By Ashley Pavlakis
School is back in session and fall sports are getting back into the swing of things. Preseason accolades have come out and Smithtown High School athletes have made their way onto the top athlete list. On Newsday’s Top Athletes on Long Island, eleven Smithtown female athletes from both high school East and West were named to the list.
Athletic Director Jason Lambert has been a dedicated member of Smithtown sports for the past two decades. Lambert has 19 seasons of coaching experience as a varsity lacrosse coach for the Bulls. He also has teaching experience at various schools in the district. In 2022, Lambert was named the district’s athletic director.
“I think it’s very important. It helps prepare them for real life, being part of a team, real-life situations, real-world scenarios, teaches them how to handle things, how to find a role, and how to help contribute,” said Lambert of the role high schools sports play in an athlete’s development. “I find sometimes that you have to give up a little bit of yourself for the betterment of your team and program.”
Smithtown High School East has four athletes on the list this season. Tennis player Anya Konopka, soccer player Alex Bozzo, gymnast Bayla Goldberg, and volleyball player Alex Arroyo were named to their respective lists.
Smithtown High School West outdid their crosstown rival and had seven of their athletes on the list for the upcoming 2024-25 season. Two soccer players in Madeline Sacco and Kayla Pardini, field hockey player Emma Reddin, gymnast Amanda Burns, twin swimmers Julia and Sarah Lucca, and volleyball player Taylor Marsh.
“It’s just a testament to the athletes, the families, the coaches, and all the hard work, dedication, and commitment that they put into their sports and school work all year long. You’ve got to get it done in the classroom first to get the recognition on the field. We’re really proud of all our kids, they’re doing a great job,” said Lambert.
When the two schools play each other, they’re cold-blooded rivals looking to keep the title of top Bull. Off the field, it’s all love between the two schools as they look to keep racking up the accolades as athletes representing the Smithtown Central School District.
Smithtown is known for its competitive athletics programs. When a player gets the honor to wear the Bull crest and play a varsity sport in high school, it’s not to be taken lightly. The school district has graduated plenty of athletes who went on to play Division I, II, & III in their respective sports.
“We’re proud of all our alumni, we wish all our kids could go onto the next level and continue their athletic careers and educational careers. We do everything we can to help support our student-athletes that want to do that at the next level. We continue to follow them and promote them, even if they don’t get into athletics, we’re still very proud of them when they make it to the college level and continue to represent our community,” said Lambert.
Lambert stressed the importance of getting involved in multiple sports during youth years, especially in high school.
“If you can, play as many sports as you can. Any college coach that I’ve ever talked to, would always recruit multi-sport athletes when they can get one. Play as much as you can, there’s a lot of crossover, there’s a lot of life lessons that can be learned,” said Lambert.