A second-generation athlete
Noecker, like his parents, will run at St. Bonaventure
A little of this, a little of that …
• It’s all in the family as Mount St. Charles senior Owen Noecker will take his running talents to the same Atlantic 10 school where his mother Amy competed.
Earlier this week, Noecker signed a National Letter of Intent to join the cross country/track program at St. Bonaventure University. Amy Noecker graduated from the Olean, N.Y. school in 1998 and still remains involved in running as the head coach of MSC’s cross country team.
“To say I’m proud would be an understatement,” said Amy, a Woonsocket native who attended St. Raphael. “Not too long ago, we went up and visited the school. Prior to taking a tour of the campus, I went and ran around. I pictured Owen running on the same courses and trails that I did. I’m looking forward to seeing him compete in brown and white.”
A Third Team All-Northern Division selection in cross country this past fall, Owen noted that becoming a second-generation runner for the Bonnies wasn’t a slam dunk. He also considered Seton Hall.
“I had a good feeling, but knowing my mom and dad [John] went there, I knew it would be a good fit,” said Owen. “I guess you could say it was the right feeling.”
Officially, Owen informed St. Bonaventure head coach Bob MacFarlane last week. Letting the Bonnies know that Amy owns running ties to the school was part of the questionnaire that Owen had to fill out.
“It was a tough decision, but I know I made the right decision,” said Owen, adding that he plans to pursue a degree in business/marketing.
One of Amy’s favorite races from her college days involved a trip to Notre Dame. She hopes a similar visit to South Bend awaits Owen.
“I know he’ll be in good hands with [MacFarlane]. I like his philosophy and feel that Owen will thrive under his direction,” said Amy.
“It’s good competition that I won’t shy away from because I know it will make me better,” said Owen.
• Congrats are in order to Lincoln High graduate Nick Zammarelli. Last weekend, he got engaged to longtime girlfriend Abigail Smith. As for his 2021 baseball plans, the 26-year-old Zammarelli will take the field for Kane City of the American Association, which is now affiliated with Major League Baseball. Located in Illinois, Kane City previously served as a Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Shea High elected to bump George DosSantos from assistant to become the next head coach of the Raiders’ girls’ volleyball program. DosSantos graduated from Shea and played for previous head coach Christina Daily.
• Lincoln native Darien McDonough is the only Rhode Islander to make the preseason watchlist for the Northeast regional branch of the 2021 Premier Girls Fastpitch High School All-American squad. A first baseman/outfielder who will continue her softball career at Boston College, McDonough is preparing for her senior season at La Salle Academy.
• Another cross country race for Merrimack College, another personal-best time for Cumberland High product Julia Dempsey. This past Sunday, Dempsey clocked in at 18:02.4 to place fourth overall (out of 58 runners) in the NEC Championships. Racing at Heather Hill Country Club, the senior hustled to a 32-second improvement over her season-opening time from Feb. 13.
• Parents of high school athletes probably aren’t going to like reading this, yet here are the spectator policies for this weekend’s championship games and beyond:
1). At Adelard Arena for the Division I hockey finals, Mount St. Charles in accordance with the state says the only people who can attend Friday’s Game 1 and Monday’s if-necessary Game 3 against Bishop Hendricken are parents/guardians of team members and their siblings.
2). For the boys and girls basketball divisional finals, Rhode Island College is granting access to two parents and/or guardians of the senior players. The boys finals are Saturday and the girls finals are Sunday. The times for both days are the same: Noon (Division III), 2 p.m. (Division II), and 4 p.m. (Division I).
3). Similar to basketball, the girls volleyball season will be fan-less other than the designated Senior Night.
• There should be an investigation if Cumberland’s Tyler Kolek isn’t named Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Year. Three times during the regular season, Kolek was tabbed A-10 Rookie of the Week. Credentials for the George Mason guard also include leading all A-10 rookies in scoring (11.1 ppg) and three-pointers made per game (2.5). The league will announce the picks for all-conference and individual honors next Wednesday.
• Monday, March 15 has been decreed that middle school cross-country and soccer teams can begin practicing. Given the time of year, many towns are not allowing kids to practice on grass. In turn, athletic directors are scrambling to find solutions.
• Too bad Tony Lepore, aka the Dancing Cop, is retired and living in Florida at last check. Lepore would have been perfect to be stationed at Max Read Field as the three Pawtucket-based high school football teams – Tolman, Shea, St. Raphael – are practicing at the same facility. In my opinion, Lepore would have been ideal to wave teams on and off the field.
• For the ninth straight year, DYCOMM Sports will air the basketball divisional finals (boys and girls) over the WPRO-syndicated airwaves (630 AM, 790 AM & 99.7 FM) and online on www.790business.com. Dan Yorke, president of DYCOMM LLC, will call the play-by-play with other key basketball personalities offering color commentary.
• It appears “Taxi Squad, the Sequel” will be returning to the Triple-A ranks in April. Let’s hope the folks up the road refrain from calling the practice of a glorified practice as “Sim City” – a jazzedup tag that was applied to last summer’s Red Sox taxi squad outings at McCoy Stadium. What originated in Pawtucket stays in Pawtucket.
• Wednesday’s postgame press conference was the first time I can recall Providence head coach Ed Cooley really and truly laying into his team. It probably should have happened sooner.
• NBA All-Star Weekend is upon is, a time when players get together with their buddies and talk about ways to form uber teams when free agency rolls around.
• This column would have been longer, but it’s time to lace up those dancin’ shoes in anticipation of the NCAA Tournament. They’ve been stashed in the closet for way too long.