Thirteen Fall Athletes Receive All-Star Recognition; Two Bronxville Coaches Named Coach of the Year
Pictured above: Coach Agnello (far right) and the 2023 boys’ cross country team at the New York State Championships. Photo submitted by Jim Agnello.
By S. Q. DeJoy and J. Murrer
Jan. 24, 2024: Bronxville fall athletes received all-star recognition from Lohud in the past month. Thirteen Broncos were recognized as Westchester/Putnam All-Stars, and tennis player Victoria McEnroe was honored by being named Player of the Year. Five Broncos were named to the All-Star first team, two athletes were named to the second team, and six were awarded with honorable mention recognition. The complete list is below.
LoHud selected Jim Agnello as the Westchester/Putnam Boys’ Cross Country Coach of the Year and Brian Halling as the Girls’ Cross Country Coach of the Year. Both the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams won their respective League and Sectional Championships and had strong finishes at States. Agnello, who has been the cross country coach for 25 years, was also named Coach of the Year in 2022 when the Broncos won the Class C State Championship.
Under the leadership of Coach Agnello, the Class C boys’ team placed 2nd at states behind a very strong team from East Aurora. The Broncos were the only Section 1 team to reach the podium. Kieran McBride, the No. 1 runner for the team, was one of six Westchester/Putnam runners named to LoHud’s first team.
Agnello cannot say enough about the dedication of both the athletes and their parents.
“There is nothing I could ask a parent to do where the answer isn’t automatically yes,” said Coach Agnello. “When there was a bus shortage during COVID, I’d ask the parents for help and more SUVs showed up than we could believe. Their support is incredible.”
The hard work and dedication of the cross country athletes and their persistence despite many challenges is something Coach Agnello sees as part of Bronxville’s culture.
“Students have many other obligations, but they show up at practice and take their responsibility very seriously,” said Agnello. They see that hard work can pay off and ultimately success begets success.”
In his second year as the head girls’ cross country coach, Brian Halling was named Westchester/Putnam Coach of the Year. Bronxville is a Class C school, but this award includes schools of all sizes.
“It is an awesome accolade,” noted Halling, “but we would not be winning without the girls.”
After suffering from illness and injuries in 2022, the girls’ team lost at Sectionals to a very talented Pleasantville team but fought back in 2023 to regain the Class C Sectional title. At the New York State Championships in the fall, the Broncos finished third behind East Aurora and Adirondack.
“The team was unranked going into states but finished 3rd,” said Halling. “It was awesome to see the girls improve so much over the season. Adirondack beat us by three points but were supposed to beat us by much more.”
At the State Championships, the Bronxville girls’ team had the best finish of all schools in Section 1. They competed against tough competition in Class C, including East Aurora, a phenomenal team that finished third in the Federation meet, which includes New York State schools of all sizes.
Being recognized as Coach of the Year is an impressive accomplishment, but Halling would rather point to the dedication and hard work of his team.
“I mean it really is the team,” said Coach Halling. “I appreciate the attention, but my big thing is track is a metaphor for life. You get up every day, and no one is keeping tabs on you. I Iove track because you get what you get. There are going to be back breaks, but you need to hold yourself accountable to being your best.”
Pictured above: Coach Brian Halling (back left) with the Bronxville cross country teams before boarding the bus for the State Championships. Courtesy of @bvxboystrack.
The list of LoHud All-Stars and All-State Awards are listed below.
Lohud All-Stars
Tennis Player of the Year
Victoria McEnroe
First Team All-Stars
Victoria McEnroe, tennis
Alex Chrystowski, football
Matthew McSherry, football
Kieran McBride, cross country
Maddy Williams, cross country
Second Team All-Stars
Davis Patterson, football
Karina Winiecki, cross country
Honorable Mention, All-Stars
Anette Dani, tennis
Hannah Shammas, tennis
Maddy Stupart, soccer
Fiona Barr, swimming
Meghan Curran, cross country
Frannie Krause, field hockey
All-State Awards
Miles Jernigan, soccer, goalie
Alex Chrystowski, football, first team offense
Matthew McSherry, football, first team defense
Davis Patterson, football, second team offense
Maddy Williams, cross country, second team
Go Broncos.
