Notarstefano Anchors Winning Section XI Team in State Intersection Relay

The phenomenal level of competition at the state level this past Saturday at Cornell University gave three Sachem winter track and field programs their share of challenges, not to mention, plenty of bragging rights going forward into their respective spring seasons.

East Girls

The pressure was definitely on in the intersectional relay, but so was East's Melanie Notarstefano. The junior's performance in the Section XI girls distance medley relay team was critical, battling her way to a gap and hanging on in the final 1,600-meter leg. Proving that she was the right choice as anchor in what was arguably the most fun moment of the day, Notarstefano clocked in at 10:28.63 for the win, chalking up a split time of 5:16.1.

"She was very happy," said East head coach Pete McNeill, adding that Notarstefano's grin upon crossing the finish line stands out as a key moment among many other proud coaching memories. "She had the people in the bleachers going wild, all the Suffolk kids were cheering together when she pulled into the lead, and now, they're teammates instead of being competitors. It's a great idea as far as encouraging sportsmanship."

Of course, the shining moments didn't end there: State veteran Rachel Paul took fifth place in the girls 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:53.39, less than two seconds behind the winning time (2:51.75).

"It was a very exciting finish, and it was a close-packed group all they way through," said McNeill. "She kind of ran out of real estate, but she ran three seconds better than her best."

Race walker Kelly Maranchuck went home with an eighth-place finish out of 23 entrants from her first trip upstate, cruising home from the 1,500-meter event in 7:33.09.

The preparation for her, said McNeill, had more to do with first-time state nerves than the race itself.

"The first time can be overwhelming, there's no question that it's very energy-draining between the nervousness and the apprehension," he said. "Looking back last year at Rachel and Mel, and this year they were more prepared and more ready to handle that kind of competition."

In the long jump, Alyssa Genduso finished 12th of 31 entrants, landing 16' 11 1/4". Shot putter Brittany Christiansen threw two fouls, with only one toss landing inside the sector at 34' 5 3/4". She finished 16th out of 25 entrants, an unlucky day's performance for the senior, said McNeill.

"They were both in the same boat, her and [Longwood thrower] Imani White. Imani threw just good enough, 37' 5 1/2," to get into finals. Unfortunately, Brittany didn't get that one throw. On any given day, the order can be completely reversed."

North Girls

At Cornell that day for North, pole vaulter Kayla Cataldo enjoyed a solid series and cleared 9'6", but came up just shy of cracking the 10' mark to match her season-best height, according to North head coach Alex Young. He added that the top seven girls in the event, all of whom cleared 11' or better, benefited considerably from intense club competition.

Another ending that wasn't quite what was hoped for: First-time state competitor Keira Wood's run in the 600-meter, where the senior finished 12th out of 31 entrants with a time of 1:38.81, her second-best career time.

"She had higher expectations," said Young. "She was stuck in lane 2 for more than half of the race, held off by a girl trying to pass over three full turns. It was not the race she wanted, but for both of the girls it was a great thrill to go upstate."

East Boys

Eventually finding his position to close out strong, Alex Saavedra took sixth place among public schools and eighth place overall in the boys 3,200–meter run, clocking in at 9:30.56.

"It was tight only for first mile," said East assistant coach James Barracca. "It fell apart up front, and Alex was hanging on in back for first mile, he was caught off guard when the first move made but did a nice job fighting and found his way forward. He didn't have time to get to lead back, with such a talented group it's hard to fight back like that, but he made the best out of race. It was his best finish at states, not his best race but by far his best finish. He wasn't too upset with the race."

Also representing East in his first time to states, high jumper Greg Markfelder cleared 6'2" to claim sixth place. 

"It was not his best, he had jumped 6'4" three meets before that," said Barracca. "But he got on podium and that was a goal. A lot of kids have a tough time, especially at indoor meets, but Greg didn't seem nervous. He was excited to compete. He didn't let pressure get to him."