THE SPORTS REPORTS: CORNING'S DiNARDO TOPS BAKER'S DOZEN AS 2022-23 GIRLS 'ATHLETE OF THE YEAR;' TWO TIOGA COUNTY ATHLETES MAKE THE LIST (2023-07-12)

The Sports Reports
A three-sport star, Corning senior Jenna DiNardo was an All-Region, and an All-State athlete, not to mention an All-American. She is also The Sports Reports 2022-23 All-Region “Girls Athlete of the Year.”

DiNardo was an All-American in lacrosse, where she set records for the Hawks this year. She led the volleyball team to the state final four, and was an all-state pick, and she was a star in basketball, where she led the team to state final four as a junior.

In volleyball, she was a second-team all-state pick. DiNardo was the setter for the Hawks and had 503 assists on the year. She also had 284 digs and 117 points. She also could be a force at the net at times, getting eight kills in the sub-regional game as she tipped over on two catching the defense off-guard.

This spring, she was the Southern Tier Sports Report “Lacrosse Player of the Year.” DiNardo had an offensive season never seen in the area before. She had 98 goals and 44 assists for 142 points as the Hawks won a sectional title. The Virginia-bound player did all of that in 17 games this season. DiNardo went over 200 career goals and 300 career points this year.

On the hardwoods, she was an all-STAC and all-STSR selection at guard, leading the Hawks back to a second straight sectional final. DiNardo was a double-digit scorer for the Hawks, but here real dominance was on defense where she has been a forced for Corning throughout her career.

Three- and four-sport athletes are given precedence in this yearly awards. A two-sport athlete will occasionally works his way into the Baker’s Dozen, but a one-sport athlete will rarely make the grade.

(The Sports Reports covers 24 school districts in four counties, and Corning.)

The Sports Reports’ 2022-23 All-Regionals Girls “Athletes of the Year”
Jenna DiNardo, senior, Corning — volleyball, basketball, lacrosse: See above.

Shannon Maloney, senior, Notre Dame — soccer, basketball, softball: Maloney all-state selection in all three sports she played this school year.

She was an All-Region softball player, dominating in center field, with over a .400 average and dominant defense. She led the Crusaders to a sectional final.

On the soccer pitch, she was coming off a first-team all-state season as a junior and made all-state again, and was a first-team all-Region pick. She was the all-STSR goalie of the year for a second straight year.

This winter, she was the only girls’ player in the area to average a double-double this season. She scored 18.4 points a game with 14.3 rebounds a contest. Also put up 3.1 steals and recored 4.1 deflections a game.

Kennedy Westbrook, senior, Waverly — soccer, basketball, track & field: A speedy and versatile all-around player on the soccer pitch, Westbrook led Waverly to the Section IV, Class B semifinals.

Westbrook, who will play at Division I New Jersey Institute of Technology in the fall, scored 17 goals and dished out eight assists, while providing defensive support for the Lady Wolverines.

On the offensive end of the floor, Westbrook scored in transition, taking the ball to the bucket, or from 3-point range. She led the team with 19.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4 assists per game. She also knocked down 42 3-pointers.

Defensively, Westbrook is a shutdown defender, who harasses ball-handlers into mistakes, and gets in the passing lanes. She led the Lady Wolverines with 5 steals, and 3.4 deflections per game.

This spring, Kennedy Westbrook was a mainstay in the sprints for the track team, and was on a 400-meter relay that had the third-fastest time in Section IV, Division 2 this season. However, an injury late in the season sidelined her for the postseason.

Melanie Shumway, junior, Northeast Bradford — soccer, cross country, softball, track & field: Whatever Shumway did she excelled at. In the fall, she was the Bradford County All-stars Co-Player of the Year as both one of the top scorers in the league, and one of the best defenders. She helped the Panthers to their best program in school history.

In cross country, she was a top-five runner for the District IV, Class A champions, taking fifth at the NTL Coaches’ Invitational, and 10th at districts.

In the spring, she was one of the best outfielders in the league, hitting .438 with 23 runs scored, and five doubles to earn a third Bradford County All-stars nod.

At the same time, she ran track and field for the Panthers, earning two district qualifying spots, while helping their 4x800 relay take fourth at districts to earn a medal.

McKenna Lightner, junior, North Penn-Liberty — volleyball, softball; North Penn-Mansfield — basketball: Lightner was a vital member of a pair of District title winning teams — NP-Liberty volleyball and softball — and an undersized post-player that held her own against the league’s best every game for the NP-Mansfield Lady Tigers basketball team.

Lightner started her year off by winning an NTL and a District 4 Championship in volleyball where the libero had 241 digs, 292 serves-received, 132 points and 16 aces..

The Lady Tigers struggled to a 3-17 record this basketball season, but Lightner was a bright spot despite giving up a height advantage most nights and grabbed more than eight rebounds and scored five points per game.

This spring, Lightner manned shortstop for the NTL and District 4 Champion Lady Mounties softball team and had five home runs, seven doubles and a triple among her 20 base hits with 24 runs scored, 15 RBI and 10 walks drawn.

Payton Ross, senior, Elmira — cross country, basketball, softball, flag football: Ross was a  four-sport athlete for the Express this year.

This spring. she played two sports — softball and was a member on the first flag football team. Ross threw for 1,462 yards and 17 scores, completing 56 percent of her passes, and she also ran for 968 yards and 12 touchdowns in flag football.

On the softball diamond, she hit .419, with two home runs, and two doubles. As a pitcher, she had a 2.84 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings.

Taylor Dalton, junior, Owego — soccer, basketball, flag football, track & field: Dalton won the Section IV Division 2 long jump title and placed second overall at the state qualifier. She was also the team’s No. 2 sprinter behind state qualifier Stella Palladino and was a key performer in relays.

On the gridiron, she was the Indians’ key receiver during their march to a Section IV, Division II runner-up finish. She had 43 receptions for 686 yards and nine touchdowns with seven extra-point catches. She also had 11 rushes for 55 yards and three TDs. On defense, Dalton came away with eight interceptions for 132 return yards (two pick sixes) and 12 “tackles.”

She also made key contributions as a midfielder on the soccer team, winning numerous 50-50 balls and making key plays which contributed to a 12-3 record and a Section IV, Class B runner-up showing.

Her strong defensive play on the basketball court helped the team to a 12-9 record and a spot in sectionals.

Jordan Greeno, senior, Owego — field hockey, flag football, softball: The All-Tioga County Player of the Year and Section IV Division III first-team all-star led the team in assists (12) and was second in goals (15) as she led the Indians to a Division III title with an 8-0 record, an 11-7 overall record and a second-place finish in the Section IV, Class C playoffs.

On the softball diamond, Greeno was key to the middle infield, playing both second base and shortstop. She carried a .947 fielding percentage, committing just two errors. She also hit .373 (19-for-51) with 15 runs and 11 RBI.

She was also a key player on the flag football team, which went 8-3 and was the Section IV Division II runner-up. She had 16 catches for 159 yards and three TDs and had five carries for 13 yards and one TD. She also contributed a pick-6.

Madison McEvoy, sophomore, Owego — field hockey, basketball, lacrosse: On the basketball court, the sophomore point guard set a school record for 3-point field goals (57) and led the Indians to the Section IV playoffs and a 12-9 record.

She surpassed 100 career goals while helping the lacrosse team go 12-4 and finish as the Section IV Class D runner-up.

McEvoy also helped the field hockey team win the Section IV Division III title with an 8-0 record, an 11-7 overall record and a second-place finish in the Section IV Class C playoffs.

Ashley Woodring, sophomore, Cowanesque Valley —, basketball, softball; Williamson — soccer: Woodring was an exceptional presence in the net for Williamson’s soccer team — with 97 saves, four shutouts and only 24 goals allowed,

She scored nine points per game and grabbed six rebounds for the CV basketball team

Woodring hit .434 with 23 base hits for the NTL Small-School softball champs.

Alyssa Parks, sophomore, Troy (cross country, basketball, track & field): Parks was a three-time Bradford County All-star on the year, beginning in the fall, where she battled injuries to earn a state cross country berth, finishing in the top-50 at states.

On the hardwoods, Parks averaged 10.3 points per game, combined with a long-armed defense to lead Troy to a 16-6 record as they qualified for the NTL Showdown for the first time in program history.

In the spring, Parks succeeded in an eclectic array of events, earning district medals in the high jump and the 300=meter hurdles.

Anaiah Kolesar, freshman, Northeast Bradford — cross country, track & field; Athens — wrestling: It’s rare for a varsity athlete to earn a state medal in her / his first year of competition, but Northeast Bradford’s Anaiah Kolesar won two state medals as a freshman this season as part of her strong, three-sport year. She was The Sports Reports’ 2022-23 All-Region “Girls Newcomer of the Year.”

In the fall, Kolesar was the number-two runner for the Panthers, helping to lead them to an NTL Small School title, an NTL Coaches’ Invitational title, and a District IV, Class A championship. At the District 4 meet, Kolesar was the top freshman, finishing third overall.

At the PIAA Championships, Kolesar placed 23rd overall to earn the first of her two state medals on the year.

On the wrestling mats, Kolesar was the runner-up at the Northeast Regional Tournament, then at states she went 3-2 to place seventh, and reach the podium for her second state medal of the year.

In the spring, Kolesar was key to a resurgent NEB girls’ track & field team, one that took placed at the NTL Championships, its highest finish ever with the new format. Kolesar was second in the 1,600-meter run, and third in the 3,200 and 800 at the league meet, while helping their 4x800 relay finish second.

At the District 4 meet, she helped their 4x800 to a fourth place medal, and a new school record, missing the state mark by six seconds. In the 3200 she took fourth overall for her second district medal of the weekend.

Camille McRoberts, senior, Canton (soccer, cross country, track & field): McRoberts was a three-time Bradford County All-star on the year.

She did two sports in the fall, helping to lead Troy to a third straight NTL title in the midfield, while she earned a state berth in cross country, taking ninth at districts.

In the spring, she was a three-time district medalist, earning podium spots in the 800, 1600, and 4x400 relay. She also set an individual school record in the 800, and two relay records.


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