Glenn's Lauren LaMena, East Islip's Matt McIntee win Butch Dellecave Award

Glenn’s Lauren LaMena and East Islip’s Matt McIntee have a lot in common. The seniors played three sports in high school. They excelled in the classroom. They gave back to their communities.

On Sunday, another similarity was added to the list. LaMena and McIntee were named the 2024 Butch Dellecave Award winners at a ceremony held at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook.

The Dellecave Award recognizes a student-athlete not only for performance on the field but also in the classroom and for community service and outside activities.

“I’m just really shocked,” LaMena said of winning the award. “I knew going in that I was a nominee, but I didn’t think I had any chance at all. Compared to some of the other people who are super-impressive with athletic and academic achievements, I was not expecting it at all.”

McIntee said of the honor, “It feels great. I put a lot of time and effort into what I’ve done — 100% all the time. I’m really thankful and happy for this opportunity, and I just want to thank my friends, family and coaches.”

LaMena, who will attend the University of Notre Dame in the fall, owns a 99.6 unweighted grade-point average — which ranks second in her graduating class — and is a part of 10 clubs at Glenn. She has helped raise money to build homes for the homeless through her involvement with Habitat for Humanity and has raised funds for environmental causes through the Knights for Nature Club.

Habitat for Humanity has allowed LaMena to leave a mark on the world, which is why she loves to participate in it.

“With Habitat for Humanity, I’ve always really enjoyed helping people,” she said. “Having that real-world impact is something I really value.”

LaMena shows her leadership often, whether mentoring through the Freshman Buddies program or teaching others how to lead through the Natural Helpers Program.

Being able to guide others is one of her favorite things to do.

“I really love Freshman Buddies,” LaMena said. “Going into high school, I had my older sister. Her and her friends were such mentors for me. It was really daunting to go to high school, but having them there made me a lot less nervous. To be able to be that person for incoming freshmen has been really rewarding. I feel like they teach me so much; they teach me more than I can teach them.”

One of her most impactful moments as a leader came this past year when she founded Glenn’s intramural flag football team. She collaborated with higher administration at the school and in the district to help secure funding for the club. The plan is for Glenn to officially launch flag football as a varsity sport starting in the 2024-25 academic year.

On top of her academic and community contributions, LaMena was a four-year member of the varsity soccer and track teams. She also played two years of varsity basketball.

McIntee knows a thing or two — or three — about juggling multiple sports and academics. He was a four-year player and three-year starter at wide receiver and defensive back for East Islip, helping the school win the Long Island Class III championship last fall. He was named first-team All-State as a senior.

He ran on the varsity indoor track team for six years and earned three All-County selections.

McIntee’s best sport, though, is lacrosse, and he is committed to play at Syracuse next year. As a five-year varsity player, he has been selected as a first-team All-State and first-team All-American midfielder. He helped East Islip win its first county title this past spring.

McIntee’s concentration on athletics never hurt his academics, as evidenced by his 97.47 grade-point average.

As the son of a U.S. Army veteran, McIntee has volunteered most of his time on the weekends to helping veterans through the East Islip AMVETS program. He also trains lacrosse and football players ages 6-10.

The other finalists for the girls were Olivia Brown of Kings Park, Sophia Conti of Babylon, Melissa O’Connor of Hauppauge, Olivia Polinsky of Huntington and Caroline Stanzione of Half Hollow Hills West.

The other finalists for the boys were Jacob Park of Half Hollow Hills West, Tyler Bonventre of Center Moriches, Anthony Bell of Glenn, Justin Gardiner of Pierson and Jordan Heyman of Half Hollow Hills East.