Blue Devils Win First Suffolk Title
in Last Event
Every point counted. Literally. The Huntington girls’ track and field team needed contributions from its sprinters and hurdlers, distance runners and field event specialists to put it in a position to overtake East Islip in the final event and lift the Blue Devils’ to their first ever Suffolk Division II spring championship last Thursday at Northport.
Huntington nipped East Islip in the final team standings by a mere two points, 91-89. The outcome wasn’t decided until 4x400m relay anchor Katie Nugent’s all-out sprint in the final 100m of that race produced a first place finish and gave the Blue Devils the title they have coveted all spring.
“What a meet,” said Shawn Anderson, Huntington’s head coach. “That was one of the most exciting meets I have ever been a part of, especially since we were in the mix of it. As a coach, I knew that we were prepared, but it was up to the athletes to rise to the occasion and they proved why they were the best team out there today in Division II. East Islip, who we beat by two points, had a stellar turnout from their girls who ran, threw and jumped absolutely amazing. They pushed us all the way to the end!”
Exciting final sequence of events
Huntington trailed East Islip heading into the shot put and the relays, 75-66. Here’s how the final sequence played out:
Betty Huitt came up big for the team in shot put, shattering her previous personal best with a throw that measured 34’8.5 to place fourth and capture four team points, to inch the Blue Devils closer to the top.
In the 4x800m relay, the team of Nugent, Nicole Abbondandelo, Alexandra Koumas and Suzie Petryk turned in a typically gutty performance. The foursome notched a winning time of 9:38.65, shy of their best this spring, but outstanding in light of the fact that most of them had run two prior races, including Koumas, who only had about 30 minutes rest after her 400m hurdles final. East Islip took third in the race.
The 4x100m relay was next and the Blue Devil team of Samantha Glicker, Lexi Mills, Maliyah Davis-Coddington and Marina Ruzic earned Huntington a valuable point with a sixth place finish in 52.47 seconds. East Islip took second in the race.
As Huntington’s 4x400m relay team of Anna Gulizio, Latoya Shand, Alexis Pastorelli and Nugent took the track, Anderson knew that a victory in the race would give the Blue Devils the Suffolk Division II title. A second place finish would give the team a tie in the standings with East Islip and a third place finish would mean letting the county crown slip through their collective fingers.
The team’s splits of 59.6, 58.5, 1:02.9 and 58.6 produced a new school record of 3:59.64. “We were in second going into the final leg,” Anderson said. Nugent accelerated going into the final turn and caught West Babylon at the top of the stretch. It was an all-out sprint in the final 100m, producing a victory by a mere 65/100ths of a second.
“It was one of the most intense races I have seen and with the win, came the title,” Anderson said. Since East Islip didn’t have a team running in the race, they were unable to score any points, while Huntington’s finish allowed it to overcome its deficit.
In other action:
• 800m run: Suzie Petryk and Katie Nugent ran great races, finishing 1-2. Petryk covered the distance in an efficient time of 2:16.18. Nugent just edged out the third place finisher from Half Hollow Hills West by 4/100ths of a second, running a personal best time of 2:19.22.
• 400m hurdles: Alexandra Koumas set a new Huntington record by posting a time of 1:05.06 seconds as she swept across the finish line in second place.
• 3000m run: Nicole Abbondandelo finished third after a “super-fast start,” Anderson said. The freshman crossed the line in 10:44.99.
• Discus: Nina Cartwright threw a personal best distance of 91’2, just missing a top six finish.
• 2000m steeplechase: Suzie Petryk cruised to victory in 7:12.80. Alexis Pastorelli finished fifth in 7:43.90, a new personal best time for the talented sophomore.
• 1500m run: Suzie Petryk returned to the track a short time later to finish second in 4:52.54, making sure to save some energy for the all-important relay that was contested near the end of the competition. Nicole Abbondandelo placed fifth in a new personal best time of 4:58.96. The teenager would later run in the 4x400m relay that clinched the county divisional title for the Blue Devils.
• 400m dash: - Latoya Shand finished fourth in 58.63 seconds. “Latoya was an unsung hero for us as she ran four races on Tuesday and two races on Thursday for us,” Anderson said. “She’s quiet, yet fierce and always lays it out on the track.”
• 1500m race walk: Kayla Eidle placed fifth in 7:55.45, gaining the Blue Devils valuable points in the team standings.
• Pole vault: Nina Cartwright cleared 9-feet to finish in a tie for third place. It was a strong showing, but the teenager still expects to clear 10-feet in the future.
• Shot put: Katie Nugent notched a personal best (32’3.75) when she launched three consecutive throws about 10 minutes prior to running in the 4x800m relay.
• Final team standings: 1. Huntington (91 points); 2. East Islip (89); 3. North Babylon (66); 4. Smithtown West (48.5); 5. Smithtown East (42.5); 6. West Islip (42.5); 7. Half Hollow Hills West (41); 8. Kings Park (37); 9. Copiague (33); 10. Eastport-South Manor (30); 11. West Babylon (25); 12. Riverhead (17); 12. Hauppauge (17); 14. Harborfields (15); 15. Bellport (11); 15. Comsewogue (11).
“Each and every girl laid out their best efforts on the track and had some absolutely stellar performances,” Anderson said. “With such a historic day, it will be fun to see how we do at the state qualifier meet this Friday and Saturday at Port Jefferson.”
The Blue Devils are on a roll this spring, winning the league and Suffolk Division II titles. Anderson hopes the good times continue into the state championships.