East, North Take Third and Fourth in Counties

The two largest of the programs present at the Section XI large-school girls winter track and field championships this Saturday at Suffolk County Community College's Brentwood campus, both Sachem East (63 points) and Sachem North (42 points) grabbed respective third place and fourth place rankings.

East Girls

Ranked fifth in the state behind two other Long Island teams from Bay Shore (ranked second) and Northport (ranked third), East carried its third placement with the most points it has garnered in counties in some time.

East assistant coach Dan Schaub said the team's strategy was simple but effective: Apply pressure.

Also, having the correct mindset proved integral.

"I didn't see anyone intimidated today," he said afterward. "That's a big difference from seasons' past."

Never hurting for confidence or for points, ace runner Rachel Paul came through with wins in both the 600-meter run (1:36.12, beating her seed time by over two seconds) and the 1,000-meter run (3:08.01).

"I was not as nervous for the 600-meter," she said. "I was more nervous for the 1,000-meter, since I knew people in both races would be fresh, and you can't really conserve."

Paul also ran the third leg of the second-place 4 X 800-meter relay (9:45.94), along with Laurie Semetsis, Krystle Grygo, and anchor leg Melanie Notarstefano. With both Sachem schools' teammates gathered in the athletic center's far corner, waves of excited cheers greeted both North and East runners rounding the turn.

Notarstefano also placed sixth in the 1,500-meter run, finishing in 5:08.59.

"That was a strategic move," Schaub said of the 4 X 800-meter relay runners' order, where Paul commonly held the anchor position. "Mel responded perfectly." 

Shot putters Brittany Sepe (36' 7", beating seed throw of 34' 1 3/4") and Brittany Christiansen both grabbed consecutive second and third placements; teammate Gabby Trejo took fifth with a throw of 32' 3 3/4". 

Kelly Maranchuck took third place in the 1,500-meter race walk (7:34.41), pacing just ahead of North's Katie Michta on the final few meters. Michta captured fourth place (7:35.12). 

Alyssa Genduso took fifth in both the 55-meter dash (7.66 seconds), and as the anchor of the 4 X 200-meter relay team that also featured lead leg Kristen Bagley, Essence Sterling, and Maddy Egan, finishing in 1:53.69 to beat the seed time by a second and a half.

North Girls

North sophomore Carly Swinford claimed the county championship spot with a jump of 5' flat, matching teammate Kristie Michta's performance but clearing the height in fewer attempts.

"It feels great," said the sophomore later that day, still smiling. Shorter than the average high jumper, she added that simply staying positive went a long way. "The first attempt felt good, so I just kept doing the exact same thing."

Under significant pressure in the 600-meter run, Keira Wood took second behind East's Rachel Paul with a time of 1:38.75 - beating her seed time by nearly a full second, but timing one-hundredth of a second shy of a qualifying time for states.

"I was really disappointed," the senior said. "Rachel's a good athlete, so I was just running for that. I'm now getting over it."

Wood also joined the 4 x 800-meter relay team to finish fourth with a time of 10:05.17, smashing the seed time by an overwhelming 11 seconds for a new season best. 

North also improved over its seed time in the 4 X 200-meter relay by over two seconds, grabbing second place with a time of 1:51.94. Freshman Katie Michta garnered a fourth-place finish in the 1,500-meter race walk, timing 7:35.12. 

Congratulating the team for its efforts, North head coach Alex Young said it had ably risen to the occasion, but cautioned that with state qualifiers in just one week, a new series of battles lay ahead.

"We're not done," he said. "We've kept pushing and pushing, but we're not there yet."

The state qualifier meet will be held again at SCCC Brentwood next Saturday, Feb. 12, at 11 a.m. A special qualifying meet for pole vaulters, to be held at Shoreham Wading River High School, is slated for Feb. 10 at 7 p.m.