Ubriaco earns good reviews on, off the course

It takes more than finishing first to be a winner.

If you doubt that, then take a look at Exhibit A: Otis Ubriaco.

The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake senior may very well be the best male distance runner in New York this year – it's either him or Shaun Thompson from Baldwinsville – but Ubriaco's not above doing the little things that set him apart off the course.

Early this month, for instance, Ubriaco won his race at the McQuaid Invitational in Rochester by 100 yards on a course that is notoriously flat and therefore fast. After winding his way through the scoring chute, Ubriaco accepted a few quick congratulations and walked off the pain of going sub-14:50 for three miles.

Ubriaco's walk took him to the water station, where he picked up a paper cup for himself and then grabbed half a dozen more that he carried back toward the finish area to hand to his Spartans teammates as they started trickling through the chute.

Yep, the day's fastest finisher at a meet attracting more than 6,000 competitors was playing the role of water boy.

"I'm just looking out for my teammates," Ubriaco said. "I care about 'em."

Little wonder that Burnt Hills coach Chip Button calls Ubriaco one of the easiest athletes to coach in his two decades on the job.

"He knows a lot about running and about runners," Button said. "He knows them personally. His mother went to Marcellus, so he goes back there fairly often and runs with kids from Liverpool and Baldwinsville – like Shaun Thompson – and the Marcellus and Fayetteville-Manlius kids. Even around the state, he's a likeable kid for other kids.”

Of course, Ubriaco usually has extra time to meet new friends considering he typically crosses the finish line well ahead of most others. He won the state Class A meet and Nike Cross Country Nationals qualifier last fall and went on to a state-meet victory in the outdoors 3,200-meter in the spring. So far this fall he's won invitationals at Fonda-Fultonville, Guilderland, Baldwinsville, McQuaid and Burnt Hills.

Coming up next are the Suburban Council League championships on Oct. 30 and the annual Section II meet Nov. 5 at Saratoga State Park.

The sectional meet marks the anniversary of another episode that sets Ubriaco apart from many others. The official race results from 2009 show that he placed second in the race as a junior, but there was more to the story.

Ubriaco and teammate Scott Maughan, now a freshman at Brigham Young University, ran much of the race comfortably ahead of the rest of the field on a day when the only drama was supposed to be whether Burnt Hills could post a perfect score. As the pair came down the stretch, however, Ubriaco backed off ever so slightly and allowed his teammate to hit the tape first.

"I had won sectionals the year before," Ubriaco said, "and Scott and I had been close teammates. We trained and raced together so much over the years, and that day we were running rather than racing. There was no need to push for a time and there were no team points at stake. There was no need to beat him. It was nice to be able to have him cross first and get the recognition. He deserved it."

It’s called leading by example.

Said Button: "He's definitely the leader of the team, even with other seniors on the team. He's the person people look at to lead the way, and he's OK with that."

SPENCERPORT HOCKEY COACH DIES
Spencerport hockey coach Craig Charron died last week after being diagnosed with stomach cancer early this year. He was 42.

Charron was an inductee in the hall of fame of the American Hockey League's Rochester Americans. The North Easton, Mass., native spent parts of five seasons with the Amerks and became a fan favorite after helping the team win the 1996 Calder Cup. He stayed in Rochester after his playing days and coached at Spencerport for three seasons.

Charron was diagnosed with his illness in January. More than 3,000 people attended a benefit game in August, and an auction of player jerseys following Rochester Institute of Technology's hockey game vs. Massachusetts-Lowell this month raised more than $7,000 for Charron and his family.

He is survived by his wife, Wendy, and four children.

Spencerport's administration announced Wednesday that Grady Monks will take over as coach. Monks coached Aquinas to four Section V titles from 1998-2003 and a 1999 New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship.

MORE BASKETBALL STARS MAKE COLLEGE CHOICES
Christ the King (Middle Village) star Corey Edwards has committed to George Mason University, which pursued the point guard hard even after a dislocated ankle sidelined him last March early in the postseason run that ended with a Federation Class AA championship.

Meanwhile, Mt. Vernon senior Jabarie Hinds will continue his basketball career at West Virginia next fall. Hinds attended midnight madness in Morgantown, W.V. this month and canceled a visit to UCLA upon returning home. He also had offers from Connecticut and UNLV coming off a junior season in which he averaged 22.4 points and 2.8 assists.

IMPRESSIVE STREAKS
The Fayetteville-Manlius girls tennis team won its 289th consecutive match last week en route to capturing an 18th straight Section III team championship. The Hornets blanked Class A No. 2 seed Liverpool 7-0 to finish the season 14-0.

That's not bad, but this might be even more mind-boggling: Sophomore Olivia Messineo of Section III Class B champ Christian Brothers Academy (Syracuse) had a run of 28 straight sets won during the season. At one point, she won a staggering 104 games in a row. That adds up to more than 17 sets without dropping a game.

And then there's Fairport senior Sarah Schmitz, who pulled off a feat believed to be unprecedented in any sport in Section V when she won her sixth straight Class AA singles crown in tennis. Her 6-2, 6-1 victory over Shanie Jeanat of Brockport improved Schmitz's record to 18-0 this season.

In cross country, the Tully boys pushed their winning streak to 100 with a 20-43 victory over Manlius Pebble Hill. Tully, which had only one senior and one other returning veteran this season, has not lost since 1995.

THE TRADITION CONTINUES
Former Somers All-American JoJo Marasco will be the next player to wear the fabled No. 22 men's lacrosse jersey at Syracuse University.

The number gained widespread attention when Gary Gait wore it. He was followed by the likes of Charlie Lockwood; brothers Casey, Ryan and Mike Powell; and most recently Cody Jamieson.

With Jamieson still on the roster last season, Marasco wore No. 1 as a freshman.