Scholastic Roundup: New Utrecht football alumni day is coming

August 23, 2024 Andy Furman

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New Utrecht High School Football Alumni Day is set for Saturday, Sept. 21, when the Green and White host Midwood for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

“Prior to the game, at 9 a.m., we’ll have bagels and coffee in the cafeteria,” writes alum Tom Ferrante. “At 10:15 a.m. we’ll have our Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in the auditorium, where we will honor six Utes from the past.”

And at 11a.m., back by popular demand, will be the annual Green and White Alumni Touch Game. “And afterwards, we reserved the private room at the Wicked Monk (9510 3rd Ave.) from 6 to 9 p.m., where we will have food and an open bar for $70 per person,” Ferrante said.

The day is a popular fundraiser for the New Utrecht Football Program.

Head Coach Wendell Fevrine, a Ute alum, says, “This offseason has been one of the most productive and intense in recent memory. We graduated 19 seniors,” he adds, “and our underclassmen have taken major steps forward.

“Our strength, conditioning, and player development program have been in full swing, with players pushing themselves to new limits. We have made no excuses and taken no shortcuts.”

Fevrine, a 1999 Utrecht grad, has added two additional Ute grads to his staff:

Ronald Sears, Varsity Assistant Coach ‘03
Alessandro Illardo, Jayvee Head Coach, ‘01

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New Utrecht High School football alums currently attending college are: Akil Cameron, Saint Francis University (Pa.); Afif Hazim, Southern Connecticut State University; Shamar Riley, Northwest Missouri University; Jordan Moran, Kansas Wesleyan University; Danny Wong, Kean University; Thomas Perotta, Western Connecticut State University; Dylan Honan, St. Thomas Aquinas University; Tyler Honan, St. Thomas Aquinas University; John October, Monroe College; Havis Wade, Nassau Community College.

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Moaz Choudhary, a Brooklyn College grad who served as an assistant volleyball coach at his first alma mater, Edward R. Murrow High School is the new men’s volleyball coach at his second alma mater, Brooklyn College itself.

Choudhary was named a team captain of Brooklyn’s men’s volleyball team as a freshman and kept the title until graduation. A four-year standout for the Bulldogs — 2015-18 — he set multiple records including matches started (81), total blocks in a game (9 twice) and block solos in a game (7). He remains the all-time Brooklyn College leader in career block assists (119) and the second-all-time in total career blocks (190).

He served as Brooklyn’s assistant coach, helping lead the 2023 and 2024 teams in back-to-back CUNYAC Championship Tournament quarterfinal appearances. He would help the 2022 women’s volleyball team to their third-straight CUNYAC Championship appearance and trip to the ECAC Championship Tournament, serving as an assistant coach.

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The Lady Bulldogs open their home volleyball season, Wednesday, Sept. 4, against USMMA, 7 p.m. Brooklyn women open CUNYAC play at home with John Jay, Sept. 26, 6 p.m.

When Brooklyn College opens its 2024 Women’s and Men’s Cross Country meet schedule at the Purchase College Invitational, Sept. 7, it will be led by a new head coach in Eric Schrick.

From 2021-23, Schrick was head coach for both the men and women runners at John Jay College. He coached five CUNYAC All-Stars during his time with the Bloodhounds.

Last season he served as head coach for the Far Rockaway High School Girls and Boys Varsity Track and Field Team.

Schrick earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Arkansas and was an active member of five NCAA D-1 National Championship teams there before joining St. John’s University and earning a clean sweep of Metropolitan Championships in cross-country and both indoor and outdoor track and field.

Brooklyn’s Fall Women’s Tennis season opens on the road in a non-conference test at Purchase College, Sept. 5. Their home opener in conference play against York is set for Sept. 17, 3 p.m. Coach David Wallis enters his eighth year as coach.

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In his LIU debut, decorated head coach Thomas Giovatto saw his Lady Sharks fall to Albany, 3-1, last week. LIU captain Gina Proviano scored for LIU.

More on the Olympics: LIU assistant fencing coach Sean McClain saw his daughter, U.S. Olympic fencer Lauren Scruggs (Packer Collegiate and Harvard), bring home a silver medal in the individual foil fencing competition, becoming the first U.S. woman to ever win silver in the event. The U.S. Women’s foil team ended up taking home another gold, making this year’s games a landmark event.

LIU alumni and track star Brendon Rodney and Team Canada’s track squad won gold in the men’s 4×100 relay, the first gold of Rodney’s career. He has now earned a medal in three consecutive Olympics.

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The Intercollegiate Tennis Association honored LIU’s men’s and women’s tennis teams with its All-Academic Team award, including all 16 of its players being named ITA Scholar-Athletes for the 2023-24 season.

Alex D’Anna, Leon Harder, Philip Hilble, Lucas Hornung, Danila Ishchanka, Dani Ostap, Victor Sjostrom and Mathieu Vinet earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors from the men’s team. The women’s team’s honorees were: Leo Boisseau, Marion Deloziere, Lucy Garrigues, Kate Jorjoliani, Jasmine Maduel, Saki Oyama, Clara Tardivel and Mia Tsoukalas.

Student-athletes who are named ITA Scholar-Athletes must have had a GPA of 3.5 or above for the 2023-24 academic year.

Two-time ITA Scholar-Athletes include Boisseau, D’Anna, Deloziere, Hilble, Hornung and Jorjoliani, while the other ten honorees are being recognized for the first time in their careers.

This is the first time in program history that each player on the roster has earned ITA Scholar-Athlete designations. The 2023-24 women’s team also took home the NEC crown, and Chad Davis was named NEC Women’s Coach of the Year. Additionally, men’s and women’s tennis earned Team GPA awards for being the highest in their respective sport in the NEC, with men’s tennis having the highest overall GPA in the conference.

This is the second-straight season both the men’s and women’s teams have been named to the ITA’s list of All-Academic Teams.

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The Mike Eilenberg story in the Brooklyn Eagle brought some responses to the e-mail bag.

Eilenberg was a three-year basketball starter and star at New Utrecht. He later attended LIU and played for the late Roy Rubin. He was a member of the 1969 silver-medal winning USA Maccabiah basketball team.

“He was some player in high school,” writes former Lafayette High assistant basketball coach Heshie Becker. “Very tough to guard, had a great shot. And I wish him well.”

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