A second place finish by sophomore Alex DeCicco in the 1,500 Meter Run highlighted the action for a strong Sachem East contingent at the Section 11 Indoor Track State Qualifying Meet held at Suffolk West on Saturday.
With the top two finishers in every open event (and a 3rd if they meet the State Standards) and the winner of each of the 3 relays earning entry into the State Championship Meet held at Cornell University on March 1st, DeCicco was the sole qualifier from East, though there were a few near misses.
The toughest near miss was that of senior Ebonie Lewis in the 55 Meter Dash. Sprinters know that the start can make or break a race, and one week earlier Lewis finished 2nd at the Suffolk County Championships (7.39)- largely due to a good start.
On this day, however, Lewis got caught in the starting blocks and despite making up ground, found herself three one hundred’s of a second from earning a trip to States (7.50). Lewis, ranked No. 5 on Long Island, will be looking for redemption at the Long Island Elite Meet in two weeks.
Other Sachem East highlights included a number of strong performances in the distance events. Val Romero (10:55.54) and Karli Murphy (11:06.54) went 5-6 in the 3,000 Meter Run, and Jaimie Fleming (7:27.21) and frosh Lauren Harris (7:47.82) placed 9th and 11th in the 1500 Meter Racewalk.
Fleming’s time actually bettered the State Standard in the event, demonstrating Suffolk County’s incredible depth in this event (8 of the top 10 in New York State are from Suffolk). The 4×800 Relay squad of Katie Hempfling, Nikki Silvestre, Shannon O’Hehir, and a blazing Ciara Murphy placed a close 3rd in 9:53.12. Also making finals was the quartet of Alex Giambanco, Casey Gelderman, Jayda Allen, and Alex DeCicco, who placed 6th clocking a solid 4:23.55.
It certainly was a banner day for DeCicco, who along with occasional training partner Erin Melly of Connetquot, pushed the pace early on. Tiana Guevara of Miller Place opened and then expanded a gap throughout the race that left DeCicco and Melly battling for the other 1500 Meter State Slot as they pulled away from the rest of the field. Neck and Neck off the last turn, DeCicco was able to find one last surge to punch her ticket to States with a hard fought 4:52.49.
One event in the State Qualifier is yet to be contested. Stephanie Curtin will be competing this Wednesday in the Pole Vault at “the Warehouse” in Holtsville and one of 4 competitors that have met or exceeded the State Standard of 10 feet.
-Submitted by Sachem East coach Pete McNeill