FROM PRESS ROW: CITY OF CHAMPIONS DO IT AGAIN AS CORNING CONTINUES UNBELIEVABLE RUN (2022-03-14)
Corning has this whole winning title things down to a science at this point.
Last week I said we should call Corning the City of Champions, this week I think maybe we need to work on making that an official title.
If last weekend was one of the great sports weekends an area school has ever seen, let’s also add this weekend to that list for the Hawks.
What did the Hawks do this weekend?
Oh, just a regional basketball title and a trip to the state final four.
A handful of All-American performances in track and field, including a runner-up finish nationally.
A third place team at state bowling, and an individual taking third on the day.
Oh, and a former Hawks star won an NCAA Division I Track and Field National title.
Corning’s had so much success just this year alone that they may need to build a few extra buildings to hold all their trophies.
When it comes to the Corning girls’ basketball team, the words hard working, dedication, true team get used a lot.
To put it simply, this team is special. It’s a once in a generation type team.
I’ve covered high school sports for two decades and I’ve never seen a team quite like Corning.
If you looked at the Hawks on paper you’d be stunned that they are in the State Final Four. They don’t have a 20-point a game scorer. They don’t have a ton of size, the tallest starter stands about 5-8.
But, the thing is, games aren’t played on paper.
Box scores don’t tell you how hard this team plays. Box scores won’t show you Jenna DiNardo racing down the court to knock the ball away after Warwick got a steal. A play that a majority of players likely would just give up on and let the other team score. But, Corning never gives up on a play. No basket is ever an easy basket against them.
Corning’s team is loaded with athletes. A lot of teams you will look and say they have 2-3 good athletes and some others who can play. Everyone who steps on the court for the Hawks is an athlete. They are almost always the hardest working, most athletic team on the court each game.
The Hawks also have DiNardo. DiNardo is one of the best athletes in Section 4. She was a star in volleyball. She’s a star in basketball, and she’s already committed to play lacrosse at Division I Virginia.
When it comes time to pick an athlete of the year for all sports in the area, DiNardo will be one of the top contenders.
What’s more, DiNardo isn’t only athletic, but she plays as hard as any player you will ever see.
When you have athletic players who are also hard working the results can be magical.
That’s what the Hawks have. They have a roster full of athletes, who work as hard as anyone around..
Every week is a new first for the Hawks. First sectional final appearance, first sectional title, first regional final appearance, first regional title, and now first state final four appearance.
Corning faces a tough test in Section 4 champion Bishop Kearney on Friday, but at this point we should have learned to never count out the Hawks.
Speaking of teams that never stop impressing, how about the Corning track and field program?
Starting in the fall with cross country the Hawks showed they are the running capital of New York.
Jack Gregorski won a state title in cross country. He won a state title in the 3200. And, this weekend he helped a pair of Corning relays earn All-American status.
Gregorski, Ashton Bange, Matt Gensel and Tevin McLaren were all key runners as the Hawks won a state cross country title in the fall. Now, all four helped the Hawks earn All-American honors in the DMR and 4x1600 meter relays at New Balance Indoor Nationals.
In both races Gregorski ran the 1600 in under 4:15 to help the Hawks. Bange and Gensel were also state medalists in cross country, and Bange was a state runner-up in the 1600 at the state meet last week.
The 4x1600 relay team finished second nationally, behind a team that broke the national record. Both relays broke the school and Section 4 records.
They weren’t the only All-American honors for the Hawks who had a mixed DMR relay that earned All-American honors and saw Sarah Lawson take fifth in the 5000 meters to earn All-American honors.
The Corning boys’ bowling team had a third-place finish at the state meet with Cameron Kennedy finishing with the third highest total individually of any bowler in the team competition.
Joseph Enderle had a top 10 finish for the Hawks individually and the Corning girls took sixth, with Meghan Sturdevant turning in a top 15 finish in the team competition.
The Hawks had a dominant bowling season. They lost just once in the regular season, won the sectional title and proved they were a top three team in the state.
The Hawks had multiple bowlers who all had big-time finishes throughout the season, and that culminated with two boys finishing top 10 individually.
The success Corning is having in sports has been so great that even their graduates are dominating at a national level.
Lindsey Butler had the type of season no one will ever forget.
The Virginia Tech junior won her second straight ACC Championship in the 800 meters. Then, she went out and on Saturday she won the NCAA Championship in the event.
She has the two best times in the NCAA this season, and she also has a top 20 time in the world this year.
If the running world didn’t know about Corning before, they certainly do now.
The Hawks have one of the best runners in the country in Jack Gregorski. They have Ashton Bange and Sarah Lawson who are among the elite runners in the state, and even the country.
They have state medalists like Matt Gensel, and enough STAC, Section 4 and state medals this year to fill the entire track.
And, now the Hawks have a current collegiate national champion.
A week ago the Hawks won three state titles and two sectional titles and I asked what could they possible do for an encore.
A week later they do this.
So, what’s next? I guess it’s time to officially work on that name change to City of Champions, and maybe see if they can get a deal on championship banners if they are buying them in bulk.