More Student and Alumni Sports News

Riverhead School District takes special pride in the performance of its students and alumni. We have begun to receive emails from students and alumni (and/or their friends and parents) to inform us of their accomplishments in athletics. Here's our first posted submissions:

January 13, 2008 Email to Bill Groth

Melissa Cherniss is currently a Rotary Exchange Student studying in France during her junior year of high school. She has been a member of the Riverhead High School Girl's Varsity Volleyball team since her Freshman year.

Melissa recently captained a four person team to victory for the championship of Lot Et Garronne UNSS volleyball team by defeating twenty other teams. Each individual on the team received a gold medal for their accomplishments and they have qualified for UNSS French Regionals. I will be sure to keep you up to date on her volleyball achievements.

On a side note, she currently practices with the boys team at the Lycée Bernard Palissy which is the local high school that she is attending in France. Coaches at her school felt that her level of play qualified for inclusion with the boys team.

Furthermore, in June of 2007, Melissa was selected to play on the second seeded team at Bentley College's Elite Women's Volleyball camp. This was an honor for a student just finishing her sophomore year of high school. She has been asked back to the camp for the Summer of 2008. It is with genuine eagerness that she is looking forward to playing her final high school season at Riverhead High School when returns from France in June of 2008.

I also noticed on the RHS website that you have sports news for RHS alumni. I would like to share some information about the achievement of one of my daughter's RHS Girl's Volleyball teammates.

Nicole Orfinatopoulos a 2007 Riverhead High School graduate is currently a starter on the Suffolk County Community College Ammerman Campus Women's Volleyball Team. Her team qualified for the NJCCA Division III National Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota in November of 2007 by earning a record of 15-0 in regional play.

Furthermore, Ms. Orfanitopoulos, was selected to play on court one of the Bentley College Elite Women's Volleyball Camp in the summer of 2006, directly before her senior year at RHS. Young women from all over the country flock to Bentley to participate in this prestigious camp and her inclusion on this elite level team is no small feat.

Leena Peters-Uitto Sets School Heptathlon Record at ECACs
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Junior Leena Peters-Uitto set a school record in the heptathlon to highlight the Plattsburgh State women's track and field team results at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships. The two-day event concluded late Friday on the campus of Springfield College. The Cardinals scored 11 points to finish in 29th place out of 53 scoring schools, and Moravian won the team title with 57. COMPLETE MEET RESULTS

Peters-Uitto had 3,977 points to end up fifth in the heptathlon, breaking the previous record held by Marcy Moffe who had 3,913 in 1985. That was the oldest outdoor record in Plattsburgh annals, with the 4x800 meter relay in 9 minutes and 39.88 seconds set in 1987 replacing it. Peters-Uitto's best event was the long jump, which she won with a leap of 16 feet and 31/4 inches, or 4.96 meters, to earn 548 points. She also had a third-place showing in the high jump in 4-111/2 ( 1.51m) for 632.

Related Links: Sports Schedule, Scholar Athlete Award, Ellen Dougherty, Jeremy Hobson, Mike Owen, RHS Rowing Club, Seven Lacrosse Players, 2007 Track Summary, Physical Education Class Offerings, NCAA Requirements, Bigger, Faster, Stronger Program