Southern’s men’s and women’s swim teams swept the Northeast-10 (NE-10) Conference meet, winning the competition with scores of 902 for the men and 1,030 for the women. The Owls’ winning performances included a number of NE-10 meet record breakers. The Southern men swept the 1,650-yard freestyle as junior Denny Shupe finished first (16:23.66), setting a new meet record. He was followed by Marcus Cantu (17:34.64), and Matthew Payne (17:40.79). In the 400-yard individual medley, freshman Cody Hall won for the women and set a NE-10 meet record with a time of 4:38.48; Andrew May took first for the men (4:14.88). Also setting an NE-10 meet record was Daniel Vitagliano who finished first in the men’s 200-yard freestyle final, followed by Southern’s Shane Pelton.

Congratulations to the Owls’ Cheerleading team, which placed third in the nation at the Universal Cheerleading Association’s Nationals Competition. The partner student group of sophomores Cherie Passalaqua and Jessica Loscoe, and freshmen Kaitlynn Messinger and Jessica Escobar also placed fifth in a separate stunt competition.

Go to www.SouthernOwls.com for more on Southern athletics.

Michael Diaz
Sophomore
Shortstop on the Owls’ Baseball Team

Practice schedule: Three hours a day, six days a week, plus one hour of strength training, six days a week.

Pre-game ritual: Listens to a play list of songs compiled in his freshman year of high school. “There was a little less pressure before high school games than there is today. This gets me back into that mode.”

Favorite athletic team: His mom’s a Yankees fan. His dad favors the Mets. Considers himself “a fan of the game.”

Summer plans: Playing in the Alaska Baseball League, a premier summer league for top collegiate players.

Great Moment: Played at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, in the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-Star Game. “To be standing in the same batters’ box as Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantel, and so many other legends was surreal."

Giving Credit: “My dad was the second oldest of five brothers. He helped raise them, so he never really had the chance to play. He made sure that I had every opportunity.”

Sharing the joy: Coaches an eighth-grade basketball team alongside his father.

Career goal: Chiropractor