Seniors Angelina Colon, Sabrinna Mena, Anna Murphy, Elaina Rasco, Marissa Sciotto, and Lauren Trejo likely had it in the back of their minds that they’d never get this far.
After losing their Spring season in 2020, then watching the fall season become “indefinitely delayed,” it’s fair to say they were skeptical that winter track would ever get officially underway.
Rather than let their doubts lead to inaction, this core group of seniors helped to keep the program together leading up to the anticipated January 4 start date.
They were the key leadership for the Sachem Spiked Shoe Club, a USATF-certified track club that allowed high school athletes to gather safely off-campus for training from July to December.
While frustrations and doubts waxed and waned throughout the six month build-up to January, it was their steady determination that allowed a group of student-athletes to remain a team, to feel like a program despite losing the opportunity to train and compete as one in a traditional sense.
And on January 4, they were joined by the rest of their senior teammates: Arya Deshpande, Alexa Efron, Nadia Khatami, Kylie Koerner, Mikayla Manlo, Kayla Manel, Julie Monderine, Ashley Nash, Jadyn Simmons and Sam Yaker.
It may have looked different than usual — a smaller roster just shy of 70 student-athletes, mandatory masks, and social distancing — but for the first time in nearly 10 months, a track season for Sachem East was officially underway.
This year’s group of seniors, 16 athletes with a wealth of experience and talent, will be crucial to the program’s development. They have been tasked with helping to bring their teammates back into the fold while also helping to instruct and develop new talent in the program. And certainly they have already felt their presence firmly stated in opening dual meet victories against rivals Ward Melville (last year’s League Champions) and Bay Shore (last year’s County Champions).
Seniors Colon (Distance and Racewalk), Deshpande (Hurdles and Jumps), Koerner (Hurdles), Manel (Distance and Racewalk), Mena (Distance), Murphy (Distance), Nash (Throws), Sciotto (Distance and Racewalk), and Trejo (Distance) factored heavily into a 72-51 victory over Ward Melville and an 88-30 victory over Bay Shore. Both meets featured low temperatures and high wind gusts, but that’s no matter to a group seeking competition for as long as they have been waiting.
From a leadership standpoint, these seniors have plenty of help from veteran juniors who have also made a major impact on the team’s first two meet victories.
Gillian Barresi (Sprints), Michaela Barresi (Distance), Kelly Dodenhoff (Sprints and Jumps), Molly Grow (Hurdles and Sprints), Brenin Mahon (Distance), Anna Morrongiello (Distance), Lorraine Podlesny (Jumps), Ariann Robinson (Sprints and Jumps), and Chelsey Weber (Distance) have each played important roles in the season’s early success and will remain important moving forward throughout the rest of the season and school year.
But perhaps the most exciting aspect of this year’s Sachem East squad is the wealth of young talent. Allison Abzug (Sprints), Sarah Bossong (Sprints and Jumps), Brooke Bourgal (Sprints), Abby Callinan (Racewalk), Kayley Catalano (Distance), Danielle Chiarello (Racewalk), Sara Christie (Throws), Savanna Edwards (Sprints and Jumps), Emma Famiglietti (Distance),
Megan Hoffman (Racewalk), Mia Marchitto (Sprints and Jumps), Katie Margolis (Distance), Lexi Martoscia (Distance), Olivia Russo (Distance), Alexis Sabatini (Sprints), and Grace Teller (Distance) have each made an impact on early season meets and could factor into the development of the program for years to come.
So, what’s next? After early season clashes with perennial powerhouses Ward Melville and Bay Shore, Sachem East looks ahead to competition with Commack, Walt Whitman, and Sachem North.
Seeking to remain undefeated League champions is a clear goal for this year’s squad, but more important remain goals of building program excitement for the Fall season (Cross Country in March) and Spring (a new season of Track & Field), keeping athletes healthy and safe, learning for newcomers, developing for veterans, and enjoying each other’s company.
In a season that looks unlike any other — for about 100 different reasons — it is best they keep the big picture in mind: they are lucky to have this opportunity once again, so they may as well make the most of it.
