At last year’s Suffolk County League I indoor track championships, Sachem East won a tight battle with sister school Sachem North, 127 to 110, with Ward Melville grabbing third with 50 points. The Sachem teams again appear to lead the pack, and if you factor in the results of last weeks League I Relays, Commack, Longwood, and Ward Melville all look to be in the mix.
The Zeitler League Relays usually provide a reasonably accurate foreshadowing of the championship meet, and scoring the meet in the same 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 fashion brought the following results: Sachem East 86.9, Sachem North 74.3, Commack 46.6, Longwood 36, Ward Melville 36, Middle Country 30, Patchogue Medford 24, William Floyd 8, and Brentwood 7 (scores do not include the 4 by mile relay).
Here is a rundown on the nine League I teams and their expected top performers:
BRENTWOOD: Raven Payne is both a sprint and jump threat and leads a solid 4×200 group. Najae Brooks is a 30-foot shot putter.
MIDDLE COUNTRY: Sprinter/jumper Yae Adegoke has led the squad all season, with Nicole Catanzaro and Gabi Eberle both threats in the Triple Jump. Emily Scully should contend in the 600 and senior Amanda Lewis could score in the Shot Put.
WILLIAM FLOYD: 600-Meter specialist Kayla has been performing well all season with Ashley Wakefield leading a strong 4 by 200 squad that includes Ashley Ash.
LONGWOOD: Multi-event threat Nikki Mosby can score big points in the hurdles, sprints, or jumps, and leads a sprint centric team that includes Brianna Sweeney, Briana Hoffman, and Keyshanna Syms while Jen Hodgson looks to score in the shot. Expect a fast 4×200 from this group.
PATCHOGUE MEDFORD: Sprinter/jumper Ashley Senecal leads a solid sprint group that includes Jazmine Burnett and Lauren Bullock. Freshman Bianca DeLucia leads a young and improving distance squad, and Megan La Bounty could score in the Triple Jump.
COMMACK: Should score in a variety of events that includes sprinters, mid-distance, and distance runners. Yoon Seo Lee is the class of the League 1 hurdlers and Mallary Dugan is one of the top sprinters. Erin Neville leads a distance squad that includes Rachel Glubiak and Lindsay Dougerty. Nicole Elarde is a 300/600 threat.
WARD MELVILLE: Courtney Williams leads a distance squad that includes Elizabeth Conley and Faith Reynolds. Emily Astarita can score big in all the jumping events, with Kit Reynolds hoping to make the 55 Hurdles final.
SACHEM NORTH: Balanced team with some of the top talent in League I. Millrose Games qualifier Melissa Michels leads the stongest sprint squad in the league that includes Alyssa Leto and hurdler Emily Rathman. Sunja Joseph will score big points in the horizontal jumps while Carly Swinford and Gabby Czerw lead the high jump squad. Kelly Lavan and Elise Ramirez lead the distance corps, and Katie Michta and Natalie DeQuarto will rack up points in the Racewalk. Kaitlin Okvist has thrown 34′ in the Shot Put.
SACHEM EAST: Like Sachem North, Sachem East will use a balanced attack and try to score points across the various track disciplines. A deep distance squad will be led by Shannon O’Hehir and Laurie Semetsis, while Holly Lindoe leads a strong Racewalk squad. Ebonie Lewis leads the sprinters, Shannon Haberkorn the hurdlers, and Essence Sterling fronts the jumpers. Diamond Jackson, Brittany Sepe, and Gabby Trejo are all 35 foot plus throwers.
The meet will be held at Suffolk Community College West in Brentwood on Saturday, Jan. 26, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.