Division 1 Championships start as a rematch between Bay Shore and Sachem North. Bay Shore pulled away from Sachem in 2013 to win the Marauders third straight Division I title and sixth spring title in the last eight seasons by a score of 106-95.33. Bay Shore flexed its track and field muscle with a strong 109-74 defeat of Sachem North and the rest of the large schools in the winter season.
How is the 2014 Division I Championship different? Bay Shore is still strong and is the team to beat. There are more sprint events in spring – this favors Sachem North. The North Flaming Arrows have some of the top sprinters in Suffolk County in Alyssa Leto, Melissa Michels, Nikki Fogarty, Leah Blackall, Kelly Gardner, Sunja Joseph and Leah Blackall. Joseph, Blackall and Fogarty have caught up with Bay Shore’s outstanding long and triple jumpers. Bay Shore still has Imani McGhee, Aviana Goode and Anisa Toppin.
McGhee and Goode will compete in eight events between them in the two day Division I Championship Meet. Together they will outscore all but a few teams. Bay Shore also boasts four of the top middle distance runners on the Island. Bay Shore will rack up big points in the 800 meter run on Day 1 at Divisions. Bay Shore and Sachem North will have some exciting head to head battles at Divisions and both will look to play to their other strengths in other events – racewalk for Sachem North and 1500 meters and high jump for Bay Shore.
Both teams have athletes that could step up and score needed points or could carry their teams to victory with performances in multiple events. Then there are the relays. Bay Shore will have to do without the talented McGhee and Goode on relays cards in the meet and will have some tough decisions to make on the 4×400 and 4×800 on Day 2. Sachem North has pressed several of its talented sprinters into double duty on the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.
There are also powerhouse teams Sachem East, Connetquot, Northport, Brentwood, Longwood, Ward Melville, Half Hollow Hills East (HHHE) and the rest of a deep and talented Division I team line-up. Many Division I teams boast talent that will score big points in the team championship meet. Suffolk stars like Longwood’s Crystal Henderson and Leah Roach, Brentwood’s Alexia Douglas and Shiseido Robinson, Northport’s Jackie Thorne, Brigid Brennan, Lauren Glancy and NYS’s #5 4×800, Ward Melville’s Alesia Muklebust, Daniella Chernoff and a fast Patriot steeplechase squad, Connetquot’s Erin Melly and Lauren Wangenstein, Sachem East’s mile factory and Ebonie Lewis, Walt Whitman’s Lauren Hoffman, Commack’s Brianna Law and HHHE’s quarter milers will score big points. They will also displace Bay Shore and Sachem North athletes along the way, adding drama to the meet as though the recent refueling of a two decade-old rivalry between Bay Shore and Sachem North was not enough.
Below is an event-by-event preview of the Division I Championship Meet. Focus will be placed on Bay Shore-Sachem North battles, though all race favorites and a few some twists and turns will get a fair amount of attention as well.
DAY 1: MONDAY, MAY 19
Pentathlon
Bay Shore senior Erika Silhan is the experienced veteran here and the favorite to win the event. Sachem North hopes to keep the battle of the multi-events close with a pair of sophomores – Nicole Costanzo and Mara Bigornia. Costanzo is projected to score over 2400 points by her coaches. If Costanzo hits this mark, the 800n meter run the closes out the two day, five event competition could be a battle for the top two places in the event. Bigornia’s 4’ 10” high jump is her strongest event – will it be enough to lift Mara into the scoring top 6. Pat-Med’s Tiffany Verni is a 4’ 10” high jumper and 15’ 10” long jumper. If she is a little more than adequate in the pentathlon’s other three events – 100 meter hurdles, shotput and 800 – she could make a run at the event win as well.
100 meter Hurdles – Day 1 Semis, Day 2 Finals
Three of the busiest athletes at Divisions take to the track in the 100 meter hurdles: Bay Shore sophomore Aviana Goode – 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles, high jump and long jump, Longwood junior Crystal Henderson – 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles, triple jump, long jump and Sachem North junior Nikki Fogarty – 100 hurdles, 200 dash, long jump and 4×400.
All three are enjoying the finest seasons of their respective track careers. They will go head-to-head-to-head twice in the meet – in the 100 hurdles and in long jump. Trials and finals rounds will test the training level, talent and fortitude of the trio. Sachem East’s duo of Rebecca Carroll and Paige Picascio will look to make finals on day 1.
Goode is NYS #5 in the high hurdles. Henderson (NYS #6) and Fogarty (NYS #8) look to get the middle lanes in finals in the second event on Day 2 of Divisions. If this happens, look for an exciting finals race.
100 meter Dash – Day 1 Semis, Day 2 Finals
Brentwood junior Alexia Douglas (12.14) tops the 100 dash seed sheet. She will be chased by Sachem North junior Alyssa Leto (12.24) and senior Melissa Michels (12.54). Bay Shore’s Imani McGhee is #3 on the seed sheet but her FAT 12.27 at Saturday’s Eddy Games puts her ahead of Douglas and Leto for the moment. If Sachem East’s Ebonie Lewis is on her game – and she is a big meet performer – she can be a factor in the Sachem North-Bay Shore battle. The seed sheet never has the final word in the 100 meter dash. Look for the battle to get out of the blocks first and to the battle to pull away from the race field at the 60 meter mark of the race in finals on Day 2.
McGhee (100, 200, long jump, triple jump), Leto and Michels (both 100, 200, 4×100, 4×400), Douglas (100, 200, high jump, 4×100) and Lewis (100, long jump, 4×100) will be busy both days at Divisions.
400 meters – Day 1 Semis, Day 2 Finals
HHHE has three of the top five one-lappers in D1 in Mary Chimezie (58.51), Christina Perrier (59.51) and Lauren Keschner (61.14). The trio will return for 4×400 trials as well. Brentwood’s Shiseido Robinson (59.34) is the #2 seed in the race and Connetquot’s Lauren Wangenstein (60.13) is #4. Sachem North sophomore Leah Blackall (61.14) is #6 and can help her team by qualifying for finals on Day 1. William Floyd’s Kayla Clements (61.34) and Sachem East’s Jayda Allen (62.04) will also try to make finals as qualifiers.
800 meters
Bay Shore looks to score big in the first distance race at Divisions. Toss the seed sheets – Bay Shore’s foursome of Jacqueline Anderson (2:17.26), Nia McCaslin (2:17.89), Cesia Andrade (2:18.82) and Madeline Smith (2:21.48) ran season-bests at the Eddy Games. Anderson and McCaslin are now 1 and 2 in D1. Northport’s Jackie Thorne and Sachem East’s Alex DeCicco and Ciara Murphy will look to split up Bay Shore. The pace will be fast in the seeded section as Thorne looks to take the kick out of rivals and the kickers look to set up fast finishes over the last 150 meters of the two-lapper.
200 meter Dash – Semis Day 1, Finals Day 2
Bay Shore’s Imani McGhee and Sachem North’s sprint duo of Alyssa Leto and Melissa Michels look to be heat winners in the half lap sprint. Fogarty (Michels) and Kelly Gardner (Leto) will be one lane to the left of Sachem North teammates in heats 2 and 3. McGhee will be chased by Brentwood’s Alexia Douglas in heat 1. Lane 2 semi-finalists Roselyn Oroyemi (heat 1) of HHHE, Keyshanna Symns (heat 2) of Longwood and Jazmine Burnette (heat 3) of Pat-Med will have to beat lane 3 or 4 faster seeds to make finals as time qualifiers. The top nine seeds are all in the 100 dash earlier on the day. Training takes over here. There is only one second between seeds 3 and 9 in this race. If the North Flaming Arrows get four into finals, Bay Shore loses its gains from the 800.
400 m. Hurdles – Semis Day 1, Finals Day 2
Longwood’s Crystal Henderson (65.84), Bay Shore’s Aviana Goode (67.52) and Brentwood’s Casey Gibbons (67.57) should cruise into finals as heat winners. Five additional sub-70 second low hurdlers will look to advance on time – Connetquot’s Bryanna Padula (68.04), Ward Melville’s Leigh Gulbransen (68.34), Brentwood’s Asia Chen (69.45) and Sachem East’s Shelby Trentini (69.89) and Nicole Silvestre (69.89). Goode’s strength will be tested on day 2 as she will compete in second half of meet events 400 hurdles, high jump and long jump in addition to early afternoon 100 meter hurdles finals. Gibbons will have the freshest legs in finals and may give race favorite Henderson and Goode a run for their money.
3,000 meters
If Bay Shore’s Caelyn Reilly wants to score out of the 8th seed spot, she will have to race smart against the talented veteran’s topping the race seed sheet in a Who’s Who of Long Island’s top distance runners. Connetquot’s Erin Melly (10:24.34), Sachem East’s Alex DeCicco (10:24.54), Northport’s Brigid Brennan (10:29.90), Walt Whitman’s Lauren Hoffman (10:33.21) and Sachem East’s Valerie Romero (10:39.24) and Shannon O’Hehir (10:40.84) will collectively push the pace. Scorers will cover moves and be in position to give chase or hold off rivals in the last 800 meters of the race. Missing from the race – Ward Melville’s Alesia Muklebust (10:27.74), a scratch at the coaches meeting on Thursday night.
Sachem North sophomore Mackenzie Coleman is the 12th and final seed in the seeded section of the race – can she sit on the main pack long enough to make a move of her own in the late stages of the race? Coleman’s training partner junior Elise Ramirez will get no pacing help in the unseeded section of the 3000. Ramirez will have to run a fast time trial and then wait one hour to see how she fares against the seeded race.
4×100 meter Relay – Semis Day 1, Finals Day 2
Make Finals!
Sachem North (49.02) tops the field. Heat winners advance automatically but with nine teams under 52.0, handoffs will play a major role in determining the six finalists. Sachem coaches have to make some important relay personnel decisions on Day 1 as Leto, Michels and Gardner are also on the 4×400 card. Sachem North and Brentwood (50.10) should advance as heat winners Central Islip (50.63) will be chased around the track by Longwood (50.99) and Sachem North will have a League 2 reunion with Connetquot and Sachem East in semis. Walt Whitman (51.24), Connetquot (51.38), Sachem East (51.44), HHHE (51.70) and Bay Shore (51.87) are separated by .63. the 4×100 is as close to full contact sports as track and field offers. Spectators are in for exciting races in the sprint relay.
4×400 m. Relay – Semis Day 1, Finals Day 2
HHHE (3:56.41), Bay Shore (4:03.28) and Brentwood (4:04.87) top the seed sheets and should advance. Bay Shore will have to advance without Imani McGhee as she is in four open events in the meet and cannot (by rules) compete in a fifth event. Bay Shore should be okay as its four half mile stars are on the relay card. Ward Melville, Sachem East, Connetquot and Sachem North look to move on to finals.
Only six make finals – which sub-4:20 squad will be left out? Bay Shore coaches have to make tough decisions on Day 2 as its four half mile stars (#7 4×800 in NYS) are on both relays. There is nearly one hour between 4×400 finals and 4×800 finals on Day 2. If the meet is on the line, the decision will be easy. Anderson, McCaslin, Andrade and Smith run twice in the relays. And will score twice.
Discus
Longwood throwers hold three of the top five spots in discus. Leah Roach (103’ 6”) and Jaice Stintin (101’ 9”) top the century mark and Rachel Hatcher (99’ 4”) is close behind. All are chasing Ward Melville’s Daniella Chernoff (118’ 0”). Commack’s Jamie Kanzler (99’ 9”), Connetquot’s Jenna Phillips (98’ 1”) and Central Islip’s Jada Nelson (97’ 10) round out the top seven. Can Sachem North’s Kaitlyn Okvist continue her last two weeks of season surge to make it into finals as the #8 seed and score in the event?
Pole Vault
Eight vaulters have cleared 9’ 6” or higher in the weather-challenged season. Commack can score two here with top seed Brianna Law (10’ 9”) and Amanda McNelis (10’ 0”). Sachem east has a pair of ten footers in Kerstyn Ciulla and Jordan Messineo. Connetquot’s Ashley White is also in the 10’ club. Bay Shore’s Jordyn Piccirelli (9’ 9”) and Sachem North’s Rachel Heymach (9’ 6”) will need good days to score against this talented field of sky-riders.
Triple Jump
Bay Shore’s Anisa Toppin (40’ 2.25”) is entered in only one event at Divisions. If Toppin (NYS #2) gets on the runway, look for a typically monster jump in one of the six jumps she takes. With or without Toppin, Connetquot’s horizontal jumps runway will see some of NYS’s top jumpers on Day 1 at Divisions. Sachem North’s Sunja Joseph (38’ 10.5”) and Leah Blackall (38’ 4”) are NYS #6 and #7 respectively.
Both have been very consistent on the board in with three and six jumps series in the second half of the spring season. Bay Shore’s Imani McGhee (37’ 1”) and Patrice Baston (36’ 2.75”) look to make finals as well. Lindenhurst’s Kyra Billups (36’ 7”), Longwood’s Crystal Henderson (36’ 5.5”), Northport’s Lauren Glancy (35’ 7.5”) and Commack’s Sydney Haas (35’ 5.5”) may need PB’s to make finals in this talented field.
Joseph and McGhee go head to head twice at Divisions – both times in the horizontal jumps. Both are big meet performers. Whether at the same meet (Section XI schedule) or separated by 50 or miles and several counties (early last week’s Chrissy Games and Loucks Games), the two seniors come up with big jumps in late-season and post-season meets. Joseph has the edge on seed sheets in long and triple jump. She can carry her team with a big championship meet. Joseph may be pressed into extra duty on both days at Divisions as a member of the 4×100.
DAY 2: WEDNESDAY, MAY 21
2,000 meter Steeplechase
Ward Melville’s Alesia Muklebust (7:06.33) and Connetquot’s Erin Melly (7:07.56) will battle the mile and a quarter barrier race here. One or both may break 7:00. Ward Melville is well-represented in the seeded section of the race with Molly Dearie (7:12.12) and Courtney Williams (7:42.9). A trio of Sachem runners – North’s Mackenzie Coleman (7:50.77) and East’s Valerie Romero (7:49.64) and Katie Hempfling (7:51.44) will chase the lead pack. This Day 2 meet opener puts Sachem North in a position to pick up a valuable scoring point or more. These points will be important in the North Flaming Arrows final team score at the end of the day.
100 meter Hurdles Finals
100 meter Dash Finals
1500 meters
Sachem East’s Alex DeCicco (4:46.06) tops the seed sheet. Northport senior Brigid Brennan (4:51.61) will push DeCicco around the track to take the kick out of the Sachem East sophomore’s legs. Walt Whitman’s Lauren Hoffman (4:52.70) will look to be well positioned going into the final lap. Shannon O’Hehir (4:54.34), like Brennan, brings race savvy to the race. Bay Shore looks to strike for team points with Caelyn Reilly (4:51.30 at Eddy Games putting her ahead of all by DeCicco), Bridget Kanaley (4:55.77 at Eddy – a .14 improvement over her previous season-best) and Jasmine Reyes (4:59.54). Talent at the top of the seed sheet and Bay Shore determination to score will make this an exciting race.
400 meter dash Finals
Pentathlon 800 meters
400 meter Hurdles Finals
200 meter Dash Finals
1500 meter Racewalk
Here comes Sachem North with a trio of heavy hitters. Senior Katie Michta (6:49.64) is NYS #1. Senior teammate Natalie DeQuarto (6:58.64) is the #2 seed in the race and sophomore Kaitlin Martins (7:12.44) is #6. Sachem East will score twice with junior Jamie Fleming (6:58.84) and freshman Lauren Harrris (7:00.54). Connetquot’s Monika Farmer (7:01.24) will also score. Bay Shore’s #7 and 8 seeds Sara Farnan (7:25.35) and Elisabeth Barnett (7:25.78) are a little further back and may not be in scoring position in the race. Oh, yes, racewalk is a judged event…
High Jump
Top seed Bay Shore’s Aviana Goode (5’ 6”) and Nye’dia Harris (5’ 2”) could rack up big points in the event. Harris is tied for the #3 seed with four other jumpers including Sachem North’s Gabriella Czerw. Connetquot T-Bird Lauren Wangenstein (5’ 3”) is the #2 seed in the event. Brentwood’s Sabrina Mozart and Alexia Douglas and Commack’s Ally Aprile have also cleared 5’ 2”. There is a chance of rain on Wednesday (typical weather report for the spring season).
Patience and a good approach to the bar will be rewarded. High jumpers Aviana Goode, Alexia Douglas and Lauren Wangenstein may have to report to finals in track events as the crossbar reaches scoring heights. This is not going to be the case for Harris or Czerw. Both will need to perform close to their respective seeds to help their teams.
Shotput
Longwood’s Leah Roach (36’ 5.5”) and Rachel Hatcher (34’ .75”) sandwich Commack’s Kayla Brown (34’ 7.25”) and Jackie Dellasante (34’ 3”) as well as William Floyd’s Haley Torres (34’ 2”). Four 33’+ throwers, including #9 seed Kaitlyn Okvist of Sachem North will look to make finals. Kaitlyn has had her best throws of the season in her least two meets and could help her Sachem North team with another big day in the ring.
Long Jump
Four of NYS’s top long jumpers will battle in one of the most exciting events of Day 2. NYS #2 Sunja Joseph (19’ 3.25”), NYS #4 Nikki Fogarty (18’ 5”) and NYS #5 Leah Blackall (18’ 4”) will jump for Sachem North. Bay Shore’s Imani McGhee (19’ 1”) is NYS #3. Bay Shore also enters Aviana Goode (17’ 6.25”) and Patrice Baston (17’ 4.5” at Eddy Games). Northport’s Lauren Glancy (17’ 8.5”) and Longwood’s Crystal Henderson (17’ 6.25”) look to stretch the measuring tape as well.
4×800 meter Relay
Relays close out the Division I Championship Meet. If Sachem North makes finals in the 4×400, its double relay duty sprinters will have to come up big twice in fifteen minutes to extend a lead before Bay Shore’s 4×800 take to the track in the meet’s final event. Sachem North may need a win in the 4×100 to extend a needed lead before the 4×800. Sachem may need some help in the 4×800.
Northport (9:21.56) is the team to beat in the 4×800. Bay Shore’s (9:25.07) Eddy Games-tested half milers will give the Tigers a race that will bring teammates and spectators to their feet. Sachem East (9:32.68), Connetquot (9:35.24) and Commack (9:40.08) round out the top six relays and will have some fresh legs to chase Bay Shore rivals. Sachem North’s 4×800 will have fresh legs but will have to give chase from the #9 seed (10:15.89) and look to keep the baton in the race in each of the first three legs to give its anchor a chance to score.
Coaches and fans will spend time looking at seed sheets and team scores during and after each of the relays to figure which team holds the lead in the last events of Divisions.