SPORTS HALL of FAME ATHLETE
Lindsay 'Hinsch' Drake '01'

In the ten years of the Sidney Alumni Sports Hall of Fame, multisport careers have been a common denominator, especially among the females inducted. Such is the case with Lindsay Hinsch Drake, our youngest inductee to date as a member of the Sidney Class of 2001.

Lindsay is best known for her four New York State Track & Field titles in the long and triple jumps. But her high school days were still in the off-mentioned "glory years of Sidney Track" when the Warrior teams were filled with scholar-athletes who played three (or more!) sports on a regular basis.

Sure enough, Lindsay first came into her success on the varsity level through the track program as a jumper. She had mentors who nurtured that talent- namely Hall of Fame coaches Doug Quinney, Larry Armour, and (fellow 2012 inductee) Spike Paranya. Additional coaching came in the form of Bill Munro and her dad, Mark Hinsch. This group, combined with Lindsay's ability and hard work, enjoyed five years of constant improvement and reward.

She debuted on the varsity track scene in eighth grade and by the next year Lindsay was a regular among the top jumpers in the Susquenango League and all of Section IV. It would take more than one page to list the invitationals, league and sectional meets that saw Lindsay take top honors.

The ones that counted the most? Let's start with her junior season, when at the 2000 Indoor State Meet at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, Lindsay leaped 17 feet 11 and 1/2 inches. That was her scholastic best and earned the first of four NY State championships! She would repeat at Class C State Champion in the outdoor long jump that spring, then pull a unique "double" in her final scholastic meet held at Hofstra University. That sunny day in June of 2001 saw Lindsay win both the long and triple jumps. As amazing as the jump results were, Lindsay also ran with teammates Willa Payne, Caitlin Graham and Paula Foote that same weekend to a school record time of 50.23 seconds (and third place finish) in the 4 x 100 meter relay!

In addition to track and field, Lindsay's athleticism came into play with the soccer and basketball teams at Sidney. Having never played organized soccer before her junior year, Lindsay became the "sweeper" for two years, responsible for shutting down the opponent's best offensive player. That season (1999) began well as she was named MVP of the Pre-season Mang Tournament.

And for the next two years, no team facing the Warriors on the soccer pitch could muster a fast break goal. Predictably, her role in basketball was much the same - play defense and guard the other team's top scorer. Of course, her final two hoop seasons she was also participating in track & field.

Lindsay's scholastic sports honors included being named as the very first Mary Morrison Outstanding Female Athlete Award recipient as well as earning the Francis L. Redmond ScholarAthlete Award. From graduation, it was off to Lehigh University on a track & field scholarship.

At Lehigh, it was more of the same. School records - three in all -were set, with her 2003 indoor long and triple jump marks still intact ten seasons later. Along with many Patriot League and ECAC honors, Lindsay's highlight of all highlights was the realization of her collegiate goal of breaking 19 feet in the long jump (19' 1/4" to be exact) in a meet at West Point. That feat qualified her for the ECAC meet and was certainly a factor in Lindsay being named Lehigh's Female Athlete of the Year in 2004.

Lindsay also met her eventual husband Jeff Drake while at Lehigh. They have been married a year already and live in Bethlehem, PA. She works in media relations for NASCAR.

The Sidney Alumni Sports Hall of Fame's youngest member is also one of its most accomplished. Congratulations, Lindsay!