» Sports briefs: ESPN’s Mendoza is virtual speaker for CDSWOY Awards Gala

USA Softball gold medalist and ESPN MLB analyst Jessica Mendoza will be the virtual guest speaker for the 2023 Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala on Aug. 7 at GE Theatre at Proctor. (The Associated Press photo)

SPORTS BRIEFS – Jessica Mendoza, an Olympic softball gold medalist and ESPN broadcaster, will serve as the virtual guest speaker at the 2023 Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala, it was announced Tuesday.

The event will take place on Monday, Aug. 7, at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady, and will begin at 7 p.m.

Mendoza won gold with Team USA in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Four years later, the team won silver.

Mendoza joined ESPN in 2007. In 2015, became the first woman to serve as an analyst for nationally-televised Major League Baseball games. She has since become one of the leading voices in ESPN's Major League Baseball coverage.

Ticket information will be announced in July. Recipients will be announced throughout June and July at CDSWOY.COM.

Nine people will be inducted into the Capital Region Track, Field and Cross Country Hall of Fame, it was announced Tuesday.

The induction ceremony will take place Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Albany Marriott on Wolf Road in Colonie.

Two Niskayuna High School graduates head the list. Louis Serafini, a 2009 Niskayuna graduate, is one of three Capital Region runners to break the four-minute mile and is at the top of the all-time list of marathon runners with a personal-record time of 2:14.59.

Mark Mindel, a 1970 Niskayuna graduate, was founder and long-time race director for the Stockade-athon. He won the race in 1976, 1977 and 1979. He coached the Averill Park cross country team to eight Section 2 titles and three state championships.

Also being inducted are 1981 Gloversville High School graduate Dwight Mark Woodruff, former Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake track and field coach Dick Stevens, 2004 CBA and 2009 UAlbany grad Felipe Reyes, 1992 Shenendehowa grad Mike Novenche, 1938 Mont Pleasant grad Ernie Marshall, 1984 Bishop Maginn grad Mary Beth Alln Fetterolf, 1982 Columbia grad Donna Girtler Duffer and 1962 Vincentian Institute and 1967 Siena grad Jim Connolly.

The induction banquet will start with a reception at 4:30 p.m., followed by dinner and program at 6 p.m. Tickets are $60 and are on sale by going to https://zippy-reg.com/register/gcrtfxchof or visiting www.runtrackhof.com.

Categories: -Sports-, Sports, Your Niskayuna

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