Aislinn Frazer of Friends Academy in a good place physically and mentally

Despite all of the early-season success Aislinn Frazer has enjoyed, the most important thing to her is that she is having fun.

As Friends Academy’s top runner last year, she dealt with a heavy workload between schoolwork and her athletic career. The constant busyness took a toll on Frazer.  She began to lose motivation and started viewing herself in a negative light. After a while, Frazer was diagnosed with depression, anxiety disorder and panic disorder.

“I did a lot of work to determine the best route towards getting better,” Frazer said. “I worked a lot with those who care about me, like my coaches, past coaches and teachers. We talked about things that I might need from them, and it really has helped. Now, my main goal is to just be sure that I’m having fun again.”

Now a senior cross country runner with a reborn mindset, Frazer broke Eisenhower Park’s course record for fastest 5,000-meter run on two separate occasions. On Sept. 16, she ran a 17-minute, 48.7-second time to set a new course record. On Sept. 30, she one-upped herself and reset the record with a 17:23.6.

“Having fun is where my first record came from," Frazer said. "I just went in saying, ‘I was going to have fun, it’s a low-pressure meet,’ so then I was able to perform well.”

Frazer is currently running for her father, Dave Frazer, who is in his first year as Friends Academy’s girls varsity cross country coach. He is thrilled with the way his daughter has progressed — not only as a runner, but also from a mental-health standpoint.

“It’s a double-edged sword coaching your kid, because when your athlete does well, you’re on Cloud 9, and when your daughter does well, you go even higher,” he said of his daughter, who plans to run in college but has yet to choose a school. “However, last year was very rough for both of us. My athlete was hurting, but my child was hurting, so it was very difficult. But, college is coming soon and she’ll be off on her own, so I’ll take every second I can get with her.”

— Michael Anderson

Biondo sets record at North Babylon

Jenna Biondo believed she could make history within the North Babylon girls soccer program, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to accomplish it alone.

Biondo set the North Babylon girls soccer all-time goal-scoring record after notching her 51st varsity goal in a game against Bay Shore on Sept. 24, according to coach Steve Corrado. Biondo has 55 goals through Wednesday and surpassed Marissa Caroleo’s record of 50 goals, Corrado said.

“It’s very special to me and I definitely couldn’t have done it without all my teammates and my family support,” Biondo said. “I knew it was going to be tough, but I’m proud I was able to do it.”

Corrado remembers watching Biondo play as a youth player; he has a daughter one year younger than the current seniors. It was clear even then that Biondo was a special talent.

“She just has a knack for finding the back of the net and she can beat you three or four different ways,” Corrado said. “She just finds a way to get herself to the spot she needs to be to get the shot she wants.”

Biondo, a four-year varsity player who has 17 goals and nine assists in a 12-0-1 season, is also often at her best in the biggest moments. She scored the winning goal in all three of North Babylon’s playoff victories over the last two seasons.

“The moment doesn’t overtake her and now that she’s in her fourth year, I feel the game has really slowed down for her,” Corrado said. “We look at what teams are trying to do to her. Some teams double and triple team her when she gets the ball and she’s finding a way to get space.”

Even though Biondo is the one finishing the goals and setting records, she doesn’t think that means she deserves all the praise.

“I truly don’t think I could have done it without my teammates,” Biondo said. “My friend Kate [Nunziato] and Monica [Clavijo] have probably assisted me for half of them, so I give a lot of my teammates a lot of the credit also.”

— Owen O'Brien

Coaches Invitational gymnastics meet's 'good cause'  

The Suffolk County gymnastics Coaches Invitational is more than just a meet.

The annual competition, which invites all Suffolk teams, serves as a fundraiser for a cause that is especially important to the community.

This year, teams will be organizing fundraising efforts to assist the West Babylon families affected by the Sept. 21 car crash that killed three people — including St. John the Baptist senior Bella Trezza, 17, and recent West Babylon graduate Riley Goot, 18 — and seriously injured three other teens.

The Coaches Invitational is set for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 at William T. Rogers Middle School in Kings Park.

“It’s good to just get out there and serve for a good cause, to show a sense of community and get together to just make things a little better out there,” Kings Park coach Kaitlyn Pancotto said. “. . . If we can just make a difference and be part of something bigger and get together and provide support, it’s very important.”

Kings Park will host the meet for the fourth year in a row. Last year’s meet honored the victims of the Farmingdale High School marching band bus crash.

The event also provides a platform for girls who will not be competing in the county’s individual championship meet on Nov. 8.

Donations can be made to your local high school team.

— Ben Dickson

Seaford field hockey on a mission

The Seaford field hockey team is on track for one of the most successful seasons in school history. They sit at 9-1 in Nassau II with eight shutouts. They’ve had just three goals scored on them all season.

Why has no other season looked like this? Coach Elizabeth Waterbury said it’s because of the team’s experience together.

“We have nine seniors this year, so we have a group of girls that have been playing together for a long time,” Waterbury said. “We’ve just been able to build skills in these girls over the last few years, and it’s so exciting to see it all coming together now.”

Senior forward Emma Masie leads Seaford in scoring, she has seven goals and 11 assists. She had five assists in their 6-0 win over Great Neck South and had three goals and two assists in their 6-0 win over Long Beach.

“She’s just incredible,” Waterbury said. “She has amazing stick skills; she’s able to tap the ball around defenders and she has a great backhand shot.”

The Vikings haven’t made a playoff appearance in over a decade, but Waterbury says she’s optimistic this will be the year.

“We have a good feeling this year,” she said. “I’m really confident in them.” 

— Jolie Katzen