Blue Devil Girls' Track Nips Islip, 75-74
They were bracing for a close meet, but there is no way the Huntington High School girls' track and field team could ever have imagined their Suffolk League V battle with host Islip would come down to the smallest of margins.
"We knew that our meet against Islip was going to be the closest meet of our season," Blue Devil head coach Jennifer Fudens said. "We also knew that if we won this meet we would finish second in our league. Something that hasn't been accomplished since, well, I wish I could find out the year! We knew that every point was going to count and in the end that's what it came down to, a single point.
As the team bus began to pull away from Louis D. Giani Gymnasium, rain started to fall. When the Blue Devils arrived at Islip High School, there was a light drizzle and the team knew it probably wouldn't get any better. As the meet between the two proud programs progressed, the weather became more challenging, with heavier rain and strong winds. The pole vault was eventually cancelled due to weather related safety issues.
"Before we got off the bus we asked our girls to run with heart and make sure they left the track with no regrets," Fudens said. "We wanted to be sure that the girls knew they had to finish each race being able to say that they gave it all they had."
Huntington rode to victory on the wings of some special performances, including:
• Maia Cadle-Hinton and Raynisha Witherspoon placed 1-2 in the discus and first and third, respectively, in the shot put, securing points for the Blue Devils that the team knew they had to deny Islip.
• Hayley Drace returned from an injury to finish second in the triple jump with an effort that measured 29'7 ½.
• Jen Polster captured second in the long jumped with a leap of 14'3 ¾.
• Suzie Petryk and Alex Koumas dominated in the 1500m, finishing 1-2.
• Adelia Witt took second in the 400m with a personal best performance of 64.1 seconds.
• Dania Merilan remained undefeated in the 100m by crossing the finish line first in 13.1 seconds, a mere tenth of a second in front of the runner-up. Merilan was second in the 200m in 27.7
• Eighth grader Latoya Shand placed third in the 100m and third in the 200m.
• In the 1500m race-walk, Christine Simpson dug deep and battled Islip to a third place finish in a personal best time of 8:52.4.
• Rachel Boisclair ran to a second place finish in the 800m in 2:36.
• Alexandra Martinolich captured third place in the 400IM hurdles in a time of 1:17.7.
• Suzie Petryk and Kiara Roman did their part with a 1-2 finish in the 3000m. Just 15 minutes later, the pair was part of the winning 4x800m relay.
• On the afternoon, Petryk placed first in the 1500m, 3000m and 4x800m relay. "She really dug deep to pull out exceptional performances," Fudens said. Roman also placed in all three distance events.
• Naomi Medina-Juandes ran a personal best time of 18.2 seconds in the 100m high hurdles.
• Kayla Eidle best 1500m time, swooping across the finish line in 5:53.2.
• Lexi Mills and Tara Purcell both set personal records in the 400m.
The Final Sequence
Islip led the Blue Devils, 74-60 entering the final three relay events. "We knew we would have to win all three relays to win the meet," Fudens said. "I stayed away from the finish line during the relays, standing on the other side of the track. That's where I like to coach the relays from; from the point on the track where they get tired and they want to succumb to what their bodies are telling them to do - stop. I knew that's where I needed to be. Coaching them and reminding them that they had more in them and that they needed to push through, dig deep and run faster."
With Fudens positioned on the opposite side and assistant coach Kevin Thorbourne at the passing zone, the Blue Devil girls were always within earshot of a coach. The strategy paid off handsomely with all three relays crossing the line first.
Huntington's relays included:
• 4x100m: Samantha Glicker, Jen Polster, Latoya Shand and Dania Merilan.
• 4x400m: Rachel Boisclair, Jontae Smith, Adelia Witt and Alex Martinolich.
• 4x800m: Alex Koumas, Kerri Giambruno, Suzie Petryk and Kiara Roman.
The three relay wins gave Huntington 15 points and a 75-74 meet victory, which allowed the Blue Devils to claim second place in League V. "We waited to get on the bus to tell the girls that we won," Fudens said. "When we did, the bus erupted in loud cheers, screams and applause." Jessica Tucker even led a team cheer.
Throughout the season, Fudens and Thorbourne have watched the team come to practice each day prepared to give its best. "We've worked the girls hard in practice and have consistently pushed them past what they were comfortable with," Fudens said. "In a way, that's what track and field is about; finding your comfort zone and always pushing beyond it. Each girl gave all she had at this meet. And in the end, all they had was all they needed."