Records represent dedication, talent, and perseverance. Now it’s time for a deep dive into the numbers that shaped the legacy of Great Neck South’s athletics.
1. On February 16, 2022, the boys fencing team claimed their first ever Long Island Championship. According to boys fencing coach Joshua Baravarian, “We were the underdog in the county finals against a strong Syosset team. Senior Ryan Zhang had the final touch in overtime to give us the County champions and move us on to the championship where we steamrolled over Commack high school for the win.”
2. Varsity girls badminton has been the Long Island champions for the last two years. Junior Adora Cho said, “I’m looking forward to working with my teammates to become Long Island Champions for the third year in a row. There’s definitely more pressure because we’ve set high expectations for ourselves this coming season. But as athletes, we learn to stay in the moment by taking the season match by match so that we don’t get caught up in the future.”
3. In 2022, girls tennis experienced an undefeated season. Madison Lee and Kira Diaz placed third in the NYSPHSAA All State doubles tournament. After a rough start, the girls had an amazing comeback this season and are currently ranked third in division one. Sophomore captain Madison Lee admits to more pressure as the team is relying on her and her match; however, she’s excited to compete with the best players from every school.
4. February 11, 2012, the boys varsity swim team completed its fourth consecutive undefeated season from 2008-2012. Despite not continuing the streak to a fifth year, the boys still achieved multiple Nassau county records, such as Andy Lee in 50 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, and 100 breaststroke. In the 22-23 season, the team performed well, with Roland Chia making counties for 100 breaststroke and butterfly. Chia said, “I feel that I was a valuable asset to my team as I was the only person diving that year. For the upcoming season, I mostly look forward to meeting old teammates and friends, and encouraging each other to improve.”
5. Boys baseball also secured 5 titles in division: 2003, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015. Although we didn’t hear much from our baseball team for the past few years, the boys are hoping to recreate their past achievements in the spring. Despite their record, Coach Ambrosio still wants the players to have fun and be competitive. “It’s no fun losing, but when you compete, it’s not so bad. I’m just hoping for a successful, injury-free season.
6. The boys swimming and diving team currently owns six Nassau county records.
- 200 Medley Relay (2019) 1:34.18: Justin Whang, Chris Lei, Andy Lee, Joshua Liu
- 200 IM (2020) 1:51.12: Justin Whang
- 50 Freestyle (2018) 20.38: Andy Lee
- Diving (2020) 580.35: Nicholas Shen
- 100 Butterfly (2019) 48.13: Andy Lee
- 100 Breaststroke (2018) 56.37: Andy Lee
7. Boys tennis experienced a terrific 2020-2021 season, with an undefeated record of 7-0, the boys were reigned Conference Champions. The boys hope for another successful season this year as they stay in conference one. Aaron Basket, a doubles player on the team, explained the feeling. “Conference one is tough. Even with the lower-ranked schools we still needed to play well to beat most of them, but we were determined, so that’s exactly what we did.” As for their upcoming season, they hope to beat their rival Syosset. “Last year we managed to beat every team in the conference at least once; however, both times we played Syosset we had an incomplete lineup. Then during the playoffs we lost in the county semifinals before we had the chance to play them in the finals. So Syosset was the only team in the conference we were never able to beat, and this season I most look forward to trying to beat them again.”
8. Number of Girls Fencing rebels that are elected as all county players.
First Team All County
- Justina Hom 2023
- Connie Too 2020
- Sabrina Dao 2020
- Michelle Song 2017
Second Team All County
- Ella Nguyen 2020
- Kathleen Lu 2019
- Mary Ye 2017
- Ariel Kang 2017
Regarding the pressure of being in a high-achieving team, junior Audrey Gao said, “As an epee (a type of fencing), we are the anchor of the team, so if it’s really close it’s on us to pull it back up. There were some times where I couldn’t, but I think this year I got it in the bag.”
9. With the overall record of 9–4, Crisia Bonilla experienced a successful wrestling season last winter after becoming the first female in the district to win a wrestling match. She is all-in to create more history in the upcoming season.
10. 10 girls from Great Neck South selected as All Long Island fencers
- Ashley Nguyen 2023
- Kiera Nguyen 2023, 2022
- Many Li 2022, 2021, 2019
- Ella Nguyen 2021
- Gina Lee 2020
- Mary Ye, 2019
- Airel Kang
- Macy Meng 2017
- Vera Lin
- Christine Song
11. The boys fencing team has had 11 “All Island” fencers since 2011. According to Coach Baravarian, the goal for the fencing team this year is to rebuild their team: “8 seniors graduated last year. We are a young team now and need to find some hungry athletes that want to be a part of Great Necks South’s fencing history.”
12. In 2019, the fall cross country team had a record of 12-1, which is their best record in over 20 years. According to junior Evelyn Won, “There has definitely been a lot more people on the team. Overall, the team has become really stacked and all the guys have been running their best this season.” The boys managed to secure a conference and division championship this year, surpassing the record with a 13-0 performance. The County Championship tournament will take place next week.
13. Boys bowling team had 13 conference wins so far. The bowling team has remained under the radar to the majority of the students here in Great Neck South, but they seem to be a competitive team with an admirable history. As a part of the school’s bowling team, Senior Jenny Hu, described her passion for bowling. “Before joining the bowling team, I had never bowled and didn’t know anyone on the team, but I was drawn to bowling’s inclusivity: not requiring advanced athleticism while still being challenging. As I managed to make new friends, learn the sport, and go places and compete, I discovered the satisfaction of having teammates who cheered each other on whether we scored a strike or a gutter ball. I feel that when we start bowling, we just forget about everything else except the fun.” Let’s cheer for the bowling team in the upcoming winter season!
14. In the 2021-2022 boys fencing season, not only did the boys secure their first ever Long Island championship, they also managed to score 14 wins. According to Dylan Kim, a junior on the team, “The Long Island championship meant everything to us. We worked so hard during the season to put together the best team that we could, and getting to see all of our hard work pay off was so rewarding.
15. #15 on girls volleyball Jill Wang leads her team with 80 kills this season, assisting the team with an undefeated record of 14-0. Jill gives credit to her teammates for her high-performance, “I don’t think my role helps the team as much as the team helps my role. I would not have as many kills as I do now if it weren’t for my setters and defensive players who place the ball perfectly time and time again so I have the opportunity to score for us.”
The legacy of Great Neck South’s sports teams aren’t merely compilations of numbers and records; memories and friendships are also formed along the way. However, as we take a nostalgia dive into the past, we are reminded of the dedication, talent, and perseverance of our rebels. As the winter season approaches, we are looking forward to new numbers being added to this list.
