By S. Quinn DeJoy and J. Murrer

Jul. 8, 2015: Bronxville athletes received all-star recognition from the Journal News last week. Twenty-four Broncos were recognized as all-stars, and eleven athletes were named to the first team. Also recognized were three Bronxville coaches, Jim Mitchell, Chris Lockwood, and Steve Klurfeld, who were named 2015 Coaches of the Year. 

Mitchell, longtime coach of the girls' track and field team, has won Coach of the Year multiple times, including last fall for cross country. This spring, his outdoor track team won leagues and sectionals and brought home three gold medals at the New York State Championships. 

"I was fortunate in having a very strong team in many events," said Mitchell. "Usually we are a predominantly distance team, but this spring we had excellent sprinters, hurdlers, a great pole vaulter, the best 4x800 team in the state, and, of course, Kaitlin [Ryan]. So take it all together, and it gave us a great mix." 

Klurfeld has coached the boys' varsity tennis team for many years, and this spring his team finished with a perfect 11-0 record. Coach of the Year Klurfeld, who is currently in London enjoying professional tennis at Wimbledon, made it clear that his team had a rare mix of very talented mature seniors and extremely eager and gifted younger players. 

"Getting the doubles pairings right is often the most difficult task that I have," wrote Klurfeld from London, "but this year that wasn't the case." The second doubles team of Connor Morris and Hiro Kawakatsu were friends pre-season, so their chemistry worked to their advantage. The doubles lineup also included Julian McCarthy, who transferred to Bronxville this year. McCarthy and Ferdinand Schmuck had a winning season and were one set away from going to the state tournament. The top singles players were outstanding; Jimmy Purdy was the Section 1 champ, and both Purdy and Robbie Simon were named All-Section. 

With so much talent on the team, Klurfeld was reluctant to take any credit. "Our success is 99% their skill and 1% my coaching." 

Under the guidance of Coach Lockwood, the boys' golf team finished the season with a 19-2-1 record. Three golfers qualified for the state tournament, and the team won the sectional title for the first time in the history of Bronxville golf. The golf program also expanded this year to include a girls' team and a JV team. 

"It is great to see the program develop as much as it has, especially with this class of rising seniors," commented Lockwood. "Connor Daly, Matt Bettino, and Chris Gay, all seniors and state qualifiers, make the development of Bronxville golf easy--the young golfers simply follow their lead."

Athletic director Karen Peterson is grateful to have such a dedicated trio of coaches. "Coach Mitchell has touched so many athletes is his years at Bronxville and continues to mentor young runners to maximize their performance," noted Peterson. "Coach Klurfeld has been coaching here for 17 years and continues to produce quality teams year in and year out. Kudos for capturing the league and conference titles as well as having a state championship qualifier. The success of Coach Lockwood's team is particularly impressive considering they did not have a home course this year and played all their matches away."

In addition to the coaches, many Bronxville athletes have also been recognized for their contributions to their respective sports. For a complete list of All-Star athletes, see the list below. 

Go Broncos. 

Tennis
First team singles: Jimmy Purdy (senior)
Doubles first team: Ferdinand Schmuck (senior), Sam Wolfe (sophomore) 

Boys' Golf
First team: Connor Daly (junior)
Second team: Chris Gay (junior)
Honorable Mention: Matt Bettino (junior) 

Girls' Golf
Honorable Mention: McKenna Stoltz (8th grade)

Girls' Track

First team:
800m: Kaitlin Ryan (sophomore)
4x400m: Caroline Kirby (freshman), Laura Holland (freshman), Kirsten Ircha (8th grade), K. Ryan
4x800m: Delia Hayes (senior), Hilary Rizzo (junior), L. Holland, K. Ryan

Second team:
400 hurdles: C. Kirby
1500m: K. Ryan
Pole Vault: Vivian Mroz (senior)

Boys' Track
Honorable Mention: Steven Ircha (senior)

Girls' Lacrosse
First team: Lilly Grass (junior)
Second team: Ellie Walsh (sophomore), Mason Warble (sophomore)
Honorable Mention: Briana Alberghine, senior

Boys' Lacrosse
First team: Henry Grass (senior), Charlie Tarry (senior)
Second team: Ara Atayan (sophomore)
Honorable Mention: Michael Crawford (senior), Ted Forst (senior)