Sachem Winter Track Weekend Update

Sachem North Boys

On Saturday, the Sachem North Boys Winter Track and Field team competed at the Crossover Meet E at Suffolk Community College.  The team was led by Alex Lazarich's first place finish in the 1,000-meter. 

In the first 1000 m race of his career, Alex ran a great race and took control of the lead with 1 lap to go and won with a time of 2:44.

Colin Eberhardt continued his excellent winter track season with a 3rd place finish in the 3200.  Brandon Hayes ran a Suffolk County best of season time of 4:51 in the mile. His time was good enough for 2nd at the meet.  Other outstanding performances were turned in by Robert Yannotta in the high jump (5th place) and the hurdles (6th place) and Anthony Coccia in the 1000 (8th place).  

Sachem North Girls

Kelly Lavan shattered her previous indoor 3,0000-meter times with a 10:26.42 time in the Invitational 3,000 meter run at Saturday’s Stanner Games at the New Balance Track & Field Center.

Lavan placed fifth in the race featuring an outstanding field of distance runners including race winner Rachel Paul of Sachem East. Lavan ran a first mile time of 5:24.3 in what was her finest and most exciting race of the winter season. The time makes her Sachem North’s No. 3 all-time runner at this distance behind Jackie Berman (Class ’99) and Karen Labaddia (Class of ’95).  Berman holds the team record at 10:18.89.

The meet was beginning its second hour as Lavan ran her thrilling race. More than seven hours later, Sachem’s 4x200 meter relay moved to the starting line on the Armory’s fast track.  The young squad had its collective eyes set on the team record of 1:48.27 after running a No. 4 all-time mark of 1:50.29 at last week’s Hispanic Games. 

The team record of 1:48.27 dates back to December, 1998.  The 1998 was a veteran squad of three seniors (Denise Raab, Stephanie Cotsifas and Jeanna Composti) and one junior (Kristin Eckert).  Three of the athletes were All-County athletes and all four had outstanding post-season credentials.  The current squad features two sophomores (Melissa Michels and Sunja Joseph) and two freshmen rookies (Alyssa Leto and Nikki Fogarty). 

The relative youth of the current squad does not mean the foursome does not have some impressive credentials of its own.  Michels is already the No. 3 all-time 55-meter sprinter (7.44) in Sachem history and is currently the No. 2 sprinter in Suffolk County.  She placed sixth (7.57) in the 55-meter dash finals earlier in the meet.  No. 7 all-time 55 meter sprinter (7.73) Alyssa Leto won the Freshman 55 m. dash today in 7.76 seconds.  Sunja Joseph moved up to the No. 20 all-time 55 meter spot last week.  Sunja also holds the #2 indoor triple jump mark (35’ 4”) in Sachem history.  Nikki Fogarty is Sachem’s #7 all-time 55 meter hurdler (9.39) in her rookie season and she placed second (9.45) in the Freshman 55 m. hurdles today. 

“Pretty good credentials for a young squad,” said Sachem coach Alex Young. “The relay was relaxed but determined as the sprinters prepared to charge to the top of Sachem’s track and field record book.”

Alyssa Leto’s (27.5 split) outstanding start in lane four immediately closed the gap on the lane five and six leadoff legs.  Sunja took the baton matching a rival runner stride for stride as both runners dashed for the inside lane and the race lead off the third turn of the relay.  Sunja could not hold off the runner at the cut in, but Sunja (27.7) stayed close to her rival and had a great handoff with Nikki Fogarty, who (27.2) exploded out of the first turn of her leg as she stayed on the heels of the race leader and set up what was to be an exciting anchor leg for Melissa Michels. 

The third relay pass was perfect and Michels (25.9) set off after the only runner ahead of her. She took the race lead off the first turn and crossed the finish line to cheers from Sachem North and Sachem East athletes, coaches and parents.  The squad gathered, shared hugs, looked at the race clock and turned to the bleachers and their coach.  All four runners ran season-best relay splits on their way to a 1:48.51 finish and 6th place overall at the Stanner Games.  They also learned that the 1998 record stood by a mere .24 seconds after their race.  While disappointed in missing a school record, the now-#2 relay in Sachem history is already looking forward to a return to the Armory at next week’s New Balance Games.

Sachem had other noteworthy performances at the Stanner Games.  Becca Duffy ran a career-best 1:42.34 as she now holds the No. 5 all-time 600 meter mark for Sachem.  Sophomore Oriana Howell ran an outstanding career-best time of 5:55.68 in the 1600 meter run.  Long sprinters Aprilrose Marasco (46.9), Ashley Williams (47.9) and Corri Moran (48.0) and season-best times in the 300-meter dash.  Sophomore middle distance runners Erin Schreck (3:32.18), Monica Abrams (3:35.76) and Patricia Romano (3:37.35) ran season-best times in the 1,000-meter run.  

Sachem splits its squad next Saturday, January 21 as it will attend the Art Mitchell Meet at Suffolk West and the New Balance Games at the Armory.

Sachem East

The Sachem East Girls Track Team enjoyed an action packed and very successful weekend starting with the League 1 Relays Friday night at Suffolk West. With the team departing very early the next morning for the Armory Track and Field Center in Manhattan, a number of the girls were scheduled for only one event, and to make that one event count.

They didn't disappoint. With 12 events in the meet and all 10 League I teams competing, Sachem East placed an impressive 13 relay squads in the top four in events. With Coach Joe Coffey reminding the girls "there are only two weeks until the League I Championships", East won it's first running event, the Sprint Medley Relay, with Rachel Paul, Amanda DiSalvo, Maddy Egan, and Nicole Silvestre teaming up for a 4:28.70. In the next running event, the 4 by 800, East demonstrated it's distance depth placing 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th.

Shannon O'Hehir, Casey Gelderman, Jayda Allen, and Katie Hempfling won in 10:31.07, while Aly Figalora, Meaghan Murphy, Brenna McGuire, and Kristina Garry teamed up for 3rd in 11:15.15. East also ran well in the sprints. The 4 by 200 team of Laurie Semetsis, Ashley Mercado, Essence Sterling, and Alyssa Picascio placed 2nd in 1:55.13, and the Shuttle Hurdle teams of Sam Eng, Paige Picascio, and Shannon Haberkorn, and Danielle Naer, Kate Sullivan, and Danielle Borrelli, placed 1st and 3rd respectively, posting times of 28.47 and 30.74.

East placed third in it's last running event with Nicole Silvestre, Marrisa Smith, Paige Picascio, and Danielle Naer teaming to take 3rd in the 4 by 400 in 4:37.70.
    Sachem East placed at least one team in the top 4 in all the specialty events, led by the 1,2 finish in the Racewalk Relay. Kelly Maranchuk (7:31.37) and Alyssa Furlani (7:39.93) combining for the win, with Holly Lindoe (7:53.41) and Sarah LaPorta (8:01.25) just behind. Amanda DiSalvo (14'6") and Ashley Mercado (14'5") took 4th in the triple jump relay, and Amanda Sluzewski (30'1') and Jess Tracy (28'1") teamed to place 4th in the Triple Jump Relay.

Maddy Egan and Alyssa Naer both cleared 4'8" to take 2nd in the High Jump Relay, and throwers Brittany Sepe (36'9") and Gabby Trejo (33'3") finished out the scoring, placing 2nd in the Shot Put Relay.

Equally impressive were the performances at Saturdays Stanner Games at the Armory. The Hurdlers started off the action with Kate Sullivan running a season best 10.19 to place 9th in the sophomore 55 Hurdles, followed by Stephanie Curtins 3rd place finish in 9.46 in the freshman division. With veteran Sam Eng impressing all season, Shannon Haberkorn finally threw her hat into the League 1 Hurdle ring with a fast 9.78. Maddy Egan, Ashley Mercado, Essence Sterling, and Mel Notarstefano combined for a season best 1:52.19 in the 4 by 200, and Notarstefano also combined with Laurie Semetsis, Rachel Paul, and a gutsy Jackie Wasilko to place 3rd in the 4 by 800 relay (9:28.87), just over one second off the Sachem East school record.

Rachel Paul did set one school record, winning the 3000 in 9:49.64, but again just missed a record as she was a little over a second behind the Suffolk County all-time best. Other impressive performances included the fourth place finish of Brittany Sepe in the Shot Put (36'8.5"), Stephanie Curtin placing sixth in the Pole Vault (9'10"), fast splits by Laurie Semetsis (60.9) and Aly Figalora (63.9) in the 4 by 400, and the impressive doubles by Jayda Allen (1000 in 3:18.80, 65.0 in the 4 by 4) and Shannon O'Hehir (5:24.71 for the mile, 66.9 in the 4 by 4).

Sachem East now has one more tune-up, the Art Mitchell Memorial Track Meet on Saturday, as it prepares to defend it's League 1 title on January 28. Judging by the League Relays results, Sachem East might be pegged as the favorite, but the sprinting and jumping performances of Sachem North, the distance performances of Ward Melville, and the overall depth of teams like Longwood and Commack will make it a challenge. With ten teams in the League and only six scoring places in each event, Sachem East will try score in every event and to use team depth to place highly in all three relays to pull away from the competition.

The East Girls have won three of the last four Indoor League Titles, but certainly the return of Sachem North (from League II) will make it a very exciting meet.