The Huntington High School boys’ and girls’ track teams wrapped up the indoor season with several superb performances at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Championships at the Armory in Manhattan last weekend.
The Huntington boys’ 4x400m relay took fourth place in the championship division to capture All-American honors.
The Blue Devils squared off against a field of 30 that included relay teams from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Texas, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina.
Running under the banner of the Huntington Track Club, Charles Kiviat, Justin Stevens, Anthony Joseph and Johnathan Smith ran the race in 3:20.97.
Analisse Batista Captures Second Place in 400m Dash
Huntington ninth grader Analisse Batista closed out the winter season with a sensational performance in the freshman 400m dash, running a personal best time of 56.94 seconds to take second.
Batista ran in a field of 34 runners representing 12 states, including New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Connecticut, Georgia, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee and Texas as well as Ontario, Canada.
The Blue Devil star’s previous best time in the 400m dash was 59.18 seconds. Huntington head coach Mark Jackson was ecstatic with Batista’s performance in the race.
Blue Devils Win Emerging Elite Sprint Medley Relay
Huntington won the “emerging elite” division of 1600m sprint medley relay. The Blue Devils ran the race in 3:33.91, which ranks them No. 1 on Long Island and No. 6 in the USA.
The sophomore laden relay team dominated from gate to finish. Sophomore Anthony Joseph lead off the 200m leg and handed off to sophomore CJ Kiviat, who also ran a 200m leg. Kiviat passed the baton to senior Johnathan Smith who ran the 400m leg before he handed off to sophomore Isaiah James, who ran the 800m anchor leg.
The “emerging elite” division typically features highly regarded underclassmen. “Huntington led from gate to wire,” head coach Ron Wilson said.
