Sports

East Girls Track Takes 3rd Place at Division Championship

State qualifier meet is up next.

Led by Rachel Paul's wins in the 800, 3000, and 1500, the Sachem East girls track team fought to a 3rd place finish at the Division I Championship meet last week.

Competing against the 20 large schools in Suffolk County, East scored 88 points, behind Bay Shore (119) and Northport (112), and just of Sachem North (59).

Also having an outstanding meet was junior Brittany Sepe who placed 2nd in the discus, and won the shot put, with teammates Diamond Jackson and Gabby Trejo taking 2nd and 3rd. 

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Additional Sachem East athletes scoring in open events were Shannon Haberkorn (5th in the 100 hurdles), Melanie Notarstefano (6th in the 400), and Allison Figalora (5th in the 400 hurdles). In a show of racewalk strength Sachem East took 4 of the 6 scoring positions in the 1500 meter racewalk. Kelly Maranchuck placed 2nd followed by Holly Lindoe (4th), Alyssa Furlani (5th), and Amanda Catherall (6th).

Despite the excellent performance and numerous season and personal bests, the meet had its share of disappointment and heartache. Maddy Egan, Jayda Allen, and Diamond Jackson all recorded 7th place finishes, falling just short of earning valuable team points. Ditto for the 4 by 100 team of Ebonie Lewis, Ashley Mercado, Essence Sterling, and Shannon Haberkorn, who were just one tenth of a second short of qualifying for the finals despite a season best performance.

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The 4 by 800 squad, primed for their own season best and hoping for the win, were literally knocked out of their race. Nicole Silvestre led off with an excellent 2:23 split, handing off in third just behind Northport and Bay Shore.

Rachel Paul took the baton and quickly ran down Northport and then eased past Bay Shore. But just as Paul was about to make her drive to the finish, the Bay Shore athlete clipped the back of Paul's leg with her spikes and sent Paul hard to the track. Luckily, no broken bones or permanent damage, but also no team points and no taking of points from Bay Shore or Northport.

But with Laurie Semetsis and Mel Notarstefano not getting a chance to run the 4 by 800, they were then able to combine with Ally Figalora and Jada Allen in the 4 by 400 relay and pull out a 3rd place finish.

Next up on the schedule is the Section 11 Individual Championships, also known as the State Qualifier meet, to be held next weekend at Port Jefferson. The winner of each event, plus a few others who hit stringent performance standards, will advance to the New York Championships.

Article courtesy of Pete McNeill, Sachem East girls track coach

Have photos/info on Sachem sporting events? Email them to ryan@patch.com


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