Leading off today: Poughkeepsie is mourning the death of
Natia Gorgen, 17, an accomplished swimmer killed yesterday in a traffic accident.
Gorgen was driving on Route 299 when her car drifted into the oncoming lane and was struck by a tractor-trailer, New Paltz police told The Poughkeepsie Journal. She suffered head injuries and was pronounced dead by the Ulster County Medical Examiner's Office about two hours later.
As a junior last season, Gorgen was named to the newspaper's girls swimming all-star team after she set school records in the 200-yard individual medley, 200 and 500 freestyles, 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke. She was a member of the National Honor Society.
"Natia brought a positive energy everywhere she was," school swim coach Ken Hartling told the paper. "In the pool, she was so ambitious and driven to succeed. Anything she put her mind to, she was driven to achieve it."
He may not be done just yet: Don't count Vince Laino out just yet, The New York Daily News is reporting.
Though Laino, 55, announced his retirement in April as the head football coach at Fort Hamilton after going 150-60 in 20 seasons with four PSAL titles, the paper cites players and his son Frank as indicating the coach is likely to resurface in the sport -- beyond being spotted working the Big Apple football camp at Abraham Lincoln last week.
Laino, though, was adamant that he's done after handing the reins to longtime assistant Daniel Perez. With his son having recently graduated, Laino and his wife have purchased a home in Phoenix; the coach told the paper he qualified for his pension this year after 30 years as a phys ed instructor.
"That's totally out of the question," Laino said of a possible return. "I envision being there in a supportive role for Coach Perez, but he's the guy."
Ex-McQuaid coach dies: Tom Seymour, who coached McQuaid to a 98-63-4 record from 1962 to '81 and its only Section 5 football championship (1978) died Monday in Ogdensburg after a long illness. He was 83.
Seymour was inducted into the Section 5 Football Hall of Fame in 2001 and the school's inaugural hall class in 2008. He taught at McQuaid for 33 years.
"I’m thankful to him for giving me a start in my profession,” Bob Thomas, the former University of Notre Dame and NFL kicker, told the Democrat and Chronicle. "I was just very impressed in how he coached with such professionalism and dignity and composure. He reminded me a little bit of a high school Tom Landry."
Five to be inducted: Five new members will be enshrined into the NYSPHSAA Hall of Fame during its summer banquet next Wednesday at the Inn at Holiday Valley in Ellicottville.
Those being inducted are Sweet Home and Cuba-Rushford girls volleyball coach Sally Kus, hockey coach Stanley Moore of Massena and administrators Nicholas