VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: TIOGA'S SINDONI TOPS SUPER 7 AS 'GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE WINTER' (2023-03-22)

Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY — Tioga Emily Sindoni was utterly dominant this season, nearly pinning her way through 2022-23. She repeats as the Valley Sports Report “Girls Athlete of the Winter.”

At the first-ever New York State Championships, Sindoni was 4-0, including three first-period falls. In the finals, she pinned nationally-ranked Zoe Griffith of Gouverneur.

At the Section IV Championships, Sindoni defended her crown and notched three falls in a combined 2 minutes and 20 seconds. She also scored a pair of first-period pins to win an IAC title.

Sindoni went 4-0 at the Jarvis Tournament in Athens, and 3-0 at the Southern Tier Memorial. Of those seven wins — all by fall — six came in the first period.

Sindoni only went the distance once all season, a 12-2 win over Oneonta’s Sophia Churchill on her way to a title at the Oneonta Rotary Tournament.

2022-23 Super 7 Male Athletes of the Winter
Emily Sindoni, senior, wrestling, Tioga: See above.

Kennedy Westbrook, senior, basketball, Waverly: A versatile two-way dynamo, Westbrook was the Valley Sports Report girls hoop “Player of the Year,” Offensive Player of the Year,” and “Defensive Player of the Year.”

On the offensive end of the floor, Westbrook can score in transition, taking the ball to the bucket, or from 3-point range. She led the team with 19.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. She also knocked down 42 3-pointers.

Defensively, Westbrook is a shutdown defender, who harasses ball-handlers into mistakes, and gets in the passing lanes. She led the Lady Wolverines with 5 steals, and 3.4 deflections per game.

Mackenzie LaForest, junior, Waverly: LaForest, who claimed titles at the Southern Tier Memorial and the Oneonta Tournament this season, was a Section IV runner-up and won a state title.

Addy Wheeler, sophomore, basketball, Athens: A top-notch defender, Wheeler is an emerging presence on the offensive end of the floor, and could be a force in the NTL for the next two seasons.

She averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 4.4 steals per game. She also had 20 blocked shots, and knocked down 22 3-pointers.

Taegan Williams, senior, swimming, Athens: Williams, who consistently led the Lady Wildcats during the regular season, won four medals to lead Athens to a second-place finish at the District 4, Class AA Championships.

Williams finished third in the 200-yard freestyle, and fourth in the 500-yard freestyle in her individual events.

Williams swam on the Athens 400-yard freestyle relay that finished second at the District 4 Championships, setting a new school record in its final swim. She also swam on the 200-yard freestyle relay that placed third at the D4 meet in a school-record time.

Anaiah Kolesar, freshman, wrestling, Athens: Kolesar had a strong season with a first-place finish at the Honesdale Tournament, and a third-place finish at the Coal Cracker Invite.

She finished second at the Northeast Regionals, and then was seventh at the Pa. Championships.

Shantilly Decker, senior, bowling, Waverly: Decker had a 183 average this season, which was third-best in the IAC. She had a 656 high series, which was third-highest in the IAC this season, and had a high game of 256.

Decker finished eighth at the Section IV State Qualifier with a nine-game set of 1,740 (193.3 average). She rolled series of 601 and 624 to finish up the qualifier.