Diamond Jackson traveled up to the New York State Championship in Middletown, N.Y. last week with teammates and fellow county champions Amanda Zaput and Brittany Sepe.
Having just won an outstanding athlete award at the Suffolk Track All-County Dinner and being the defending State Champion didn’t seem to be a consideration. Jackson just wanted to throw.
With heavy rain postponing the first day’s events, Jackson used her pent up energy to break her own school record to win the discus with a toss of 135’7″, making her a two time state champion in the event. Add that to being a member of the field hockey team that has won two consecutive New York State titles and you have Sachem East’s only four-time state champion ever.
Jackson will be bringing her winning ways to the State University at Cortland, where she plans to major in physical education and continue her track and field career.
Brittany Sepe couldn’t quite match her season best of one week earlier, but still managed a 12th place finish with a heave of 36’2″ in the Shot Put. Sepe will be continuing her throwing career at Molloy College on an academic and athletic Scholarship.
Also finishing 12th in her event- the pole vault- was Amanda Zaput, who easily cleared 10′ and then was close to breaking her own School record of 10″3″ with an excellent 3rd attempt at 10′ 6″ that took down the bar. Zaput, another outstanding student-athlete, will also be staying in New York having received an academic and athletic Scholarship to Ithaca College.
While seniors Sepe, Jackson, and Zaput concluded their Sachem athletic careers at the State Meet, three other seniors will be continuing one more week and traveling down to the High School Nationals in North Carolina.
Since the Racewalk is not held in the Spring State meet the top New York Racewalkers will be concluding their season with the One Mile Racewalk on Friday at North Carolina A and T in Greensboro.
Sarah LaPorta, Val Auciello, and Indoor National Champion Holly Lindoe will all be looking to cap their seasons in fine fashion.