LARGE SCHOOLS PREVIEW
It simply has too much depth and can score in too many events. That’s what rival coaches say about Bay Shore. The Marauders are defending outdoor and indoor champions and have a roster almost devoid of deficiencies. Cherrice Brown is one of the top throwers, Alexis Barrau is a great jumper, Darleen Eiermann took second in the pentathlon and they’ve got a championship 4 x 800 relay team led by Stephanie Barnes. Air tight. They topped Ward Melville, 117-79, last spring for the Division I championship. Steve Borbet’s 36th season could be his last as the coach has contemplated retirement.
Ward Melville poses the greatest threat to usurping Bay Shore. The Patriots have perhaps the best distance team, led by Mary Kate Anselmini and Caroline O’Hea (first and second in the 1500 meters this winter), but haven’t been able to contend in the field events. They came up short, 72.6-62, in the winter championship but coach Tom Youngs, having added some jumpers and throwers, believes this team will be more balanced.
North Babylon, which took third in the winter, has improved greatly. It features Long Island’s top thrower in Vanessa Stewart, a two-time Ed Nook award-winner who holds the Suffolk shot-put record, and has a quality sprinter/hurdler in Victoria Mandat.
Kings Park lost several seniors, including Katrina Chalmers, but is the defending division champs and has depth, including promising sophomores Tara Greco and Christina Wyckoff.
Other contenders include Longwood (with Jennifer Johnson), Sachem East (Lisa Luchsinger) and Brentwood (Essence Felder).c
Girls Track
Derrick Adkins Classic at Mitchel Athletic Complex.
In girls field events, Jordan Holt of Longwood won the high jump (5 feet), Seaford’s Stephanie Meyer won the long jump (16-2), Kerri Dutton (Massapequa) took the pole vault (8-6) and Francine Orekoya won the shot put (30-2 3/4) for Malverne. April 14
Longwood 95 Middle Country 40. April 28
Longwood 83 Ward Melville 46. May 7
SUFFOLK GIRLS TRACK Luchsinger nails 100, 200
Henry, Marcus. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 08 June 2009:
It’s becoming a steady routine for Lisa Luchsinger.
The junior sprinter from Sachem East won the 100 and 200 meters at the Suffolk state qualifiers at Port Jefferson yesterday.
It’s the third straight year Luchsinger qualified for the state meet, which begins Friday at Cicero-North Syracuse. And it is the second straight year she qualified in both the 100 and 200.
The difference this season is that she set a school record in the 200 (25.25 seconds). She won the 100 in 12.47. “I had to get out to the quickest start I could,” Luchsinger said.
Luchsinger wasn’t the only one to qualify in multiple events. Bay Shore’s Stephanie Barnes won the triple jump (39 feet, 4 1/2 inches), was second in the long jump (17-7 3/4) and was part of the winning 4×800 relay team.
Teammate Darleen Eiermann took second in the 400 hurdles (1:04.74) and was also part of Bay Shore’s 4×800 team. Shoreham-Wading River’s Ashley Clasen qualified with second-place finishes in the shot put (39-2 1/4) and discus (126-8).
Ward Melville sophomore Mary Kate Anselmini won the 2,000 steeplechase in a school-record time of 6:50.07.
The temperature, which hit 83 degrees, took its toll on some runners. “Everyone else has to run in the heat,” Anselmini said. “You just need to pace yourself.”
Ward Melville had other qualifiers, including Caroline O’Hea in the 3,000 (10:14.7) and Colleen Murphy, who won the 400 hurdles (1:04.65).
Other first-place finishers who qualified were Half Hollow Hills East senior Farath Raphael in the pentathlon (3,041 points), Northport’s Lianne Farber in the 800 (2:16.45), Christine Hagan of Kings Park in the 1,500 (4:44.85) and Colby Lubman of Commack in the 400 (56.63).
Lubman’s teammate Allison Stapleton qualified with a second-place finish in the steeplechase (7:03.44).
Mount Sinai’s Christi Nassauer won the pole vault (10-6) and North Babylon’s Vanessa Stewart took the shot put (46-11).
Smithtown East made school history when its 4×400 relay team won in 4:01.81. It’s the first time the school has qualified for the state meet in any relay. “We did it with three freshmen,” coach Greg Schepanski said. “So I hope this is only the beginning.”
Longwood had a strong day with Kayla Murphy winning the 100 hurdles (15.24) and Sarah Maye qualifying with a second-place finish in the 400.
Longwood‘s 4×100 team also qualified, winning in 49.11.