A BANNER YEAR FOR TECH ATHLETES

“This has been an incredible year for Brooklyn Tech athletics,” said Athletic Director James DiBenedetto before the start of the Class of 2010 Senior Athletic Awards Ceremony on June 1st. DiBenedetto beamed as he rattled off a list of playoff success stories.

When asked to summarize the year’s highlights, he mentioned the boys basketball team’s first Final Four appearance since 1993, the boys wrestling team’s march to the finals in only its second year of competition and the girls fencing team’s progression to the finals. He also spoke glowingly of the baseball team’s upset win over Cardozo and the grit and determination they showed later in defeat to the powerhouse Grand Street Campus team.

It was also a season of great individual accomplishments. Jona Park (Volleyball) and Stephanie Gales (Fencing) were honored as PSAL 2010 Wingate Award winners given to the top athletes in their sports. Stephanie was also recognized as “Athlete of the Year” at the Tech awards dinner. Baseball star Eric Robinson was selected to the PSAL All City Senior High School All Star Team. In girls’ tennis, Allie Jackson-Hing and Azriel Shields, representing the PSAL, competed for the doubles title in the Mayor’s Cup Tennis Tournament against #1 rated St. Francis Prep. Jake Sosonkin and Nicky Borak won the PSAL doubles championship and qualified for the New York State Tennis Championships. Sandi Cheng won the 1500 meter racewalk and Leah Dawkins captured the pole vault first place trophy at the Girls Track & Field Brooklyn Boro Championship. Sandi was named “Outstanding Athlete Individual Sport” and Carmen Ng (basketball) won the “Outstanding Athlete Team Sport” at the Tech senior awards dinner.

DiBenedetto surveyed the smiling faces at the ceremony and concluded, “The talent in this room academically and athletically is… scary.”