Bellmore-Merrick athletes chasing college dreams impacted by pandemic

The NCAA is giving all spring sports athletes — whose 2020 seasons ended after about three weeks of play due to coronavirus — an extra year of eligibility (see box). Of course, that’s not an option at the high school level.

The suspension of high school spring sports, which includes lacrosse, baseball, softball, and track and field, not only affects seniors clinging to slim hopes to wear their uniforms again. Juniors are in danger of missing crucial games to make an impression on college coaches who can offer coveted scholarship dollars, and many sophomores and freshmen could miss gaining valuable experience at the varsity level.

Empty fields and tracks will be commonplace in Nassau County until at least the first week of May after President Donald Trump extended social-distancing guidelines through the end of April. Section VIII Executive Director of Athletics Pat Pizzarelli said no decision would be made on spring sports until schools get the green light to reopen.

“The girls are still working out on their own, and if there’s no season, USA Track and Field holds meets late into the summer that we’d look to attend,” said Calhoun High School’s girls’ track and field coach Joe Migliano. “I’ll do anything to get the girls exposure to help them at the next level.”

The Lady Colts have won three straight indoor and outdoor conference titles, and Migliano said they had hopes of making a run at the Nassau Class AA championship this spring. The roster is full of underclassmen who were already drawing college interest, including juniors Faith Dwyer, the Conference 2 3,000-meter champ, and Kristina Losquadro and Nicole Devine, part of a winning 4x800 relay.

“We have every event covered with All-County caliber talent,” Migliano said, adding that he typically leads the recruiting process for kids by contacting a list of colleges provided by families.

The only two juniors on John F. Kennedy High School’s softball team, catcher Jess Nachamie and third-base player Morgan Tesser, took a proactive approach once the season was suspended by sending videos and emails to college coaches. Tesser, who has D1 aspirations, has posted workouts on Twitter (@morgantesser) and plays for Intensity Softball’s New Jersey program. Nachamie plays travel ball for the Long Island Chargers.

“I’ve narrowed down my college choices, emailed those coaches and plan to have Zoom meetings with them once the recruiting dead period ends,” Nachamie said. “With colleges and scouting, I believe everything is going to work out. I just want to have a chance to play at some point this year because I love it so much.”

Mepham High School juniors Tyler O’Neill, a pitcher, and Billy Kender, an infielder, find themselves in a similar situation. With an important recruiting season in jeopardy of not happening, they’ll rely on travel games and showcases.

“I’m not in my usual throwing rhythm but I’m doing as much work as I can,” said O’Neill, a member of Oceanside’s Oil City Bandits travel team who has a four-pitch arsenal, including a fastball clocked in the mid-80s. “If we can’t play the high school season, the travel games and showcases will be even more important.”