Rebecca Caballero doesn’t want it to end. The Huntington High School senior is such a competitor that she plans to participate on the University of New Haven’s track and field team. After winning the Suffolk Division II pentathlon championship for the second consecutive season, who can blame her for wanting to push on with her athletic career?
The teenager starred on Huntington’s girls’ volleyball team and kept statistics on the sidelines for the Blue Devil varsity football team, but she’s really shined in track and field.
“I chose the University of New Haven because from the second I walked onto campus until the second I left, I just felt welcomed,” Caballero said. “The environment was comforting and they offered me a lot more academically than other schools did. It’s a nice small campus where everyone probably knows each other and that kind of attracted me more to the school. As I’m all about sports, their indoor athletic facilities were so nice. New Haven just felt like a home away from home and somewhere I can see myself spending the next four years of my life.”
Huntington senior Rebecca Caballero.
The teenager is interested in pursuing a double major in legal studies and criminal justice with a minor in psychology. Caballero is excited to start the next phase of her education and life.
The senior has enjoyed her experience at Huntington High School. “It’s definitely going to be something that I’ll miss during my college days, but I’m very excited to be graduating,” Caballero said. “These past four years have been a time filled with friends, laughter and life lessons.”
Caballero has worked closely with Huntington girls’ spring track and field coach Mark Jackson on her jumping skills. The pentathlon consists of five individual events, including high jump, long jump, shot put, 100m hurdles and 800m run.
“Rebecca will probably concentrate on hurdles, long jump and triple jump in college,” said Shawn Anderson, Huntington’s head coach. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if she looks to do the heptathlon at New Haven.”
The heptathlon consists of the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m dash, long jump, javelin and 800m run. It’s certainly sounds grueling, but Caballero thrives on a challenge.
At the recent county championships/state qualifier, Caballero tallied a personal best score of 2,608 in the pentathlon. She set a new Huntington High School record in long jump with a leap of 17-08.75 feet and notched a personal best in shot put with a throw of 29-08 feet.
“Rebecca is a solid competitor all around,” Anderson said. “Her talents seem to lie in the jumps and that athletic skill has led her to be the division champ in the pentathlon two years in a row. Even though she has had some setbacks in her track career, specifically with injuries, she has bounced back and stayed long hours trying to hone her craft.”
Caballero’s competitive streak will be missed by her Blue Devil coaches and teammates. “New Haven is gaining a talented athlete who should make an immediate impact in a multitude of events for their program,’ Anderson said.
