North Babylon boys bowler Nick Vuono places second in state Division I individual championship
Alex Silbert of Eastport-South Manor, left, finished in fifth place and Nick Vuono of North Babylon finished in second at the state boys bowling individual championships at Strike 'N Spare Lanes on Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Syracuse. Credit: Ben Cleeton
SYRACUSE — North Babylon's Nick Vuono has been making history since he broke the state record for a three-game series as a freshman. Now, as a junior, he was looking to make a big splash in the inaugural state individual competition.
Vuono finished with 1,366 pins to take second place in the state Division I boys bowling individual championship at Strike ‘N Spare Lanes on Saturday. Cayden Bowman of Horseheads (Section IV) took first with 1,438 pins.
Vuono led after three games with 739 pins. He rolled the highest game of any competitor during the competition when he totaled 278 in Game 3.
“Coming into today, I had high expectations of myself,” Vuono said. “I know what I’m capable of and the level I should perform at. I feel like I achieved my goal.”
Vuono fell to third place after a 181 in Game 5 but rebounded with a 235 in Game 6 to claim second.
“Going into the second block of games, my goal was to keep it clean,” Vuono said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I think I did a solid job.”
Eastport-South Manor’s Alex Silbert rolled his highest game of the day with a 267 in Game 3. The senior was outside of the top 10 by seven pins entering the final game and shot a 247 to jump to fifth.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. That’s the mindset I tried to keep,” Silbert said. “The last game, the energy just grew with every shot for me and that carried me all the way through the 10th frame.”
Commack’s Andrew Schaefer finished 13th with a 1,295 series and North Babylon’s Ethan LeBlanc was 25th with a 1,250 series.
Syosset’s Jaiden Ng was Nassau’s highest finisher, getting 28th with 1,222 pins. Clarke’s Dylan Sollitto was next for Nassau with a 1,176 series.
Bellmore-Merrick freshman Riley Kolinsky, who won the 700 Club Long Island USBC tournament on March 8, had a 1,169 series.
This year's format switched over from sectional teams to an individual competition. In past years, Nassau and Suffolk each competed as their own teams, while this year the bowlers who would’ve qualified for those teams competed solo.
“Coming into this year, I thought it would be a team event and I wanted to be a part of it,” Silbert said. “When I found out it wasn’t, that changed my mindset. Now I’m on my own, can’t rely on anyone else.”
“I’m not a fan of this format,” Vuono said. “We practice together, I think it’s only fair we bowl together and fight for that championship.”
Ceraulo earns a top 10 finish
Seaford’s Andrew Ceraulo finished ninth with a 1,240 series in the state Division II individual championship. The senior rolled a 245 in Game 1 and ended his day with a 203 in Game 6. Ethan Reitema of Weedsport (III) totaled 1,381 pins to earn the title.
Ceraulo’s Seaford teammate Daniel Walsh was the only other Long Island bowler in the Division II competition. Walsh had a 233 in Game 6 of a 1,211 series.
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
