The Greater Amsterdam School District announces its Athletes of the Week for the 2022-23 school year.

Spring Athletics – Week 5

Aundray Fowler (Track) Aundrau Fowler won the Section II Division II Track & Field Sectional Championship in the triple jump in Averill Park by placing first in the event with a leap of 42’ 06.5.” With that jump, Aundray also broke the Amsterdam Freshman triple jump school R]record held by 2016 graduate Omahri Sturdivant. Aundray will have the opportunity to qualify for the NYS Championship Meet at next week’s State Qualifier Meet at Shenendehowa.

Gianna Crespo- Julia (Track) Gianna Crespo placed in a very competitive Division II Section II track sectionals. She placed 6th in 1,500-meter run, sixth in the 4 X 400 relay race, and she ran a blazing split in the 4 X 800 relay and catapulted her team into a sixth place finish. This was a great finish to an outstanding junior year. Gianna has her sights set on qualifying for the New York State championship as a senior.

Dimitri Rivera/Dominic Agresta (Unified Basketball) Dimitri Rivera helped lead the Rams to their final win of the season against Scotia as well as their first playoff game last week. He averaged 4 steals and 12 points per game. He is also a captain and one of the leading scorers on the team. Dominic Agresta led the Rams in rebounds during the two games with an average of 6 per game. He also helped add to the assist column averaging 5 per game.

Spring Athletics – Week 4

Jayden Taylor (Track) Jayden Taylor set a new personal best of 2:08.45 in the 800-meter run at the prestigious Eddy Meet on Saturday. This season Jayden has run in the 4 x 800-meter, 800-meter, and 4 x 400-meter relay at every meet. He has consistently improved each meet this season.

Iesha Rose/Jadiana Martinez (Unified Basketball) Iesha Rose put up an average of 9 points in both games last week to lead the Rams to victory. She also had 3 steals and 3 rebounds. Jadiana Martinez had a clutch 3 point shot against the opponent to help the Rams take the lead. Both girls contributed 7 assists together.

More nominated athletes for Spring Athletics Week 4

Olivia Dion (Lacrosse) Goalie Olivia Dion played one of her best games Monday vs Glens Falls. The goalie position is one of the hardest positions to take on and she has improved every game this season with her ability to block close range shots including penalty shots. She aggressively comes out of the crease to get loose balls and has one of the longest throws for a goalie her age in the league. Olivia had 15 saves Monday and has a total of 104 saves for this season.

Ryleigh Phillips (Track) Ryleigh Phillips captured fourth place in the 100-meter hurdles at the Foothills League Track Championships. In the process, she lowered her personal record from 19.14 to 17.61. She was also part of the 4 x 100-meter relay team that placed third at the same meet. Off the field, Ryleigh is a track captain, an honor student, and a valuable member of the AHS Marching Rams Drumline.

Cooper Young (Lacrosse) Cooper Young played excellent defense last week. In two games he had 12 ground balls, shut out his opponent in one game, and only allowed 2 goals in a sectional loss to Queensbury. He also played a key role in transitioning the ball from the defensive end of the field to the offense end.

Spring Athletics – Week 3

Emma Miller (Track) Emma Miller captured first place in the Johnstown Invitational 3,000-meter run with a personal record time of 11:28, beating the second place finisher by more than 30 seconds. Emma is also an outstanding A.P. level honors student and one of the hardest workers on the team

Cody Hamm( Lacrosse) Cody Hamm recorded 19 saves on 34 shots on Tuesday against Glens Falls, and 14 saves on 24 shots against Johnstown on Senior Day. Many of Cody’s saves were on point blank shots, which are incredibly difficult to stop. Cody had a 57% save rate against two good teams, and was successful on getting the ball into the offensive end 82% of the time.

More nominated athletes for Spring Athletics Week 3

Manny Santos (Baseball) Manny Santos went 4-7 at the plate with two doubles, one triple, two RBI and one run scored. He also made two great defensive plays to stop momentum and rallies. He pitched two inning striking out all six batters innings while playing with a hip injury.

Rizolino Reyes (Track) Rizolino Reyes broke the 30-year-old freshman long jump record last week with a leap of 20-04. As a freshman he placed third in the 100-meter dash, second in the long jump, and second in both the 4 X 100-meter relay and 4 X 400-meter relay at the Johnstown Invitational. He also qualified for the NYS Qualifier Meet in June.

Gustavo Toledo/Jadiana Martinez (Unified Basketball) During the two Unified games last week, Gustavo Toledo averaged 10 points per game and Jadiana Martinez averaged 6 assists per game. Both players helped with close wins over Glens Falls and Gloversville.

Carolyn and Rosie Sculco (Softball) Carolyn and Rosie Sculco hit back to back homeruns in the season finale at Gloversville. This is the last game that the sisters will be playing together as Rosie will be heading to Plattsburgh State University in the fall.

Julia Dion (Lacrosse) Julia Dion was one of the top players against the highly talented Shenendehowa High School team. She had 4 steals, won 7 loose ground balls, had 9 shots on goal, 1 assist and 2 goals.

Spring Athletics – Week 2

Felise Fowler (Track) Felise Fowler has been the leading thrower for the Amsterdam Girls Track Team all season. Her season bests are: Shot Put: 28′ 03″ and Discus: 73′ 08″. Highlights of her season include: first place in the shot put and discus in the Johnstown meet, first place in the shot put in the Gloversville meet, and fourth place in the shot put at the Bi-County Invitational.

Dante Soto/Joe Lopez-Dejesus (Unified Basketball) During their first win of the season against Scotia-Glenville, Dante Soto contributed with 10 rebounds and 9 assists. Team captain Joe Lopez-Dejesus scored 12 points.

More nominated athletes for Spring Athletics Week 2

Cody Hamm (Lacrosse) Cody Hamm made more than 40 saves in two Foothills Conference games. He had 19 saves against undefeated South Glens Falls. He had a 58% save rate between both games. He also helped to consistently get the ball into the offensive end of the field. Hamm’s play has garnered compliments from every coach he has faced all season and he continues to impress in the goal.

Aundray Fowler (Track) Aundray Fowler  won four events at Wednesday’s meet including the triple jump and the high jump. He was also part of the winning team’s 4 X 1 and 4 X 4 relays. At Friday’s meet he placed second in the triple jump at the Fonda Invitational with a leap of 41-09, punching his ticket to the Section 2 State Qualifying Meet. As a freshman, Fowler is in the top 3 triple jumpers in Section 2 Large Schools. He is just 1.5 inches away from the Amsterdam Freshman School Record.

Carolyn Sculco (Softball) Carolyn Sculco has played elite defense in centerfield this season. Her range tracking fly balls seems to be endless. Her arm strength and accuracy is among the best and her ability to lay out and make diving catches is amazing. She is the best defensive center fielder Amsterdam has seen in a long time, if not ever.

Spring Athletics – Week 1

Ailani Aleman-Rivera (Track) – Ailani Aleman-Rivera had an excellent meet at the highly competitive Warrior Invitational that included 40 teams and was hosted by Niskayuna on Saturday. Her highlights included: Placing 6th in the pole vault with a jump of 7 feet. This is Aleman-Rivera’s first year competing in the pole vault!. She also won her heat in the 400-meter dash in a personal best time of 65.40 (1 minute and 5.40 seconds) which placed her 12th out of 60 competitors. She is also an excellent student and leader.

Manny Santos (Baseball) – Manny Santos recorded a .643 batting average (9-14) with 4 doubles, 1 triple, and a homerun for the week). He also hit it for a cycle and an extra double versus Glens Falls with 7 RBIs, 8 runs scored and 3 stolen bases He also pitched 3 innings recording 8 strikeouts out of 9 outs to close out the game against Schuylerville.

More nominated athletes for Spring Athletics Week 1

Winter Athletics – Week 5

Gianna Crespo-Julia (Track) Gianna Crespo-Julia participated in the highly competitive Borbett Invitational at the New Balance Armory in New York City. She placed first in her heat (9th out of 78 runners) of the 1,000-meter run with a personal record time of 3:16.24, a time that met the Section II State Quals standard and placed her on the Section II leaderboard. She also won her heat of the 600-meters in a personal record time of 1:49.48. This placed her 26th out of 81 runners.

Victor Dueno (Basketball) The Amsterdam Boys Basketball Team played two games this week. There were many standouts to help the team to victory. Victor Dueno shot 7-13 from the field and hit 2 three pointers against South Glens Falls. He also added 9 deflections and 8 steals. In the second game of the week against Hudson Falls, Dueno scored 15 points, hitting 4 three pointers. He also had 4 deflections and 4 steals in that game.

More nominated athletes for Winter Athletics Week 5

Winter Athletics – Week 4

Ceasar Thompson (Basketball) Ceasar Thompson scored 50 points against Green Tech on Saturday and reached double figures in two other games as well.

Liana Brown (Basketball) Liana Brown scored a career high 10 points the team’s 74-49 win over Scotia-Glenville. She also contributed to the win with 6 rebounds and 1 blocked shot.

More nominated athletes for Winter Athletics Week 4

Winter Athletics – Week 3

Avery Crain (Track) The first time she ever ran in the event, Avery Crain captured first place in the 3,000-meter run in a time of 12:57. She was also part of the fifth place 4 x 200-meter relay team. This sprint relay was comprised of distance runners, making both their time and place remarkable.

Kai Brennan (Bowling) Kai Brennan is averaging a score of 222 through 24 games this season leading the AHS Bowling team to a 27-5 record so far this season.

More nominated athletes for Winter Athletics Week 3

Winter Athletics – Week 2

Kayla Douglas (Indoor Track) Kayla Douglas is a veteran track athlete. She placed third in the high jump with a personal record of 4 feet 8 inches, which places her on the Section 2 leaderboard. She also ran as a part of the varsity 4x200m relay that placed first in the meet.

Rizzalino Reyes (Indoor Track) Rizzalino Reyes placed first in freshman 45m dash with a time that placed him on the Section 2 leaderboard. He also placed fourth in the varsity long jump and ran as part of the varsity 4x200M relay that finished second in the meet. There is a saying on the track team, “Nobody beats Rizz!”

More nominated athletes for Winter Athletics Week 2

Winter Athletics – Week 1

Gianna Crespo-Julia (Indoor Track) Gianna Crespo-Julia had a strong showing at the second meet at Union College. She ran an Indoor personal record on the fourth place 4×800 meter relay, scored in the 1500-meter, and won the 1000-meter with a five second personal best. She was the top scorer this meet, scoring 12 out of 17 points.

Ceasar Thompson (Basketball) Ceasar Thompson scored 31 points against New Hartford in his team’s first win. We do not have the other statistics but he was one of the primary defenders on New Hartford’s best player, who has scholarship offers.

More nominated athletes for Winter Athletics Week 1

Fall Athletics – Final Week

Gianna Crespo-Julia (Cross Country) Gianna Crespo-Julia finished 27th this past weekend at Sectionals, averaging 6:36 pace over the 3.1-mile course. In Cross Country, the Sectional meet is one race against all of the teams in the section and class. GASD is in the largest class for Cross Country and compete against not only the top ranked team in the nation, but the second, 6th, 8th, and 9th overall teams in NYS. Placing 27th in the most competitive section in the state is a major accomplishment.

Ceasar Thompson (Football) Ceasar Thompson made 10 receptions for 224 yards, 22.4 yards/reception, scored two touchdowns and scored one, 2-point conversion in his last game. For the season, Thompson had 53 receptions for 1,032 total yards, 19.5 yards per reception, scored 8 touchdowns and made four, 2-point conversions.

More nominated athletes for the final fall week

Fall Athletics – Week No. 8

Gianna Crespo-Julia (Cross Country) Gianna Crespo-Julia won the Harvest Classic Invitational on Saturday, taking home the first place pumpkin. Not only is Gianna a leader in her scoring, she’s a leader off the course. Gianna has perfect attendance at practice this season, does well in all of her classes, and represents herself, the team, and the school in a positive way all of the time. She also made the rankings list for New York State Class A.

Louie Gonzalez (Football) In the team’s 41-14 win vs LaSalle Friday night, Louie Gonzalez had four catches for 114 yards. He scored one touchdown and had 28.5 reception yards.

Another nominated athlete for Week No. 8

Fall Athletics – Week No. 7

Another nominated athlete for Week No. 7

Fall Athletics – Week No. 6

Anne Stanavich (Soccer) During the team’s tie with league champions Schuylerville, Anne Stanavich had 3 shots on goal before she moved back to take an injured player’s spot as sweeper. She helped lock down the best players and keep the ball away from the goal. During a game with co-champions Queensbury, she locked up the two best players on defense voluntarily. She is a team captain and a huge asset no matter where she plays.

Jhai Vellon (Football) Jhai Vellon was 21/29 for 268 yards passing this week. He had 86 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Other nominated athletes for Week No. 6

Alex Jablonski (Soccer) During his three games last week, Alex Jablonski made 9 saves against Schuylerville, 12 saves against Broadalbin-Perth, and 7 against Queensbury.

Christian Torres (Cross Country) Christian Torres has consistently been improving as a runner as the season progresses with his meet times. When comparing his time from last year running at the Burnt Hills Invitational, he shaved off more than two minutes this Saturday at the same invitational and same course. These are personal goals that he has set for himself at the beginning of the season.

Jonelys Lopez (Volleyball) Jonelys Lopez is the volleyball team’s defensive specialist (libero) and she definitely earned that title this week with 22 digs, 8 service points and 100 percent serving percentage.

Avery Crain (Cross Country) Avery Crain has shown significant improvement as a freshman this year. Comparing her race on Saturday to when she ran there on the Modified team last year, she cut 1:50 off her average mile time. Last year her race was 1.7 miles, this year it was a hillier 3.04 miles. Avery was the team’s second girl across the finish line and was 63rd out of 133 in a race where most freshmen run a separate race.

Fall Athletics – Week No. 5

Juliana Barone-Lopez (Tennis, second doubles and exhibition) This is Juliana Barone-Lopez’s first year on the tennis team. She has shown immense improvement from when she started back in August. She has played on the top 9 for 6 out of 12 of our matches (winning four out of the six she’s played in). Juliana is always excited to play and works incredibly well with any doubles partner.

Aundrey Fowler (Soccer) Aundrey Fowler helped the boys team get back to back wins this week. Aundrey broke the deadlock and scored first for both Gloversville and the Schoharie tournament. Aundrey has stepped up in his role in the center midfield and helped aid in build up play for countless opportunities to score.

Other nominated athletes for Week No. 5

Gianna Crespo-Julia (Cross Country) Gianna Crespo-Julia won the home meet on Tuesday, leading her team to a 3-1 record in the Foothills South. On Saturday, she medaled in her race at the Manhattan Invitational. This invitational hosted some of the best teams on the East Coast. Out of 1,794 girls that ran the 2.5-mile course that day, Gianna ran faster than 1,282 of them.

Julia Dion (Soccer) Julia Dion showed great leadership in a Class A match up with Troy. She covered the fastest player on the team to keep her from scoring as well as causing a penalty kick which gave her team the tying goal. During the game with Gloversville, she gave the team many opportunities to score as well as putting three shots towards the goal.

Giana Luft (Volleyball) Giana Luft made a major impact during the game with Johnstown. Her hustle was a key to her team’s victory. She scored 15 points and recorded 4 kills , 3 aces and a serving percentage of 89 percent.

Fall Athletics – Week No. 4

Emma Miller (Cross Country) The first round of Class A state rankings came out this week, and Emma Miller is the first Amsterdam Cross Country girl to be on the list since 2017. State lists look at times from invitationals, and her average pace for invitationals so far this season has been 6:36 per mile. In addition, she gutted out a tough league race on Tuesday to help the team win against Broadalbin-Perth, and came in 7th on Saturday, leading her team to a third place finish at the Grout Invitational.

JaShaen Vann (Football) In his last game, JaShaen Vann had one catch, 65 yards, 65 yards per catch, one receiving touchdown, three carries for 52 yards, 17.3 yards/rush, and one rushing TD

Other nominated athletes for Week No. 4

Nate Covey (Soccer) With goal scoring and assists, Nate Covey has provided multiple chances for his team to score last week.

Josh Motyka (Cross Country) Joshua Motyka has been consistently improving his race times as the season goes on and he is still leading the team across the finish line. Last week in the Foothills South meet at Broadalbin-Perth he finished 7th out of 26 runners with a run time of 19:29. On Saturday at the Grout Invitational, Joshua finished 34th out of 56 runners in Division II with an astonishing run time of 16:32. This was Joshua’s best invitational race so far this season.

Carolyn Sculco (Soccer) During the team’s three games last week, Carolyn Sculco gathered 33 saves against Scotia, Johnstown, and Broadalbin. 24 of those saves were against No. 1 in the league B-P. She currently leads girls soccer with 195 saves in two years.

Aubrey Nethaway (GOLF) Aubrey Nethaway shot a 42 against Broadablin-Perth and Johnstown at Amsterdam Muni Golf Course. She was awarded medalist honors, lowest score of the match.

Payton Hoefs (Volleyball) Payton Hoefs is a captain and a very positive leader on the team. She gives 110 percent in practice and in games. In two games, she had 46 points, 4 kills, 6 aces, 7 digs, and her serving percentage is 30/36 (83 percent).

Helen Flint (No. 1 TENNIS Singles) GASD played two matches against Greenwich this fall. In the first meeting on Sept. 14, Helen Flint initially lost to her opponent 11-13. Given that it was a very close match, Helen knew she could defeat this player the second time around. She won by scores of 7-6 (7-5 in a tie breaker) and 7-5. This victory happened on Senior Night. Being the No. 1 singles player is an immense amount of pressure, but Helen has held this title for the last two years. She has great leadership skills, which are implemented through her being captain. Helen is a well rounded player who is deserving of Athlete of the Week recognition.

Fall Athletics – Week No. 3

Madisyn Meca (Soccer) Madisyn Meca played only half of the game due to injury and had 6 crosses into the box, 4 shots on goal, 1 goal, and 1 assist. She helped in GASD’ 5-0 win over Glens Falls to move the team record to 7-1.

Callum McNamara (Soccer) Callum McNamara found the net to give the Rams the lead against Gloversville. Both teams were scoreless at half and Callum stepped up big with the goal and effort to help bring the win 2-1.

Other nominated athletes for Week No. 3

Jhai Vellon (Football) Jhai Vellon, in his last game as quarterback, went 17-22 with 241 passing yards, 14.2 yards per completion, 3 passing touchdowns, 10 carries for 155 rushing yards, 15.5 yards per carry, and 2 rushing touchdowns.

Joanna Jaracz (No. 3 singles) and Victoria Vidulich (No. 4 singles) (Tennis) These two played as a doubles team this weekend at the annual tournament. They beat out their first round opponents and played the No. 1 and No. 2 singles of Greenwich in their second round. The girls were an incredibly strong pair and were up the majority of this set. They practiced incredible sportsmanship when a parent interrupted the game and attempted to coach. Ultimately they lost 6-8, but their positive attitude and respect for the game made them great candidates for Athlete of the Week.

Payton Hoefs (Volleyball) In 3 games last week, Payton Hoefs was the most consistent player. She had 38 service points with a serving percentage of 85 percent; 9 aces, 7 kills and 9 digs.

Fall Athletics – Week No. 2

Anne Fedullo (Volleyball) During their game last week Annie Fedullo had 6 kills, 7 blocks, 1 ace, 8 digs, and a total of 16 points. She earned the Rammie Award this week for volleyball. She is the total package. Annie is a captain of the varsity team. She is a dominant player when she is on the court. She is a very positive role model not only for her team but for the entire volleyball program.

Ceasar Thompson (Football) During Amsterdam’s 60-35 win over Queensbury, Ceasar Thompson had 7 catches for 145 yards  and one touchdown. He also had a 72 yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Other nominated athletes for Week No. 2

Alec Bartone (Soccer) Alec Bartone was nominated for his lock down defense and leadership on the soccer team. He stepped up big in the last few games defensively, denying top scorers on the other teams opportunities to shoot.

Josh Motyka (Cross Country)  Josh Motyka placed 99th out of 121 runners in the Division I large school category that had some of the top runners in it on Saturday at the Queensbury Invitational where over 70 schools from NYS participated. He ended with a time of 19: 45. Since his first race of the season on Sept. 10 he has shaved off 56 seconds off his 5k time. Last week in Johnstown for the first Foothills Council meet he placed 15th out of 46 with a run time of 20:23. He is leading the boys team with the top times for the meets completed to date.

Madison Cebula (Soccer) During three games last week (2-1 for the week), Madison Cebula had 15 shots, 4 corner kicks, 2 goals, and 2 assists. She has numerous great shots and plays made on goal to give other girls shots. She is also a 3-year captain on the team.

Aubrey Nethaway (GOLF) Aubrey Nethaway shot a 49 at the Fox Run Golf Course in Johnstown on Friday, which is a sectional qualifying round. She has three sectional qualifying rounds on the season and now needs just one more to be able to play at sectionals.

Emma Miller (Cross Country) Emma Miller placed 30th out of 123 runners in her race at Saturday’s invitational meet. Included in that race was the National Championship team from 2021 as well as other top teams in the state. There were three total varsity girls races run that day, and in the merged results from all three, Emma placed 39th out of 307. In Tuesday’s league meet against Scotia-Glenville, Johnstown, and B-P, Emma placed third. Emma is leading the team not only in time, but by example. Her early season success stems from the work she put in this summer.

Fall Athletics – Week No. 1

Nikki Turney (Soccer): Nikki Turney scored four goals this week in three games. She scored two of her goals from outside of the 35-yard line against Northville, an assist against Hudson Falls, and added her second two goals during Saturday’s win against Scotia. She also earned her team’s Gold Cleat Award vs Northville and the White Cleat Award in the Scotia game.

Jhai Vellon (Football) – Jhai Vellon, quarterback for the Rams, threw 9-11 for 106 yards with an 81% completion rate. He had one touchdown, one interception – 10 carries for 112 yards, 11.2 yards/carry, three rushing touchdowns.

Other nominated athletes for Week No. 1

Joanna Jaracz (Tennis) Joanna Jaracz in the No. 3 singles player. Joanna split sets with Hudson Falls, playing a total of two and a half hours. Joanna won with scores of 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.

Jonelys Lopez (Volleyball) – Jonelys Lopez scored 18 service points, 5 aces, 17 digs and earned the teams Rammie Award in the team’s recent tournament.

Marco Bottisti (Soccer) Marco Bottisti scored two goals and had two assists in the first game of the season, and two assists in our game last night. His effort in the midfield aided many scoring opportunities for his team.

Edward Harrison (Golf) – Edward Harrison shot a 46 against Scotia at Stadium Golf Club.