Racewalker Lauren Harris placed fourth in the USA in the 1 Mile Racewalk to highlight the Sachem East action at the 2015 New Balance National Indoor Track and Field Championships held this past weekend at the Armory Track and Field Center in New York City. Her time of 7:18.81 was less than 2 seconds off the Sophomore National Record set in 1992, and her 4th place finish earned her a place on the podium along with the title All-American. In the Distance Medley Relay, the quartet of Valerie Romero, Kaylie Wessberg, Ciara Murphy, and Alex DeCicco combined to finish 9th overall in the USA in 12:14.42, with DeCicco running a fantastic 5:01 mile on the anchor leg. Also posting an excellent mark at Nationals was Kerstyn Ciulla, whose 11’1″ clearance was just 2 inches off her recently set school record.Sachem East’s performance at Nationals capped an exciting season which saw the team grab 2nd place at both the League 1 and Suffolk County Championships, and 6 athletes stand on the podium and bring home medals from the New York State Championship meet held upstate at Cornell University. At States, Kerstyn Ciulla placed 5th in the Pole Vault (10′ 6″), Alex DeCicco 3rd in the 1500 (4:41.84), Lauren Harris 3rd in the 1500 Racewalk (6:58.58), and the 4 by 800 Relay of Jill Manfredi, Alex DeCicco, Kaylie Wessberg, and Ciara Murphy grabbed 6th in 9:37.54, as Sachem East again earned multiple All-State honors.
Sandwiched in between the State Qualifying Meet and the State Championships was the Long Island Championship (Long Island Elite Meet) held at Saint Anthony’s HS on February 22nd where Kerstyn Ciulla took home the title Long Island Champion with her 11’3″ performance in the Pole Vault. Also finishing in the top 3 in their events were Alex DeCicco (3rd in the 1000- 3:00.54), Lauren Harris (2nd in the 1500 Racewalk- 7:09.56), and Val Romero (2nd in the 1500- 4:51.97)
The standout performance at the State Qualifying meet held February 8th was the School Record performance of Jordan Messineo and Kerstyn Ciulla as both cleared 10′ 9″ in the Pole Vault, with Ciulla advancing to the State Meet due to fewer misses. Val Romero was 2nd in the 3000 (10:11.60), with Lauren Harris winning the 1500 Racewalk (6:55.52), Alex DeCicco the 1500 (4:46.71), and the 4 by 800 squad of Alex DeCicco, Jill Manfredi, Kaylie Wessberg, and Ciara Murphy also winning in 9:33.12.
Sachem East placed 2nd (60 points) at the Suffolk County Championships, behind Bayshore (81 pts), and just edging Sachem North (56 pts). Alex DeCicco was a double County Champion, taking both the 1000 (2:59.34) and 1500 (4:48.93), and Lauren Harris also took home an individual title, winning the 1500 Racewalk in 7:06.58. Other highlights included Amanda Fitzgerald’s 3rd place in the Shot Put (36′), Kerstyn Ciulla’s 3rd in the Long Jump (17’3″), and Val Romero’s double of 3rd in the 3000 (10:30), and 5th in the 1500 (4:58.32).
The Championship season began way back on January 24th with Valerie Romero leading the way for the East Arrows at the League 1 Championship Meet, winning both the 1500 (4:55.73), and the 3000 (10:37). Alex DeCicco won the 1000 (3:01.13), Amanda Fitzgerald the Shot Put (36′ 6.25″), and Ciara Murphy the 600 (1:41.05), as Sachem East was edged by Sachem North 129-126, with North and East scoring more points than the other 6 teams combined. Also crowned League Champions were the 4 by 400 Relay (Ciara Murphy, Shelby Trentini, Faith D”Angelis, and Kaylie Wessberg), and the 4 by 800 Relay (Shayna Arrigo, Karli Murphy, Alex DeCicco, and Jill Manfredi). Placing in the top 6 in their events and contributing to the team scoring were Lauren Alberg, Marisa Filosa, Dana Tyner, Jackie Woodburn, Rachel Ruggiero, Lauren Harris, Jaimie Fleming, Sam Locascio, Kerstyn Ciulla, and Rebecca Carroll.
The East Arrows have been lead on a daily basis by the steady leadership of the Senior Captains Jen Campbell, Stephanie Curtin, Maria DePinto, Carley DiMartino, Cortney and Victoria Evola, Jamie Fleming, Kayla Garry, Alanna Laino, Rachel Miller, and Katie Mott.