SPORTS HALL of FAME ATHLETE
Caitlin Graham Polnaszek. '02

Extremely athletic 4-sport standout at Sidney, Caitlin's best-kept secret is she took tap and ballet lessons while playing soccer in Goshen, NY. She carried the sports/dance load into the 7th grade at Sidney when track, soccer and basketball took over. Let's start with track & field, where Caitlin still holds four school records.

But in 7th grade, her only one at the modified level, older brother Tommy introduced his "sis" to Doug Quinney, who not only invited her to join varsity in 8th grade but dubbed her "Sis" based on that encounter. A five year trackster, both winter and spring, she won 10 Section 4 championships in a number of events. That versatility paid off in that one of those four records in place to this day was scoring 2899 points in the 2002 Pentathlon - also a league best. Additionally, she still holds the indoor record for the 300 meter dash (42.7 as a soph) as well as junior year standards in the indoor 1600 meter relay and the outdoor (with Paula Foote) 400 meter relay. Amazing!

Soccer was a family favorite and in Caitlin's record-setting career it also record setting. Her favorite moments involved the pre-season Mang tournaments. It was a stellar four years. The Lady Warriors were 53-19-4 over that span. Caitlin was a true offensive spark plug. In fact she totaled 63 goals and 41 assists, highlighted with a MAC-best 21G/11A as a senior. All were records at the time of graduation.

Basketball proved her most interesting journey, since the path and role were different from soccer. On varsity in grades 10-12, Caitlin actually backed off as a starter in her junior season (also running track) to capture a spot as Rose in the Drama Club's production of "Meet Me In St. Louis". Then it was quite a senior comeback, assuming the top defensive assignments night in and night out for the 26-1 Warriors. She was also the middle of the 2-1-2 zone press, helping make it a work of art.

The best athletic day in Caitlin's scholastic career was a Saturday in March, 2002. She placed 5th in the indoor triple jump at the Carrier Dome before motoring with Amanda Haney and Paula Foote to Liverpool HS to help the Warriors beat Mohawk in the state basketball quarterfinals. Caitlin graduated in 2002 earning the Morrison (top female athlete) and Redmond (scholar-athlete) awards. A relatively simple recruiting process ensued with a visit to Monmouth (NJ) University being the clincher.

After a productive freshman season, she was hampered often by injuries. However, she stayed true to her teammates and was named team captain as a senior. Top memories featured the (NYC) Arrnory and Penn Relays.

Post-college, Caitlin had more competitions in her. She ran a marathon is 2008, and placed 2nd in her age group during events for the 2019 San Diego Triathlon Series.

She's now a proud stay-at-home wife & mom with Chris, Reagan and Tessa.

We heartily welcome Caitlin Polanszek, the unofficial "favorite Graham child" into the Alumni Sports Hall of Fame.