Farmingdale cheerleading wins Class A state title after long wait
The Farmingdale Dalers compete in the state cheerleading championships on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton. Credit: Alexa M. Hernandez
BINGHAMTON — The Farmingdale cheer program just missed winning a state title for the past three years. The Dalers knocked on that championship door but were turned away each time. They finished third three years ago followed by consecutive second place finishes.
This year the Dalers put it all together to capture the state’s Class A title in the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena.
They nailed the most difficult routine in the final to grab the gold.
“We pushed the skill level every year,” Farmingdale coach Caitlin Beatrice said. “The hardest routine as far as difficulty and a number of skills were packed into the routine to help us produce the highest scores.”
Farmingdale won the state tournament in 2020 right before the lockdown for Covid and they were only a second-year varsity program. Beatrice felt the improvement from the development of the middle school and junior varsity programs would be the final key to a title.
“We’ve been able to get our middle school and JV programs to compete and that works its way up the chain to the varsity program,” Beatrice said. “And because we push the difficulty in the skills with our younger teams it changed the culture around the program. The coaching level is the same throughout the program. I work in the physical education department in middle school, and I get to see the middle school coach Allyson Pietronigro and we talk and plan.”
Sachem East, the defending Class A champion, has been one step ahead of the Dalers and the final hurdle to the state crown. The Arrows finished second this year.
Farmingdale had recorded the highest score across all Long Island competitions this season with a 94.9 and the coaches felt this year could be different.
The Dalers were a senior-laden group with 10 athletes on the team since freshmen year.
“We had the most difficult routines,” said Farmingdale’s senior back spot Jasmine Lawrence. “And we had such a great connection throughout our team. Our freshman flyer Paige Bresnahan was the difference up here. She responded with a great performance in the final.”
Farmingdale captain Kaylee Mendelson, a main base, said focus and dedication to improved performance were the key to winning.
“We were able to put it all together this year,” Mendelson said. “It was really important to learn from our mistakes and push forward. And we did it.”
It’ll be hard for Beatrice to see this championship class graduate.
“They held themselves to a higher standard,” she said. “And they had such a love for one another. The ride home will be a celebration.”
DiStefano leads Mt. Sinai
Eighth-grader Alaina DiStefano wasn’t feeling well prior to Mount Sinai’s final appearance in the state tournament. The timing was bad. The stage was set for the Mustangs to reclaim their spot on top of the state. DiStefano started to feel nervous and uncomfortable and coaches and captains huddled with her to calm her down.
“She started to hyperventilate and get upset,” Mount Sinai coach Megan Wesolowski said. “She’s an outstanding flyer and we needed her. She said she was good to go.”
DiStefano responded with a championship performance and Mount Sinai won its seventh state title in Wesolowski’s 12 years.
“I was so proud of her and the entire team,” she said. “It’s so hard to see someone, especially a young eighth grader go through that. But she really came through.”
Mount Sinai battled through major injuries and brought a very young team with only two seniors to the Class C state tournament.
“It was time to lead by example and help our teammates all season,” said Mount Sinai captain Jordan Lumley, a main base and side base in the final routine. “We didn’t qualify for the state tournament last year and we were really motivated.”
Senior captain and backspot Kennedy Kearns was also a driving force behind the state title run.
“We have so much young talent,” Kearns said. “They’re going to learn so much from this year and keep getting better.”
Seaford, Port Jeff take third
Two other young squads from Long Island placed third at this year’s tournament.
“We finished second last year in my first year as the head coach,” Seaford coach Brenda Martin said. “We challenged ourselves. We’ve only had three girls to compete, heading into this season. And to say I am proud of this team would be an understatement. They have bought into the process from the start and have worked incredibly hard to get to where they are today . . . The Port Jefferson cheer team took third in Division D of the state competition.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
