Ferrigno and Csikortos Tabbed First-Team All-Skyline; Mahoney and Wainwright Collect Second-Team Softball Honors
NEW YORK — Helping St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) double last year's win total, four Bears were honored by the Skyline Conference earlier today as the 2017 Skyline All-Conference Teams were announced. Senior Kristin Ferrigno (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) and freshman Paige Csikortos (Rocky Point, N.Y./Rocky Point) earned a spot on the first team while sophomore Victoria Mahoney (Allenwood, N.J./Saint John Vianney) and freshman Amber Wainwright (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) both landed on the second team.
Three of the four Bears' All-Conference honorees were newcomers this season and three played in all 30 games, helping the team double their overall and league win totals from last year, finishing with an 18-12 overall record—the 13th winning season in the program's 16-year history. The All-Skyline honors are the first collected by the Bears who completed their second season in the league just outside of playoff position in seventh place with an 8-10 record that matched the sixth place team.
After sitting on 99 career hits the entire off-season, Kristin Ferrigno knocked her milestone hit in her first at bat of the season, continuing on a 10-game hitting streak that she parlayed into the best offensive season of her career. Posting a Skyline-leading .448 average and a .524 on-base percentage that was second best, Ferrigno was honored as a first-team third baseman. Starting in all 30 games and hitting primarily out of the cleanup position, she also led the team with 14 multi-hit games and accumulated 25 RBI that was sixth-best in the league. On the final game of the season, she reached another milestone, scoring her 100th career run, becoming the 14thBear in team history to reach the plateau.
One of the most versatile players on the squad, Paige Csikortos started at four different defensive positions and was recognized as the first-team utility player. Starting in all 30 games, she was the team's primary leadoff hitter and set the table with a .345 average that was fourth on the team. Csikortos finished third in in the league in triples (3), fourth in runs (34), tied for fifth in home runs (2) and stolen bases (11), and ninth in on-base percentage (.463). The rookie recorded nine multi-hit games, finishing 3-for-3 with two runs batted on two separate occasions this season. Defensively, she started at second base, shortstop, center field and right field and committed just one error in 39 chances this season.
In her first season in a Bears uniform, Victoria Mahoney collected 11 wins in the circle tying the league lead in victories at the end of the regular season and was honored as a second-team pitcher. Compiling an earned run average of 1.62 and holding opposing batters to a .202 average, the sophomore led the league in both categories and struck out 99 this season, good for third in the conference. Setting a Bears single-game record for most innings pitched in a 10-inning marathon against SJC Long Island, Mahoney struck out 14—falling one shy of tying the team record—as she worked a stretch of 27.1 consecutive innings without surrendering an earned run. She also struck out nine against league runner-up Sage without giving up an earned run.
Assembling one of the top rookie campaigns in program history, Amber Wainwright opened her collegiate career on a 10-game hitting streak and finished with a .448 batting average that topped the Skyline—sharing the lead with Ferrigno—and was selected as the second-team designated player. The freshman was a two-time weekly honoree, named the Player of the Week on April 3rd and garnering Rookie of the Week on April 17th. Her 32 runs batted in led the team and placed her third in the conference and she ranked fourth in on-base percentage (.495) and fifth in hits (43). Starting in all 30 games, she led the team with 11 multi-RBI games, highlighted with a 3-for-3, five RBI, three run effort in a win over Brooklyn College.
The all-conference teams are voted on by the Skyline Conference's 10 head softball coaches based on regular season play.
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Skyline All-Conference Release
2017 Skyline Conference Softball All-Conference Team
First Team |
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| Pos. | Name | School | Cl. | Hometown |
| C | Kristen Arbiter | St. Joseph's-L.I. | Jr. | Seaford, N.Y. |
| 1B | Michelle Surdan | Mount Saint Mary | Sr. | Acton, Mass. |
| 2B | Shannon Sommer | Mount Saint Mary | Sr. | Brewster, N.Y. |
| 2B | Alexa Silk | Sage | Jr. | Freehold, N.Y. |
| SS | Taryn Penna | Sarah Lawrence | So. | Sparta, N.J. |
| 3B | Sierra Cardenales | Farmingdale State | So. | Patchogue, N.Y. |
| 3B | Kristin Ferrigno | St. Joseph's-Brooklyn | Sr. | Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| OF | Samantha Broo | Mount Saint Vincent | Jr. | Manahawkin, N.J. |
| OF | Lisa Kentris | Purchase | So. | Latham, N.Y. |
| OF | Nicolette Moustouka | Mount Saint Mary | So. | Seaford, N.Y. |
| DP | Courtney Barbara | Mount Saint Mary | Jr. | Fishkill, N.Y. |
| UT | Paige Csikortos | St. Joseph's-Brooklyn | Fr. | Rocky Point, N.Y. |
| P | Theresa Cardello | St. Joseph's-L.I. | Jr. | No. Babylon, N.Y. |
| P | Cindy Connoly ** | Mount Saint Mary | Jr. | Walden, N.Y. |
| P | Rachel Heizer * | Mount Saint Vincent | Jr. | Vacaville, Calif. |
Second Team |
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| Pos. | Name | School | Cl. | Hometown |
| C | Kimberly Basile | Farmingdale State | Fr. | Levittown, N.Y. |
| 1B | Katie Moos | Mount Saint Vincent | So. | Florida, N.Y. |
| 2B | Jessica Lombardo *** | Farmingdale State | Fr. | Levittown, N.Y. |
| SS | Jessica Adams | Sage | Sr. | Nassau, N.Y. |
| 3B | Katy Rimawi | Sage | Gr. | Ballston Spa, N.Y. |
| OF | Amanda Almodovar | Mount Saint Mary | So. | Chester, N.Y. |
| OF | Alexa Luna | Farmingdale State | So. | Martin County, Fla. |
| OF | Gabriella Valdes | Old Westbury | Sr. | Flushing, N.Y. |
| DP | Amber Wainwright | St. Joseph's-Brooklyn | Fr. | Taunton, Mass. |
| UT | Allison Ford | Sage | Sr. | Mechanicville, N.Y. |
| P | Amy Hart | Sage | Jr. | St. Johnsville, N.Y. |
| P | Victoria Mahoney | St. Joseph's-Brooklyn | So. | Allenwood, N.J. |
| * Player of the Year: Rachel Heizer, Mount Saint Vincent | ||||
| ** Pitcher of the Year: Cindy Connoly, Mount Saint Mary | ||||
| *** Rookie of the Year: Jessica Lombardo, Farmingdale State | ||||
| Coach of the Year: Jessica Mushel, Mount Saint Mary (fourth season) | ||||