Locals ready for Empire State Games

by Eric Keppeler
Niagara Frontier Publications, July 26, 2007

A lot of familiar faces will be headed east to represent the Western Region next week in the 30th annual Empire State Games. A number of Lewiston-Porter standouts – past and present – will be on hand to pursue the gold when the games kick off Wednesday in Westchester County.

The opening ceremonies are Wednesday, and the events follow at a variety of mostly collegiate locations just to the north of New York City. The tournament concludes July 29.

Leading the way are a couple of games veterans.

Lewiston resident Stephen Lopacki brought home three shooting medals from last year’s games. In the air pistol open division, Lopacki scored 653.8 in the individual match, good for a bronze medal. He then scored 1,113 in the match finals to land a silver medal. Then, in the open free pistol category, Lopacki scored 2,079 in the second free pistol match for another silver medal. He also wound up in fourth place in the match finals, just missing out on a fourth medal.

Two members of the Niagara University women’s basketball team will represent the West this year on the open team.

Guard Shaunna Ambrose has been in the games before, last year helping the West to go 2-2 before bowing to Adirondack in the bronze medal contest. Ambrose graduated from Niagara this year after leading the Purple Eagles to a 14-16 mark, including 6-12 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. She was the team’s leading scorer, averaging 17.4 points per game, along with 3.9 rebounds per game.

This is senior Sarah Wilson’s first trip to the games. The 6-foot-2 forward is a native of St. Catharines, Ontario, and averaged 5.3 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds off the bench last season for Niagara.

Three members of the very young Lewiston-Porter varsity boys swim team will get their first taste of Empire State Games competition in Nicholas Conde, Nik Curry and Adam Swift.

Curry and Swift both will be sophomores in the fall, and last season went to the Section VI Championship as part of two relay teams. They wound up 12th overall in the 400 freestyle relay and 14th in the 200 freestyle relay and figure to get only better with time and experience.

Youngstown resident Andrea Favero will compete in scholastic women’s gymnastics. Favero is also a gifted track athlete, specializing in the pole vault, although gymnastics remains her best and longest tenured sport.

Also, Wilson resident Andy Anderson will compete in open men’s wrestling.