Nancy HaggertyRockland/Westchester Journal News
Seldom in sports do things go exactly according to plan.
The opening day of the state track and field championshps Friday at Cicero-North Syracuse High School was no exception.
Consider that the fastest 400-meter high school runner in the state, Fordham Prep's Jaylin Santiago, couldn't get around the oval to qualify for Saturday's state Federation (private and public school) finals.
The Mount Vernon resident, who was considered a virtual shoo-in for the Fed title, fell victim not to other runners in the race but to the weather.
And, oh, what weather it was.
Rain and thunder. Thunder and rain. Sun here and there.
Delays. Big delays.
The University of Houston commit's race went off hours after its original start time and he simply couldn't get warm enough to run, stopping due to a calf cramp, Fordham Prep coach George Febles explained.
Somers senior Andrew Fasone also had to drop out with a hamstring issue.
But the weather and the delay after delay affected athletes differently -- some seemingly not at all.
Nanuet's Sam Dow first began competing in the arduous 400-meter hurdles as a seventh-grader.
Two years ago, she finished third in the girls state public Division 2 (smaller-school) hurdles championship.
Last year, she was second.
And Friday, she completed that progression, winning gold.
The senior, who'll run next year for Johns Hopkins, didn't record a personal-best time, but her goal was simply to win.
Dow finished in 1:04.05 with Brianna Williams of Pembroke second (1:04.18).
Medaling in sixth was another Hudson Valley hurdler, Olivia Waruch of Rondout Valley, who clocked 1:05.8.
Dow, who'll compete against hurdlers from bigger schools Saturday in the Federation 400 hurdles, estimated her race Friday was delayed three hours.
"With the delay, I was kind of not trying to put any time conditions (goals) on it," she said of her race.
Before the gun sounded, she told herself all the work she'd put in would pay off.
The 400 hurdles suit her, she said, because she views her steps between hurdles as a mini race and the concentration required keeps her "engaged." Her mind can't wander.
Now, on the cusp of doing her final high school hurdles race as a gold medalist, Dow indicated things hadn't changed all that much since when she first tried teh event as a amiddle-schooler.
"i've just always found competing to be really fun," Dow said.
"I want to go out and enjoy my last race for Nanuet and go in with no expectations," she added.
North Rockland edges Iona Prep in relay, setting new Section 1 record
Javon Lawrence, Jaquan Johnson, Darwin Almonte and Ryan Jaslow won gold for North Rockland in the public school, Division 1 4x100-meter boys relay.
The four clocked a collective 41.5 to finish ahead of Iona Prep (Justin Hargraves, Declan McCauley, Landen Wiley amd Terron Johnson), which ran 41.78.
North Rockland's was the fastest time run by a high school team in the state this year.
That was huge.
Huger still was the fact the Red Raiders' time broke not only the North Rockland and Rockland County all-time 4x100 records, but also broke the all-time Section 1 mark.
And those were hardly new records.
Ramapo set the Rockland County record in 2008. The Section 1 record had belonged to Mount Vernon since 2010.
And maybe the best news for North Rockland? All four athletes who helped run that time are juniors, meaning the best may be yet to come.
Iona Prep and all the other Catholic and otherwise private schools in the race didn't get a placement.
Their participation was solely to secure a spot in Saturday's 4x100 boys championship race, the so-called Federation race that merges top public and private schools of all sizes into one competition.
That means North Rockland and Iona Prep will square off again.
Pelham'sNicholas Massaregli, Labron Richardson, Idowu Emmanuel and Kristian Howell finished sixth among public schools in the D-1 boys 4x100, finishing in 42.71.
Waverly (42.47) took the boys public school D-2 4x100.
Byram Hills' Dario Amicucci, Jack Herman, Tyler Marescot and Brian Rippy ran to a medal-winning, fifth-place finish among public schools, crossing in 43.79.
North Rockland (Desirae Hernandez, Nya Thomas, Gabriella Cabrera andTaylor Lewis) gained the eighth and final spot in the Federation girls 4x100 relay with its 49.01, sixth-place finish in the girls D-1 public school race.
South Shore (47.99) won the public school D-1 girls 4x100 title.
Newburgh Free Academy's Danyluk golden, others also excel in 800
The boys 800 race was packed with talent, much of it from the Hudson Valley.
In fact, after junior Brady Danyluk of Section 9's Newburgh Free Academy ran to the win in 1:52.77, local runners claimed three more of the top 10 spots.
Ketcham's Connor Hitt clocked 1:53.54 for third place overall and second among runners from public schools, Nyack's Matt Schutzbank (1:54.66) was fifth overall and fourth in public and Monroe-Woodbury's Ronaldo Rodriguez Perez (1:54.98) was sixth pubic and seventh overall.
Danyluk also anchored Anthony Barrett, Anthony Burnett and David Pinnock as the four ran a 3:19.14 for the boys Division 1 4x400 relay win.
Robert Labarbera, Jordan Mabra, John Mattera, Gavin Rossi of Section 9s Minisink Valley combined to run 3:21.44 for third place behind runner-up Elmont (3:20.91).
The top lower Hudson Valley team was New Rochelle. Ryan Temistokle, Isaac Evans, Max Pitocchi and Obi N'Joku ran 3:24.02 for seventh overall and sixth among public schools.
Randolph took the boys 4x400 D-2 title in 3:19.75. But local schools did well in the 17-school competition.
Alexander Hamilton's Carlyle Roberts, Rahsawn Surell, Lamine Diakhate and Jair Oliva Jr. ran 3:23.44 to capture bronze.
Bronxville (Javier Tomala-Reidel, Spencer Martin, Wyatt Gravier and Davis Patterson) clocked 3:24.73 for fourth.
James O'Neill (Chris Evans, Mathias Williams, Noa Young and Bryce Kenny) finished in 3:27.25 for seventh.
Bronxville, a school long known for its prowess in relays, won silver in the girls D-2 4x400.
Long Island's Bayport-Bluepoint won in 4:00.42. The Broncos' Juliet Winiecki, Eva Mihova, Ella McCalla, Kara Kochansky were close behind in 4:01.17.
Scarsdale, which has been strrong at the distance since indoor winter track, finished fourth in the girls D-1 4x400 relay.
Maria Roberts, Leia Patel, Ariella Sobel and Shannon Kelly clocked 3:57.93. The win went to Sachem East in 3:55.12.
Cornwall (Madeline Larkin, Caigan Leonard, Lia Mellon and Kristina Garcia) medaled in fifth in 3:58.24.
Suffern (Avianhah Sanon, Elise Falcon, Kayla Darius and Zoey Orlando) was seventh in 3:59.53.
With non-public school runners using the boys Division 1 400 hurdles as a qualifier, including two of the top finishers, Newburgh's Barrett took silver in the public school race, finishing in 56.48 behind Brockport's Brandt Marshall (55.61).
Barrett's teammate, Burnett, clocked 56.77 for fourth. Monroe-Woodbury's Sebastian Hazel (56.97) was sixth.
The runner crossing first, however, was Stepinac's David Davitt. He finished in 52.94 and will be a co-favorite in Saturday's state Federation race.
That could be a neck-and-neck race with Taconic Hills' Neil Howard, whose D-2 race time was even faster than Davitt's. Howard clocked 52.34 for the win.
Currently, Howard has the top time in the state at 52.18 and Davitt, who'll run next year for D-I Penn, is second at 52.31.
Bronxville's Wyatt Gravier took D-2 silver in 55.21.
James O'Neill's Dan Bluman gained a fifth-place public school medal in the D-2 race, running 57.17.
Lourdes's North wins D-2 400 gold, Donovan, Johnson medal in D-1
Our Lady of Lourdes senior Alexandria North, who'll run for D-1 Penn State next year, claimed the 400-meter girls Division 2 crown with a time of 56.03.
In the girls D-2 race, Somers junior Haylie Donovan ran 57.18 for second place behind North Babylon's Samara Lawrence (57.05).
Nyack freshman Jayda Johnson took fourth among NYSPHSAA athletes, hitting the finish in 57.77.
FDR's Marina Scott medaled in sixth in 58.29.
Horace Greeley's Seamus Finn, the Westchester County boys 400 champ, earned silver in that event in D-1 with a 48.66 clocking.
Hilton's Jake Palermo won in 47.53.
Hamilton's Olivia picked up a bronze to go with his 4x400 bronze by finishing third in 49.08 in the boys D-2 400.
Monroe-Woodbury's Emeline Clark (1:02.1) took silver in the girls D-1 400 hurdles. Columbia's Ava Weiss took gold in 1:01.48.
Cornwall's Caigan Leonard (1:02.48) was fourth.
Throwing and soaring to medals
Beacon's Damani DeLoatch went 47-8 to win silver in the boys D-1 triple jump.
West Islip's Rocco Carpinello won at 47-10.25.
Monroe-Woodbury's Kyle German was fourth at 45-3.75 and New Rochelle's Isaac Evans was seventh among public school jumpers at 43-10.25.
At 44-7, Albertus Magnus's Theo Lodge finished sixth among public school athletes in the D-2 boys triple jump. Midlakes' Aiden Bryant, at 47-8.75, was the winner.
Pine Bush's Madison Williams took home gold in the girls D-1 triple jump, going 41-9.25, a top-10 jump among high school girls nationally this season.
Williams, who's coached outside school by former Valhalla coach Richard O'Riley, was also the girls D-1 long jump winner at 19-6. That was a five-inch personal best for Williams, who holds the No. 1 spot in New York this season among high school girl long jumpers.
Ursuline's Sarai Sealy, at 39-2.5, finished fourth in the triple among public school-league jumpers.
North Rockland's Nya Thomas (18-7.75) won silver in the girls D-1 long jump.
Suffern's Karen Augustin was fourth among public school D-1 girls long jumpers at 17-8,5 Sealy was sixth at 17-7 and Minisink Valley's Ella Michelitch (17-3.25) was seventh.
At 17-5.75, Ardsley's Mioko Martin finished seventh in the D-2 girls long jump.
Cornwall's Ellis Urgent jumped 22-4.5 for fifth in the boys D-1 long jump. The winner was Ithaca's Joshua Kwakye Minott at 23-4.25.
Section 1 discus throwers took home two medals.
Clarkstown South's Maggie Hansen earned D-1 girls silver with a 122-2 throw. Miller Place's Jillian Scully took gold at a big 149-2.
At 163-7, Nanuet's Shane O'Neill captured bronze in the boys D-2 discus.
Thomas McConnelee of Cobleskill-Richmondville won at 181-4.
Section 9 Marlboro came up big in D-2 girls discus, capturing the top and fifth spots.
Juliana Juras won at 135-11 and her teammate, Victoria Maher, threw 125-11.
Juras also won bronze in the girls D-2 shot put with a 38-9.5 throw.
Wellsville's Kaylee Oswald won at a massive 44-4.75.
Miller Place's Scully took the D-1 shot title at 42-10 with Kingston's Daniella Johnson (38-10.25) second.
Tappan Zee's Madeline Stiefel was seventh among D-1 public school throwers at 34-2.
Warwick Valley's Lily Beattie cleared 12-9 for the girls D-1 and overall pole vault win.
John Jay-East Fishkill's Maia Perillo was third (12-0) with Pine Bush's Ella Gallaway fourth at the same height but in more attempts.
Monroe-Woodbury's Stella Sherback was sixth in D-1 at 11-6 and Warwick's Rachel Venter was seventh, also at 11-6, but in more attempts.
New Paltz's Ady Laurie (11-0) was third in D-2 girls pole vault with the win going to Oakfield-Alabama's Paige Harding at 11-6.
Going the distance
North Rockland's Claudel Chery's 9:03.98 in the boys 3,200 was good for second among public school D-1 runners and fifth in the Federation. The time was nearly a 10-second personal-best time for the sophom*ore.
Horace Greeley freshman Ryan Sykes finished fourth among public school D-1 athletes and, like Chery, rsn his best ever time at the distance, 9:04.97.
Tri-Valley's Van Furman was first in D-2 at 9:07.15.
Arlington's Ethan Green was seventh (9:11.18) and North Rockland's Ryan Tuohy was eighth (PB 9:13) in public school D-1.
Hunter College (Prep's) Shane Murphy ran 8:58.45 for the overall Fed win.
Cornwall's Kerry Murphy was seventh in the girls D-1 public school 3,000-meter run at 9:59.03. The overall Fed winner was William Floyd's Zariel Macchia (9:34.75).
Tri-Valley's Anna Furman (10:01.92) was second in D-2, Pine Plains' Violet Bliss (10:07.66) was fourth and Rye Neck's Ainara Schube Barirola (10:24.22) was sixth.
Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track &field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at@HaggertyNancy.
