As the members of Huntington High School’s Class of 2022 prepare to enter a new chapter of their lives, the Huntington Booster Club sent four of the recent graduates off with sportsmanship awards and $1,000 scholarships in recognition of their exceptional performance over the past four years.
The scholarships were established by the Booster Club to honor male and female student athletes “who through their actions in the competitive arena of high school athletics, have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, dedication, unselfishness, determination, respect and responsibility,” said Huntington Booster Club President Joseph Mattio, who presented the scholarships at the 54th annual Blue Devil senior athletic awards ceremony in the high school auditorium.
Blue Devil varsity coaches were asked to submit nominations for the award. Madelyn Bavaro, Quincy Chery, Lucas Cirlincione and Katie Browne were all honored. The four award recipients all received glowing praise from their coaches. The group has represented Huntington exceptionally well.
Mr. Mattio told a crowd numbering in the hundreds that the four teenagers are “strong role models, great teammates, terrific leaders, selfless on and off the field and proud. They have an unstoppable work ethic and lead by example.”
Madelyn Bavaro is a three sport varsity athlete. She captained the fencing and softball teams and also played varsity volleyball for the Blue Devils. A member of five different academic honor societies, she made high honor roll every quarter of high school. As the head project manager of the 2022 edition of The Huntingtonian yearbook, she devoted more than 150 hours into helping craft a beautiful volume for her fellow seniors. Along with fellow National Honor Society members she participated in the Polar Bear Plunge in December to raise monies for Special Olympics. She plans to study pre-law or political science at Lehigh University in the fall with a minor in either theology or philosophy.
Quincy Chery captained the boys’ track and field team. He received All-County, All-Long Island and All-State honors in the winter and spring seasons. A New York State Scholar Athlete Award recipient, he thrived in the Virtual Enterprise business class. He has been recruited by the University at Albany to run on its NCAA Division I track team. He plans to major in kinesiology with a minor in business. He hopes to use his athletic and academic abilities to pursue a career in physical therapy.
Lucas Cirlincione captained the Blue Devil varsity wrestling team along with his club gymnastics team. He captured All-County wrestling honors for Huntington. He’s a four-time regional and three-time national championships gymnastics qualifier. He has participated in countless community service events through his church and in his community. Through UM Army, he has given back to the community, regularly serving as team leader over the past four years. A four year member of the high school’s honor roll, he plans to attend Virginia Tech and hopes to participate in the US Army ROTC program and ultimately serve in the military.
Katie Browne is a five year, three sport varsity athlete. She captained the varsity soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams and captured post-season awards in every sport. A member of four different honor societies, she has been on the high honor roll during every academic quarter for the past four years and has repeatedly earned New York State Scholar-Athlete recognition. Her skilled play helped the Blue Devil girls’ basketball team win back to back league titles.
The public relations coordinator of Huntington’s Class of 2022, Ms. Browne has extensively volunteered, including collecting food items for local pantries, creating a “Safe Halloween” program for elementary school age youngsters and with multiple homecoming related community events. She continued her volunteer service by teaching at youth lacrosse clinics and serving as a junior lacrosse coach with a local team.
Chosen by her classmates as a Natural Helper, Ms. Browne quietly assisted fellow students who were struggling to work their way through difficult personal and family challenges. The recipient of the New York State Senate Youth Leadership Recognition Award, she was cited for serving as a leader and being a positive role model in the community. She will be attending Bucknell University, where she was recruited to play on its women’s lacrosse team. She plans to study markets, innovation and design in Bucknell’s Freeman College of Management.