Tigers roar on: North Salem celebrates college-bound athletes

NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - North Salem High School honored six senior student-athletes during its College-Bound Recognition Day ceremony on Monday, May 4, celebrating the Tigers who will continue their athletic careers at the collegiate and professional levels.

The event recognized athletes who balanced success in both academics and athletics while earning opportunities to compete beyond high school.

Among those honored was Sophia Aqeel, who will play softball at Carnegie Mellon University at the Division III level. Teammate Cora Kennedy will attend Trinity College, also competing in Division III.

Aqeel and Kennedy were coached at North Salem by Tim Collins.

Max Cotrone will continue his lacrosse career at SUNY Cortland, also competing in Division III. He played under coach Vin Savastano.

Baseball standout Ryan Denneen committed to Bard College, where he will compete at the Division III level. He was coached by Rob Gilchrist and Matt Mackenzie.

Lucas Salvatore will move on to play hockey for the minor league New Jersey Rockets. He was coached by Paul Murphy through BYSNS.

Also recognized was Noemi Torres, who will continue her lacrosse career at Ithaca College in Division III play. Torres was coached by Don Merriman and Chris Werlau.

In a message shared during the celebration, the school praised the athletes for their dedication both “on the field and in the classroom” and reminded the seniors that “once a Tiger, always a Tiger.”