Sachem North won its second consecutive League 1 Championship Meet at Suffolk West last weekend. The North Flaming Arrows scored 163 team points as it scored in thirteen of the meet’s fifteen events. Key to the team’s victory was a balanced line-up that was talented enough to score in both sprint and distance events as well as win every field event contested at the championship meet. Sachem also possesses depth shown as the team scored multiple athletes in eight of the meet’s open events. Sachem scored three athletes in five events.
The format of the League Championship Meet is unique to Suffolk County track and field. League Championships (there are five indoor season leagues based on high schools’ grade 912 population) is the only championship meet in winter or spring track and field where the opponent line-ups are not known until athletes report to clerking areas on meet day. Teams are limited to three athletes per event and one squad for each of the three relays in the meet. Line-ups are submitted to meet officials thirty minutes before the start of the meet who then set up race heats and sections as well as field event flights. Sachem North coaches had lengthy discussions in the days leading up to Leagues as they wrote out rival team line-ups with a goal of creating a Sachem North line-up that would create desired match-ups and maximize point scoring opportunities. This information would be shared with each of the 35 North Flaming Arrows competitors before their contests.
Many decisions were easy to make. Put your best athletes in their best events. Decisions had to be made on how to use distance runners. There is a three event rule at Leagues. But doubling distance runners in the fast-paced two and one-half hour meet format left little time for those athletes for post-race cool-downs, second warm-ups and second race preparations. Two seniors – Monica Abrams and Katie Michta – would be tapped to run distance doubles today. Talented sprinter-field eventers Sunja Joseph, Nicole Costanzo, Gabriella Czerw, Leah Blackall and Kelly Gardner would also compete twice. Melissa Michels, Alyssa Leto and Nikki Fogarty would compete three times each today. The entire multi-event squad came through as the ten athletes scored a collective 111 team points as well as factored in each of the three scoring relays.
Sachem athletes were in good spirits when they arrived at Suffolk West today. While a team senior photo was being taken outside the field house, underclass team members hung posters celebrating Class of 2014 achievements above the bleacher seats that would serve as the team area for the meet. After cheering the seniors upon their arrival to be “surprised” as Sachem seniors are every year at Leagues, a team warm-up began. The team was focused as athletes began warming up for events. The first events – shotput, high jump, triple jump and 3000 – were called to clerking areas. It was a little before the scheduled 9:00 a.m. start of the meet.
Sachem coaches projected that the team could score over 130 points today. There seemed to be a cushion between North and cross-district rival Sachem East. But North had a cushion going into relays last year that was quickly lost when a botched handoff in the 4×200 cut a double digit lead in half. North’s 4×800 closed out the meet’s final event with a strong third place finish in the 4×800 as North won the league title.
Projections and cushions aside, Sachem was not at full strength today. Junior Elise Ramirez – one of the county’s top distance runners – was held out of the meet due to injury. Senior Corri Moran – one of the team’s top long sprinters – was lost for the season due to a broken leg suffered at the end of her volleyball season. Sprinter Alyssa Leto was slated to compete three times today. She would suffer from nausea and bouts of vomiting throughout the meet. Sachem coaches would keep an eye on her. Despite purging the mostly fluid contents of her stomach more times than she could count this morning, Alyssa made it through the meet taking a first (4×200), a second (55 m. dash) and a third (300 m.) on the day. After the meet, Coach Young would quietly remark to the pale and drained junior, “Not bad for a bad day.”
Such obstacles are not unusual in any sport at any level. Alyssa – like her teammates – followed one of the team mantras that obstacles are overcome, run over or run through but never run away from. Sachem’s distance squad had demonstrated this mantra more visually and dramatically on Wednesday as frigid temperatures in the mid-teens with a wind chill making it feel colder kept the team indoors for the second straight day. Following a tough workout, the team was challenged to run a shorts and tee-shirt mandatory cool-down outside. The aptly named cool-down was optional. Additional layers were also allowed. No distance squad members chose to stay inside. And none wore layers over their shorts and tee-shirts. The squad laughed and sang their way from North to Samoset through frozen slush and snow before a return trip to their home building. They passed a heavily layered and bemused boys team along the way. Later, Coach Young explained the purpose of the brief run to a questioning boys’ team member. The athlete got the point.
As usual in big meets, Sachem coaches would have limited contact with each other as Coaches Young, Lasher, Stillufsen and Wood moved to the event areas each coached and prepared athletes for event warm-ups and competition. Just before 9:00, spectators began stirring as the 3000 meter run athletes were walked to the starting line by meet officials. Sachem athletes cheered for Katie Michta, Gabriella Mott and Julia Reilly as they passed the team bleacher area a few meters behind the track’s start-finish line.
Below is an event-by-event summary of today’s meet.
3000 m.: Sachem had modest scoring goals in the 3000 m. run. League 1’s distance runners were enjoying a typically strong season and North – without Elise Ramirez – would be missing a strong weapon today. Senior Captain Katie Michta led Sachem’s two mile squad all season and would lead the charge in the 3000 today. Katie was Sachem’s long distance runner of the meet as she totaled 4500 race meters today – just short of three miles. Katie settled in behind the lead pack for most of the first mile. She began picking off runners halfway through the race and moved into scoring position when she took over 6th place in the race. Katie continued closing on and passing rival runners until she moved into 4th place with just more than a quarter mile left in her race. Katie would hold on to this spot. Eighth grader Gabriella Mott trailed Katie and the lead pack for her first mile.
In 14th place through the half mile mark, Gabriella began picking off rivals as she began a charge for the lead pack. Gabriella began an attack on the lead pack that would bring her up to 5th place with a quarter mile to go. Katie and Gabriella crossed the finish line one place and four seconds apart to team cheers. Sachem coaches – hoping for a chance to score one team point in the event, scored 6 points in the meet’s first event. Sachem East, projected by North coaches to score as many as 22 points in the event scored 18 points. The first event score of 18-6 deficit was far better than expected. If a meet victory can be determined based on a twelve point gap in the first of fifteen events, this was it. There would be no more scoreboard watching by Sachem coaches today. Julia Reilly, Sachem’s third entrant in the race, ran a season-best time.
55 m. Semis: Melissa Michels and Alyssa Leto make finals as expected. Both would compete three times today. Alyssa vomited and rehydrated post-run. The duo quickly regrouped to prepare for finals. Sophomore Kelly Gardner nearly matched her season-best time with a 7.85 mark. She would return to the track to anchor the 4×200 in the meet’s penultimate race. The team had discussed last year’s handoff snafu. The relay had some unfinished business to attend to.
1,000 m.: Monica Abrams was the topic of coaches’ discussion during the days leading up to Leagues. Point scoring was a priority. Senior captain Monica was her team’s top middle distance runner and had been running season-best marks in all of her events over the past several weeks. If running the 1000 would cost the 4×800 a place – two precious points – it was not worth it. And Monica was not considered a top six scoring favorite in Sachem coaches own line-ups for the 1000. Still, Monica had been at the front of all workout sessions throughout the season and was getting faster by the day. She ran a 3:25.5 in her last 1000. It might take a sub-3:20 to score in the 1000 today. The decision was made. Monica would run two middle distance events at Leagues.
She was entered in the 1000 and she would lead-off the 4×800. Monica was the #10 and slowest seed on the starting line of the seeded section of the 1000. As the gun went off, Monica settled behind the rest of the field and cruised through the first two laps in contact with the field. Monica covered moves by the main pack and moved ahead of two rivals as the field began to spread. Monica made her final move with just over 300 meters to go and surged into 6th place – a spot she would hold with a furious kick as she crossed the finish line in a career-best 3:21.04 and a sixth place finish. Teammates Kathryn Wagner and Katie Pfeil also ran career-best times in the 1000.
Triple Jump: Sunja Joseph was pumped up for her last League Championship Meet. A three year team member, Sunja did not compete in her freshman year as she was a member of Sachem’s basketball team. Sunja was a big part of Sachem’s success over the past three indoor seasons and today was to be no different. Sunja had a season-best triple jump day as she won the event with a 37’ 1” mark breaking the championship meet record she set a year ago. Teammate Nikki Fogarty placed second with a season-best 34’ 11 ¾” mark between jumps at high jump and Gabriella Czerw placed 5th with a 33’ ½” mark. 20 points in Sachem’s first completed field event of the day. Sachem’s field event athletes were just getting started.
55 m. Finals: Alyssa and Melissa placed second and third in finals scoring 14 big points for Sachem. Sachem sprinters (55, 300, 4×200) would score 38 team points for the North Flaming Arrows today. Melissa headed to long jump. Alyssa continued her meet-long bouts with nausea and vomiting as she took advantage of a break before beginning warm-ups for the 300.
55 m. Hurdles Semis: Nikki was the busiest Sachem athlete today. Nikki began the day by getting her steps in triple jump before doing the same at high jump. Warm-ups for hurdles were next before heading back for the start of triple jump. When Coach Young suggested to Nikki that she return to high jump after her second – and good attempt – in triple jump, Nikki declined not wanting to miss a final jump. Now between heights at high jump, Nikki jogged over to the starting line of the high hurdles. 8.81 seconds – a career-best – after the starter’s pistol sounded, Nikki ran the fastest time of preliminaries. She jogged back to high jump after her race already anticipating her finals race against Longwood’s Crystal Henderson. Senior Melissa Muller ran a career-best 9.95 time in her heat and sophomore Nicole Costanzo ran a 9.93.
600 m.: A trio of battle-tested sophomores were entered into the 600 meter run. Jess Humann ran her finest race of the season as she took over Sachem’s 600 leaderboard with her career-best 1:53.10 time. Teammate Cara Hoffman ran a season-best time as she broke the 2:00 mark in her second-ever 600 meter race. Elaina DiSalvo – learning she was running her first-ever 600 after Sachem arrived at Suffolk West – ran an outstanding race with a great kick and a 1:59.88 time.
55 . Hurdles Finals: Nikki and Longwood’s Crystal Henderson were tied for Suffolk’s #2 mark in times of 8.86 going into today’s meet. Nikki won her preliminary heat in a career best 8.81. Crystal was second in her heat in 9.35 behind her teammate and Suffolk #7 Brianna Sweeny (9.06). Nikki would be surrounded by a pride of Longwood Lady Lions at the starting line. Nikki exploded out of the starting blocks at the sound of the starter’s pistol. A race with Crystal never materialized as Longwood’s top hurdler miss-stepped and finish last in finals. Nikki won the race in 8.89. Sweeny took second in 9.04. Nikki returned to high jump as one of only four remaining jumpers. Two of the other remaining jumpers were Nikki’s teammates.
1500 m.: Senior Oriana Howell got chasing duties in the 1500. The 1500 is a fickle event at Leagues. Top runners are often held out of the 1500 to run relays. North coaches guessed that the 1500 was Commack’s Erin Neville’s best event. They guessed right. Sachem East’s Shannon O’Hehir and Katie Hempfling – veteran leaders and links to East’s last League champion team took to the starting line in their first races of the day. Middle Country’s top distance runner Olivia Janssen and William Floyd’s Toniann Cutrone were also on the line for the first time today. Commack’s Jill Dieterich was also in the race. Sachem coaches guessed right on the race with a notable exception. Sachem expected East’s O’Hehir to be in her second open event of the day and did not expect Hempfling – enjoying her finest indoor season) in the 1500, believing she would teammate Alex DiCicco to take 14 points behind Ward Melville’s Alesia Mucklebust in the 1000.
Oriana would never get to see the race she hoped for materialize. Oriana placed 3rd in the unseeded section and could only watch and wonder what might have been as Hempfling won the 1500 with Neville finishing 2nd and O’Hehir 3rd. North’s Brigid Rattiger and Ashley Miskovsky each finished one second off of season-best marks in the race.
Shotput: Senior co-captain Kaitlyn Okvist was excited about Leagues. She was the top seeded thrower in League 1 and had just finished her second straight undefeated crossover season. Alyssa’s outstanding senior season had qualified her for the championship field at Stanner Games and for the Yale Track Classic (which only accepts 25 shotputters). Kaitlyn took control of shotput with a 33’ 0” mark on her first throw. She began finals as the final thrower out of the seven final round qualifiers. Kaitlyn’s last two throws in finals were also good enough to win the event. Teammates cheered and hugged Kaitlyn as she won her first league championship. No team member works harder than Kaitlyn. No team member received more heartfelt cheers for an outstanding performance today. Kaitlyn’s senior teammates co-captain Stefania Baglivo and Jenn Bloom each had their best throws in their final throws of their respective flights. After the conclusion of shotput, the three close friends hugged as they shared a special memory of their final indoor meet together.
Long Jump: For the second straight year, Melissa Michels heard a call for the 300 to clerk in before taking any jumps at long jump. The seeded section of the 1500 was just getting under way before Melissa took her first jump. As the top seed in the 300, Melissa knew she would be in the final section of the 300, so she had time to get in a jump or two before heading over to the start of the 300. Knowing that time was not a factor and moved into flight one by an official at the request of Coach Lasher, Melissa stayed focused on the task at hand. Melissa was able to get in all three jumps in rotation before crossing the infield to the start of the 300. She had flight one’s leading mark with a season-best 16’ 10” jump. Her mark would earn her a 2nd place finish in the event. Minutes after taking her third and final jump, Melissa stood on the starting line of the 300.
Sunja Joseph, one of her team’s most vocal leaders, called a team huddle at the conclusion of yesterday’s practice. She implored her teammates to do their best with her motivational words. Sunja prepared for her three long jumps by visualizing her take-off and landing. Sunja – true to her history of big performances in big meets – won the event with a season-best 17’ 4” leap and became Sachem’s only double League 1 Champion on the day. More importantly, Sunja hit the standard to qualify for States as a top 3 finisher at State Quals. Sunja already hit the standard in triple jump earlier in the winter season. Sophomore Leah Blackall leaped into 4th place with her 16’ 5 ¼” third jump. Another dominating field event performance by Sachem athletes
300 m.: Alyssa would lose count of her bouts of vomiting on the day. She was resolute as she stood on the starting line. “Let your training take over,” advised Coach Young. Melissa, in her third and final event of the day, stood next to Brentwood’s Shiseido Robinson who, as expected, was running her first event of the day. The trio would figure in top three scoring less than 45 seconds after the starter’s pistol sounded. As the race started, Robinson took the lead. Melissa gave chase and Alyssa fought to stay in contact with the two front-runners. Melissa began a drive that would close the gap on Robinson with 100 meters to go. Melissa ran out of track and was held off by .24 seconds. Alyssa found her sprint rhythm after the 100 mark and moved from 5th to 3rd place in the last 100 meters. Melissa finished the day with 22 open event points for Sachem. Alyssa’s 4×200 relay teammates had already reported to the clerking area. Another visit to a nearby garbage pail. A little more hydration and Alyssa joined her relay teammates.
High Jump: Coach Stillufsen brought news over from high jump to Coach Young. “A sweep,” reported Stillufsen. Senior co-captain Gabriella Czerw won high jump for the second straight year with a 4’ 10” jump. Sophomore Mara Bigornia, enjoying a breakout season, matched her 4’ 10” career-best before taking three good attempts at 5’ 0”. Mara placed 2nd in the event based on misses at an earlier height. Nikki Fogarty concluded her busy and successful field event day with a third place 4’ 8” jump. With field events over for Sachem, all North Flaming Arrows athletes looked to the 1500 meter racewalk starting line as All-American and US top-ranked scholastic racewalker Katie Michta and teammates and US #5 and #6 Natalie DeQuarto and Kaitlin Martins waited for the starter’s commands.
1500 m. Racewalk: Senior co-captain Katie Michta scored four big points in the meet’s first event 3000 meter run. As the gun sounded, Katie – showing no signs of wear or fatigue – took the pace and raced to a virtual time trial winning time of 7:08.94 and a league championship. Teammates Natalie DeQuarto and Kaitlin Martins moved together to control the next two spots. Teammates cheered with each lap completed by the trio. 20 seconds after Katie won the race, Natalie crossed the finish line. Kaitlin was at Natalie’s elbow .08 seconds back. This was the second event sweep in a matter of minutes for Sachem. Field and specialty event athletes (jumps, shotput, hurdles, racewalk) scored 110 points for Sachem today. Only the relays remained. In the moments before the relays began, Sachem coaches understood that meet was well in hand. The North Flaming Arrows had already exceeded team point goals. Coach Young turned to League Championship meet records and results notes on his clipboard. Turning to Coaches Lasher, Stillufsen and Wood, Young reported that Sachem had a chance to break the team scoring record of 161 points scored by a 2003 Ward Melville team. To do so, Sachem relays would have to exceed coaches’ relay projections.
4×400 m. Relay: Sachem hoped to score at least 14 relay points today. The 4×400 squad was the least experienced squad of the day for Sachem. Rookie frosh Samantha Sommers would leadoff the relay. Sophomores Lauren Driscoll and Nicole Costanzo would handle the middle legs. The veteran of the squad was Ali Van Sicklin. Junior Ali Van was having her first healthy indoor season in her third year on the team. Pneumonia (freshman year) and a knee injury (sophomore) had curtailed earlier seasons. Ali had established herself as the leader of the 4×400 at Millrose Games trials o=less than three weeks ago. She showed middle distance range with a strong 4×800 leg at the Yale Track Classic last weekend. All four relay runners had strong legs today. Samantha stuck to rule #1 of relays – she kept the stick in the race. Eight teams crowded the starting line.
Samantha ran with veteran poise gained in many big races throughout her rookie season and handed off the baton to teammate Lauren in a crowded exchange zone. Lauren attacked her leg and moved past runners on lap one. She would have to battle rivals throughout her strong leg. All handoffs were outstanding today. A good handoff from Lauren to teammate Nicole Costanzo for leg three. Nicole was in in her first championship meet and second race of the day. Nicole ran a season-best split to loud cheers as she sprinted her two laps and handed off to anchor Ali. Ali moved into 4th place (she received the baton in 6th) as she began lap two. She then gave chase to Ward Melville’s and Brentwood’s anchors falling short by less than a second to both. A 4th place finish was a great start in the relays for Sachem.
4×200 m. Relay: Sachem expected Longwood to be its primary competition in the 4×200. The North Flaming Arrows would be without its fastest leg Melissa Michels and one of its top sprinters Nikki Fogarty as each had competed in three open events today. In a bit of a shake-up in relay order, Alyssa Leto was moved from her typical leadoff position to second leg. Sophomore Leah Blackall, today’s leadoff leg, was a very good sprint starter. Alyssa’s relay experience made her ideal to handle two handoffs – from Leah and to sophomore third leg Ariana Mosquera. Ariana – in her first indoor season after a great freshman season on the spring team – was in her biggest race of the season and in her two year track career for Sachem. Today’s anchor would be sophomore Kelly Gardner. Kelly is described as Pac-Woman by Coach Young. Kelly’s is her team’s tallest sprinter at 5’ 9”.
Kelly’s gobbled up track with her strong, powerful strides and would get the task of battling Longwood’s anchor today. Alyssa was drained after a tough day battling a stomach ailment and Coach Young began to ask her if she was able to run her final race of the day as alternates were ready. He didn’t get to finish his question as Alyssa waved him off. As the starter’s pistol sounded, Leah exploded off the starting line. Leah and Longwood’s leadoff leg were separated by inches as the first handoff exchange was made. Alyssa took off and quickly moved into the lead. Just over 27 seconds later, passing cheering teammates standing in the bleachers as she entered the exchange zone, Alyssa handed off the baton to Ariana several meters ahead of Longwood. Ariana raced around the track with Longwood in chase. Longwood’s third leg caught Ariana on the backstretch but Ariana maintained close contact and handed off to a determined Kelly. Kelly gave chase to Longwood’s anchor as the two briefly disappeared behind the infield bleachers on the track’s first turn. Sachem coaches, watching the race from the infield, saw Kelly emerge from the turn in the lead a split second before Sachem athletes, having to wait a little longer from the team area in the homestretch bleachers, saw the same thing. Sachem athletes erupted in the loudest cheers of the day as Kelly extended her lead through the last 150 meters of her race. Sachem won the relay by just over three seconds.
4×800 m. Relay: Sachem’s 4×800 had three fresh legs today. Only leadoff leg Monica Abrams had run an earlier event. Teammates Patricia Romano, Mackenzie Coleman and Emily Lin were held out of open events as Sachem did not to be caught short if the meet came down to the 4×800 as it had a year earlier. Ward Melville’s 4×800 with League 1 star Alesia Mucklebust took control of the relay. Monica fell off the pace set by Ward Melville, Sachem East and Commack and left it to her teammates to try to cover and close a gap that developed quickly in the race. Sachem’s race became one in which the squad held off Middle Country and Pat-Med relay squads behind Patricia’s and Mackenzie’s (team leading) strong legs. Anchor Emily Lin was not going to be able to close on Commack star Erin Neville but she did hold on to the team’s 4th place spot – a place hope for by coaches before the meet began. Sachem scored 18 relay points today – ahead of coaches’ projections and enough to set a new standard for League 1 Championship Meet team scoring.
While the outcome of the meet was known, Sachem coaches joined other League 1 coaches at the results table to await final race results. Team co-captain Melissa Michels was asked to organize the team for a brief three lap warm-down in the few minutes while the track was open before the League 2 Championship Meet was to begin. Coach Kevin Bullock of Longwood approached Sachem coaches at the scoring table and was very gracious in his congratulations and praise of Sachem North athletes. Coach Bullock has a connection with Sachem. He was an All-County pole vaulter for Sachem and an athlete coached by Coach Young when Young coached Sachem’s boys track team for three years at the start of his own coaching career in the early 1990s. Coach Bullock’s team had a successful meet with a young and talented squad as they finished third in team standings for the second straight year.
Shortly after final race results were posted, Sachem coaches brought a quiet and patiently awaiting team meet results. “Congratulations on repeating as League 1 champions!” declared Coach Young to a cheering team. Young concluded his brief remarks as he said “Some things happen by accident. Your performances today were no accident as they were the results of hard training, a great team work ethic and team spirit all season. We did not begin this meet with a plan or goal to score more points than any other team in League 1 history. Ward Melville set the team scoring record with 161 points in 2003. Congratulations on setting a new team scoring record with 163 team points!” More cheers and the team headed outside for a team picture before heading back to Sachem North to hand out medals and look ahead to the next round of training before next Saturday’s County Championship meet and a showdown with powerhouse Bay Shore.
-Submitted by Sachem North coach Alex Young