Elmira Heights Sports Hall of Fame to honor 7 inductees
Seven inductees will be celebrated as additions to the Elmira Heights Sports Hall of Fame, including three members from the Class of 2019.
The ceremony will take place at approximately 6:45 p.m. Jan. 13, in between Thomas A. Edison's JV and varsity girls basketball games against Lansing at Edison High School. JV start time is 5:30 p.m.
Class of 2019 inductees are Chris Cowan, William Drake Jr. and Karrie Page Loomis. The 2022 inductees are Morgan Engelbert Marcello, Zac Bellinger, Mike Cosgrove and Alek Brown.
Chris Cowan
The 2001 graduate of Edison was a standout in track and cross country. Cowan won two Section 4 individual titles in cross country and was a three-time team MVP.
In track, he earned All-Interscholastic Athletic Conference honors a total of 13 times in the 3,200-meter run, the 1,600, the 3,200 relay and steeplechase. Cowan was a five-time Section 4 champ in the 3,200 and 3,200 relay. His four New York state medals included the individual state title in the 3,200 in 2001.
He set Edison records in the 3,200, the 3,200 relay and 6,400 relay. Cowan was part of a 6,400 relay that placed eighth at a national championship in 2001.
William Drake Jr.
Drake, a 1976 Edison graduate, earned a combined seven letters in baseball, football and swimming. He was Edison's Male Athlete of the Year in 1976 and Elmira Heights Rotary Player of the Year for 1974-75.
In swimming, he set Edison's 50-yard freestyle record and contributed to a program record in the 400 medley relay. Drake helped the Spartans to an unbeaten record in the 1974-75 season.
He captained Edison's 1976 football team and earned all-league baseball honors as a senior.
Karrie Page Loomis
The 1994 Edison graduate earned a combined eight letters in volleyball and softball at Edison, helping the Spartans capture the 1991 New York state Class D softball title and advance to the state final in 1994.
As a senior, she batted .385 and won the IAC Athlete-Scholar Award.
In volleyball, Loomis helped Edison to the Section 4 Class D title as a senior.
Morgan Engelbert Marcello
The 2007 TAE grad competed in volleyball for four seasons, basketball for four seasons, softball for three and swimming for one. She was Edison's Female Athlete of the Year in 2007.
She earned team MVP honors in volleyball in 2006-2007, and basketball in 2006, along with the Southern Tier Officials Chapter Outstanding Sportsmanship Award as a senior.
Marcello earned fourth-team all-state honors in softball in 2007 and was a first-team IAC softball all-star multiple seasons. She received All-IAC volleyball honors in 2006-2007, and All-IAC basketball recognition in 2006-2007. She was part of Edison's Section 4 championship softball team in 2006 and competed in multiple sports at Keuka College.
Zac Bellinger
Bellinger was Edison's Male Athlete of the Year as a senior in 2011. He starred in baseball, football and basketball for the Spartans and was New York's Class C Player of the Year in baseball as a senior.
Bellinger's 166 career RBIs rank No. 4 all-time in New York state and his 34 career homers are tied for third on the state's all-time list.
He holds state records with four career grand slams and 60 RBIs in a season. Bellinger's 18 homers in 2011 are tied for second for one season among New York players. He batted .550 as a senior.
Bellinger won the Elmira region's Harp O'Donnell Player of the Year Award twice in baseball and was a three-time first-team IAC all-star. He went on to play collegiately at Virginia Commonwealth University and College of Saint Rose.
Mike Cosgrove
Cosgrove graduated in 1985 from TAE, where he competed in football, basketball and track & field. He was Edison's Male Athlete of the Year in 1985 and team captain for all three sports.
Cosgrove was a fourth-team all-state football pick in 1984 and earned All-Twin Tiers honors that year.
He also was an all-star selection in basketball and his 18 rebounds in a game were a school record at the time of his graduation.
Alek Brown
The 2008 Edison graduate starred on the mound for four seasons for Edison, earning Star-Gazette Athlete of the Year recognition and all-state recognition three times.
He was team MVP as a junior and senior and won the Harp O'Donnell Award Baseball Player of the Year award in 2008.
Brown tied Edison's school record for strikeouts in a game with 20 as a sophomore, junior and senior. He pitched four no-hitters, including one in a sectional semifinal as a freshman.
He went on to play Division I baseball for Canisius College.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira Heights Sports Hall of Fame to honor 7 inductees
