MSDA Softball Eyes State Final; Track Shines at Counties

By Edward Kensik

Mount St. Dominic Academy found out what their road map will be to get to an anticipated return to the Non-Public A final.

The Lions are the second seed in Non-Public North A, only behind the top-seeded Immaculate Heart Academy. Last season Mount St. Dominic took home the Non-Public North A title with a 10-0 victory over Pope John. But fell to St. John Vianney, 4-1, in the 2024 Non-Public A title game.

The 2025 Lions received a bye in the first round and will host the winner of the 10th-seeded Kent Place vs. 7th-seeded Mount St. Mary matchup on Thursday, May 29, in Caldwell in the Non-Public North A Quarterfinals.

Despite having several freshmen contribute this season, MSDA’s head coach Rob Stern said that his team has grown up since the preseason practices.

"I knew that this team was getting better all year," said Stern after the team won the Essex County Tournament title on May 17. "I told them the other day that you're not freshmen anymore, you have played 40-something games."

The Mount squad did not take its foot off the pedal after winning the Essex County Tournament.

The Lions have won an even dozen games in a row as of last week as they prepare for the state tournament that starts this week.

After defeating Cedar Grove in the ECT final, there was no let down in the next game where Mount St. Dominic defeated Columbia, 7-3, on May 19. With the win, the Lions swept the Cougars in three games this season.

Mount St. Dominic Academy actually found themselves down 3-0 after the first inning, but the Lions quickly regrouped with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning and four runs in the top of the fifth inning.

MSDA freshman pitcher Abby Cianfrocca settled down after the first inning and shut out Columbia the rest of the way.

A trio of Lions registered a pair of RBIs each in the contest, senior Carlee Paez, sophomore Brooke Mundy, and freshman Kaylan Bartolozzi. Paez was perfect 2-for-2 on the day with 2 runs scored. Junior Jillian Cianfrocca smacked a solo home run in the contest while going 2-for-4.

After the win over Columbia, Mount St. Dominic followed it up with a pair of efficient wins over Passaic Valley (6-2, May 20) and St. Mary (4-0, May 23).

Abby Cianfrocca and sophomore Ava Kelshaw combined for a five-hitter in the win over Passaic Valley.

Like the previous win over Columbia, the Lions came from behind to pull off the victory.

This time, MSDA was down 2-0 in the third inning before the Lions’ bats woke up. The Mount scored three goals each in the fourth and fifth innings to pull away from the Hornets.

Junior Cassie Lopez and Bartolozzi collected two RBIs each. Jillian Cianfrocca was 2-for-4 in the contest.

The combo of Abby Cianfrocca and Kelshaw in the circle came through again this time in the shutout of St. Mary. The pair combined for a two-hit shutout. Offensively, it was Jillian Cianfrocca leading the Lions with 2-for-3 day along with 2 RBI. Sophomore Isabella Iannitelli also went 2-for-3 for the Lions.

Track and field

Mount St. Dominic Academy performed competitively against the best of the best in Essex County at the Essex County Championships earlier in May.

The Lions finished eighth in the county team standings with 30 points, only 6.5 points behind fourth place Verona.

"I was extremely happy about the results of the Essex County Championships," said Mount St. Dominic Academy head coach Robert Osieja. "Eighth place in a county this large with 38 schools or more is amazing."

The Lions had several good performances in the two days, none better than sophomore Ciaran Fernandez who added to her first-place finishes with the county title in the javelin, top throw of 107-feet-10-inches. "There was some wind, and she had an amazing series of throws," said Osieja. "Ciaran won the javelin as a sophomore."

Fernandez's top throw was more than four feet longer than Caldwell's Isabella Hatzidoukas who finished second (103-6). Another Lion, senior Mackenzie Williamson, came in sixth to medal in the javelin at 93 feet.

The most decorated Mount St. Dominic athlete was senior Lorelei Middleton who medaled in three events. Middleton's best result came in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:06.1, only behind Columbia's Johanna Yarde (1:05.09). Middleton also came in fourth in the 400 meters with a time of 58.88. And she finished the county meet with sixth place mark in the 800 meters (2:23).

Lions senior Natalia Feliz broke the school record in the discus with a toss of 107-feet-1. Feliz grabbed the record by 2-feet-5-inches.