for Pratt in the Chester Quarry Classic, hosted by Widener University, Saturday. He qualified for the for the ECAC’s.

In the 800-meters, Paden Spencer finished fifth (2:02.75); Dominic Paolini and Nikolas Protopapas finished fifth and sixth in the 5,000-meters.

On the women’s side, Siena Sujitno finished ninth in the 100-meters (13.49) – she also placed fourth in the long jump (4.74-m) – she also qualified for ECAC’s in both events. Ava Hunwick was seventh in the 400-m dash (1:06.42) – and Sparshita Das was ninth (1:15.88) in the same event.

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Senior Alexis Buchanan from Murrieta, Calif., became the 18th player in St. Joseph’s College history – and second in the team’s Skyline Conference era – to join the 100-hit club. The Bears recently swept a doubleheader over FDU-Florham, and Buchanan wasted no time in getting her milestone hut knocking a two-out single in the first inning. Sophomore, Arianna Heinsch a Fontbonne Hall Academy grad, blasted her first collegiate home run in game two.

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Nick DeSalvo struck out a career-high 10 batters in four innings last week to help LIU take-down Wagner, 6-1…LIU’s women’s tennis team concluded their regular season with a 4-0 win over Stony Brook. The Sharks finish the season 1804, and 6-1 in NEC play. The men’s tennis team finished their season with a 6-1 win over Wagner. Their record improved to 13-9 and 5-3 in NEC conference play.

The Medgar Evers Department of Athletics is now accepting applications for the position of Head Men’s Volleyball Coach. Brooklyn College is looking for a Head Coach for both men’s and women’s Cross Country.

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