The Suffolk Coaches Girls Track & Field Invitational began its fourth decade at host school Sachem North today. The mid-season “coming out party” for Suffolk County track and field has been hosted by Bay Shore for most of the last two decades. Sachem North took on hosting and meet director duties for the first time since 1999 when the County Championship Meet was held at the school.
Sachem North coaches, athletes, parents, volunteers and Sachem’s outstanding Athletic Department, grounds and custodial staff, security and many others ensured that the meet would be a great experience for all. Mother Nature smiled on Sachem North’s track complex with perfect track and field weather as temperature approached 70 degrees under sunny skies with the calmest of breezes.
At 8:00 a.m., the track was already buzzing as the first of 45 teams arrived for the 30th edition of the meet. Two-thousand athletes were preparing for competition as the first sound of the start’s pistol was heard at 9:30 a.m. There would be non-stop action for the next seven hours. By the end of the afternoon, many athletes at the meet would be among the top-ranked NYS (New York State) track and field athletes.
Three athletes – Katie Michta of Sachem North and Anisa Toppin and Imani McGhee of Bay Shore would be number one in their respective events. Michta continues to dominate racewalk as the China-bound (USA team member for the IAAF Racewalk World Cup in May) athlete set a facility record in the 1500 m. racewalk. Toppin (triple jump) and McGhee (long jump) also set Sachem North facility records as both leaped to NYS #1 rankings.
Athletes from sixteen teams won gold medals today. Long Island’s #1 ranked team Bay Shore took six firsts. Sachem North was right behind with five gold medal efforts. North Babylon followed with four place performances. Sachem took gold behind Katie Michta (open racewalk), Kaitlin Martins (frosh-soph racewalk), Leah Blackall (frosh-soph long jump and frosh-soph triple jump) and the 4×100 meter relay squad of Alyssa Leto, Leah Blackall, Nikki Fogarty and Melissa Michels. Sophomore Leah Blackall had her greatest day as a Sachem athlete with three gold medal performances.
Melissa Michels earned three medals of her own as she anchored the winning 4×100, placed second in the 100 meter dash and took fifth in the 200. Rachel Heymach was one of fifteen Sachem North athletes to move into top 25 NYS rankings today. Heymach took third in the open pole vault with a career-best 9’ 6” vault. A young, talented squad of racewalkers is developing behind Sachem’s Nationals-experienced veteran seniors Michta and Natalie DeQuarto and sophomore Martins.
The trio make up three of NYS top-ranked four racewalkers. They are joined by NYS #19 Meghan Tozza, #29 Emily Leath, #53 Jessica Levine and #56 Denise Barrera. The latter four are sophomores and freshman (Levine). Sachem will continue to be a hotbed of some of the nation’s top racewalk talent for the next several years. One does not have to travel far to see more of the nation’s top talent – another deep squad is located at Sachem East.
The North Flaming Arrows Girls Track & Field team has many to thank for making today’s meet a success. Team parents ran a busy concession stand, managed the visiting coaches’ station, ran a results and medals department and took on hurdles crew and pit-raking duties. National Honor Society volunteers helped officials at clerking and field event stations. 2013 team alumni Kelly Lavan and Kristina Schrepf assisted in the press box and at the finish line.
Team members arrived before 7:30 this morning to set up for the meet (and some stayed after practice yesterday to assist with meet duties). Sachem alum and current Hauppauge track coach Cailey Wood took on meet announcing duties. Members of the boys track team ran up to the track after returning from their successful day at the Suffolk Officials Meet (held at Mt. Sinai) to help out.
Four Lake Ronkonkoma Fire Department EMT’s stood watch (along with an emergency vehicle and driver) at the meet. Their services would be needed to deal with an athlete in distress in the early afternoon. A quick response and transport of the athlete to Stony Brook hospital was greatly appreciated by a team, its coach and the athlete’s parents.
North principal John Dolan was on hand for parts of the morning and afternoon. He expressed his appreciation of and thanks to many who made the day a success. Team members enjoyed his encouragement and cheers. Many coaches and officials also expressed their thanks for the efforts put forth by Sachem North today.
A competition day that begin with an inspiring singing of the National Anthem by team members Erica Sime and Lauren Driscoll ended with post-meet cheers for outstanding performances at a brief end-of-meet team meeting. Before heading home for a well-earned evening of family, dinner and rest, Sachem athletes had one more task – litter patrol. More than 100 athletes quickly cleared the facility and bleachers of water bottles and other debris left behind.
This was the first of four meets in a busy school vacation week for the team. Sachem will travel to Port Jefferson High School’s Steeplefest Plus next Wednesday and to Connetquot’s Joe Brandi Relays next Saturday before returning home on Monday, April 21 for its Senior Day meet against visiting Lindenhurst.
-Submitted by Sachem coach Alex Young