Lots of Underclassmen Make for a Learning Experience
It was a learning experience for many of the 20 members of the Huntington girls’ winter track team as the Blue Devils struggled during much of the season, finishing 11th in the league and 21st in Suffolk.
Huntington, coached by Debra Cheskes and Patrick Kehoe, was captained by seniors Leslie O’Brien and Jenny Hannan and junior Kathryn Schmitz. The roster included nine freshmen and sophomores.
“Leslie is one of the most focused athletes I’ve ever coached,” Cheskes said. “The status quo is never good enough [for her].” O’Brien was among just six seniors on a team dominated by underclassmen.
Schmitz proved to be Huntington’s fastest distance runner. “She steadily improved in every meet while running a new event.” Hannan sat out the season last winter due to injury, but returned with a vengeance this year.
“This year’s best meet was at the Fordham Prep Grinch Games,” Cheskes said. Schmitz was third in the mile run, Sarah Casey was third in the frosh 300m and the 4 x 200m relay team of O’Brien, Hannan, Schmitz and Olivia Hayes-Hurley also finished third, in the best time all season for that relay. O’Brien (high hurdles) and Maya Yakobi (soph 300m) each placed fifth in their respective events.
Three of the four members of this year’s record-setting sprint medley relay team will return next winter. Hayes-Hurley, Schmitz and Michaela Acton will be back, while O’Brien is graduating in June and headed to Johns Hopkins University. The group established a new school mark in the event by running it in 4:38 at the Zeitler Relays on January 9.
Cheskes is looking forward to next year. “The underclassmen will have a strong base to continue to build,” she said.
Blue Devil Notes: Schmitz won All-League honors in the 1000m run . . . O’Brien was named to the Academic All-County team.
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