Newsday's All-Long Island girls bowling team 2021
Longwood's Rachel Hines competes in a match against Patchogue-Medford in Sayville on Jan. 15. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Newsday Bowler of the Year: Rachel Hines, Sr., Longwood
Not only was Rachel Hines the best girls bowler on Long Island this season by average, she was almost certainly its most consistent.
The Longwood senior only failed to roll at least a 202 on four occasions (and never lower than a 170) out of 36 games this season.
She led all bowlers on Long Island with a 220.9722 average, was fourth (30.5) in match points, and seventh in Suffolk in high series (712).
Lions coach David Huey knows why Hines was so successful.
"We’d be getting done a practice, or a match, and she’d be telling me she was going to another alley for a two-hour lesson," the eighth-year head coach said. "She was so hard on herself, so driven, and so hard-working."
Hines, who was a Newsday All-Long Island First Team member the previous two seasons, will attend Mount St. Mary’s University (Md.) on a combined athletic and academic scholarship, which will cover most of her tuition, Huey said.
The National Honor Society member has a 95 average and is also a volunteer firefighter.
"She’s really well-rounded and someone who’s respected by her peers," Huey said. "Everyone around school is always asking her: ‘How did you do?’ She has changed the way the sport of bowling is viewed at Longwood, single-handedly."
Canan Bademci, Jr., Patchogue-Medford
She was second on Long Island in average (218.7778). The 2019 Newsday Bowler of the Year was first in Suffolk in match points (34), tied for first in high game (290), and second in high series (755).
Kailyn Bloch, Fr., East Islip
She was fourth overall in average (213.9333), tied for first in Suffolk in high game (290) and fifth in high series (726). Bloch makes the First Team for the second straight season, having earned a position as a middle-school student.
Laura Clark, Sr., Comsewogue
She was third overall in average (214.5556). Clark, who had the best six-game series (1,365) at the Suffolk championships, had a Suffolk-best high series (762) and was fifth (278) in high game.
Kendal Eggert, Sr., Smithtown/Kings Park
She helped her squad win the Suffolk team championship as a junior, and to a second-place finish this season (as a wild-card team). The Kings Park senior was ninth in Suffolk in average (200.0278), 11th in high series (677) and 12th in match points (27).
Gianna Guido, Sr., Patchogue-Medford
She was fifth on Long Island in average (212.75). Guido was tied for third in Suffolk in both high game (279) and series (746), and was 11th in match points (27.5).
Emily Kulkarni, Jr., Sachem
She was sixth on L.I. in average (207.4516). The Sachem North junior was also 10th in high series (683) in Suffolk this season for the Flaming Arrows.
Natalie Mavrich, Sr., East Islip
She was seventh on the Island in average (204.4) but was her best in the brightest moments this season. Mavrich rolled the second-best six-game series (1,336) and the top high game (279) at the Suffolk championships to lead EI to its 14th county title.
Marissa Mele, Sr., Seaford
She was the top bowler in Nassau -- and eighth on Long Island -- with a 204.2 average in 24 games this season. The senior was a three-time captain and five-year varsity member, who has been with the Vikings since the program first started in 2016.
Leighanna Tolan, Fr., Central Islip
She was ninth on Long Island in average (203.4444) and was third in Suffolk in match points (32.5). Tolan was tied for third in high game (279) and had the fourth-best series (730) in Suffolk this season.
Coach of the Year: Robert Sconone, East Islip
It’s rare that a first-year varsity coach wins this type of award, but few coaches had bigger shoes to fill than the 26-year-old. Sconone took over for the late Harold C. Cooley Jr. -- who started the program in 1985 -- and pushed all the right buttons to guide EI through an emotional season and its 14th Suffolk team championship.
Bernagozzi back in court ... Schechter School sentencing ... Man saved by wallet ... $40 Citi Field sandwich
Bernagozzi back in court ... Schechter School sentencing ... Man saved by wallet ... $40 Citi Field sandwich
