St. Dom jumps through hoops for title
Winning a championship certainly wasn't a layup -- after all, St. Dominic had lost in the CHSAA Class A lacrosse final the previous two years. But coach Michele O'Brien's idea to have her hoops stars cross over proved a slam dunk.
"The last five years, I've been transforming my basketball players into lacrosse players," said O'Brien, who has long coached both teams.
Well, this season, the Bayhawks made it to the top, capturing their first girls lacrosse championship in the program's 19 years with an 18-8 win over Mary Louis Academy on Tuesday at C.W. Post.
"We were in the same position the last two years and to finally get it was amazing," Nicole Cacioppo said, referring to St. Dominic losing twice to St. Mary's in the final. "Basketball season wasn't great, but this makes up for it."
A double-comeback story, though it's without the movie-like drama. The game was a dominant performance that capped a season in which top-seeded St. Dominic went 12-6, 8-0 against Class A competition.
Cacioppo, Katie O'Brien and Jordan Coyne each scored three goals to pace the offense. Bridget Shinnick, Carolyn Dupre and Amanda Garcia led the defense; Shirley Salazar made five saves and Olivia Garcia three.
Several of the team's key players had spent winter on the hardwood, including Dana Campbell, Julia LoRusso and Kayla Dimatos. And the coach's daughter, Katie, now so in love with lacrosse, plans to quit basketball.
"The sports have a lot in common," said Cacioppo, a senior who was lured from softball as a freshman.
"It's basketball with a stick," said Michele O'Brien, who didn't play the sport growing up and credits assistant coach Megan Clark for spotting anything lost in sport translation.
They've used Long Island's lax-hotbed status as a sales pitch. "I tell them it's a great tool to get into some big-time schools," O'Brien said.
The Bayhawks look to be set for the near future, graduating just two seniors (Cacioppo and Florence Pierre). But O'Brien hopes St. Dominic can soon make the jump to Class AA. Being in a conference with powerhouses such as St. Anthony's and Sacred Heart would pose a tremendous challenge -- certainly for a school with just 187 girls -- but O'Brien is now convinced, "we can compete."
Get ready for sun and fun with NewsdayTV's summer FunBook special! From celebrating America's 250th birthday to a new ride at Adventureland, NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your inside look at Newsday's summer FunBook.
Get ready for sun and fun with NewsdayTV's summer FunBook special! From celebrating America's 250th birthday to a new ride at Adventureland, NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your inside look at Newsday's summer FunBook.
