Post date: Apr 11, 2018 7:06:39 PM
Since Iona Prep’s mission is to educate the whole person, an Iona man would not be complete if he did not participate in an extracurricular pursuit. For many students, this takes the form of athletics.
Early March marked the beginning of another rigorous athletic season at Iona Prep, starting with both the baseball and lacrosse teams making their annual pilgrimage down south to warmer weather and a distraction-free environment for constant practice and team bonding. It also marked the beginning of daily practice for most teams on campus in preparation for the spring season.
Seven sports—lacrosse, baseball, track and field, golf, tennis, crew, and volleyball—are currently being played at the Prep, all with various levels of competition and participation from all four grades.
The spring season is expected to be another victorious one for the Prep. Various CHSAA titles and state championships are on the line, many of which are expected to be won by Iona.
On each team, there are exceptional athletes that cannot be underestimated by any of the opposition. Standout athletes include Kevin Bomba’18 and Joe Colaio-Coppola’18 for varsity baseball and Max Persico ‘18 and Herschel Halesworth’18 for varsity lacrosse, all of whom are committed to playing their respective sport in college.
Many other teams are expected to succeed this season as well. Already, the track and field team triumphed at the Iona Prep Invitational earlier this week, in which Rob Greer became the number one ranked javelin thrower in the state. Meanwhile on the water, with daily practice at 5:45 a.m. all winter long and continuing into the spring, the crew team is committed to victory.
An interesting component of the spring season is that Iona’s primary competition will be against Fordham Prep, instead of its traditional rival, Stepinac. The reason is that Fordham competes in more spring sports than Stepinac does.
For many Iona athletes, spring sports also represent the bittersweet end to their careers at the Prep. However, for the select few Gaels that have committed to collegiate athletics, it marks the next step in their journeys.
While we may not know what lies ahead for our future graduates, we do know that Iona athletes will be successful once again this spring.
--Hassane Fiteni’21