Huntington Girls’ Track Off and Running
The Huntington girls’ track and field team started the season in perfect fashion with impressive victories over crosstown rivals John Glenn and Walt Whitman. So many good things happened at the tri-meet that Blue Devil head coach Debra Cheskes didn’t know where to begin describing them.
“The team is such a mix of rookies and veterans,” Cheskes said. “The upperclassmen are setting the bar high and the rest are following their lead.” Junior Maria Marascia didn’t follow anyone in racing to victory in the 400IM in 1:19. She also finished second in the high jump (4’2) and the 100m dash (13.2).
Lauren Visbal won the long jump with a leap of 14’ 3 ½ with teammate Cristina Badalementi finishing third (13’2 ¼). Badalementi (28’11) and Chloe Drace (27’6) placed second and third, respectively, in the challenging triple jump.
Shameika Hanson dominated the discus, throwing 79’10 for first place while teammate Chetarra Godfrey was third with a toss of 64’2. Hanson and Godfrey placed third and fourth, respectively, in the shot put.
Ally Nevins also enjoyed a splendid season opening performance, finishing second in the 400m intermediate hurdles (1:21.3) and third in the 100m high hurdles (18.1).
Kathryn Schmitz captured both the 800m and 1500m runs while teammate Kate Ackerman finished third in both races. “Kathryn is such a smart runner,” Cheskes said. “She drafts off her opponents and conserves her energy. Then she kicks into her final sprint and is unstoppable.”
Ricki Norton crossed the line third in the 200m dash in 28.9 and in the 400m run Kaitlyn Larkin (1:08.5), Olivia Hayes-Hurley (1:09.1) and Jenny Hannan-Backert (1:09.8) finished second through fourth, respectively.
Blue Devil distance runners posted a huge amount of points, helping secure the team’s victories. In the 3000m Aliyah Cohen, Meredith McCourt and Johanna Clifford, finished second through fourth, respectively, and Emma Copp and Sara Lustberg placed 3-4 in the 1500m race walk.
Huntington was strong in the day’s relay races, too. The 4 x 400m relay team of Kianna Freitag, Norton, Marascia and Schmitz easily swept to victory. The 4 x 100m relay of Visbal, Adelia Federici, Alisa Sosa and Nicole Palmer finished second.
A strong wind proved to be a factor in the meet, blowing so hard “that on some parts of the track it was like running into a brick wall,” Cheskes said. “Knowing how to pace yourself on the track is a key element. It made all the difference.”
Blue Devil Notes: Huntington (75 points) outscored Whitman (53) and John Glenn (44) . . . Due the deterioration of Huntington’s old track and delays in last year’s construction, the team was on the road for nearly three years, said Cheskes . . . The seniors on this year’s team are the only athletes on the roster that had ever experienced a home meet.
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