Tough meet tests Blue Devils track team

Tough meet tests Blue Devils track team

Nicole Abbondandelo rounds the track in a previous meet. File photo from Huntington Athletics

It was a tough day for a meet, but the Huntington girls’ track and field team overcame last Saturday’s weather to turn in some solid performances at the Lindenhurst Relays.

Anna Gulizio leaps into the sand. File photo from Huntington Athletics
Anna Gulizio leaps into the sand. File photo from Huntington Athletics

“For the first time since 2013, we decided to open up the invite season at the Lindy Relays,” Huntington head coach Shawn Anderson said. “It was raining, windy and a tad cold. To be honest, the girls were a little apprehensive about competing, and performances were not exactly looking to be bests, primarily [due] to the weather. But, they competed very strongly, had some fun and took third overall, not far behind Bay Shore and Connetquot.”

Huntington’s highlights included Alexandra Koumas and Hadley Clayton combining for a time of two minutes, 25.9 seconds in the 2×400-meter hurdles. Koumas took second overall in 68.3 seconds. Clayton notched a personal-best time of 77.6 seconds.

The team of Anna Gulizio, Latoya Shand, Lexi Mills, and Nicole Abbondandelo took second overall in the sprint medley relay, with a time of 4:26.34. Rebecca Caballero, Mackenzie Joseph, Marina Ruzic, and Christie Reinersten ran a tough 4×200 race, fighting all the way to the line for third place in 1:58.47. Taking fifth in a time of 10:55.20 were Alexis Pastorelli, Alexandra McKenzie, Sophie Dellecave, and Niamh Condon in the 4×800.

Gulizio, Ruzic, Mills, Katie Seccafico, and Gulizio won the 4×400 relay in a time of 4:20.00.

Following the 4×400 win, a stacked distance medley relay team of Pastorelli, Shand, Koumas and Abbondandelo finished with a time of 13:12 to win by 22 seconds. Huntington’s “B” team of Condon, McKenzie, Dellecave and Clayton captured sixth place in 14:56.

Latoya Shand springs to the finish line. File photo from Huntington Athletics
Latoya Shand springs to the finish line. File photo from Huntington Athletics

The team of Erika Varady and Nicole Arenth took fifth overall in the race walk in 17:55.

Reinersten and Nicole Muzynski both cleared four feet and together combined for fifth overall in the high jump.

Blue Devils triple jumpers also performed. Caballero and Gulizio took first place with leaps measuring 63’8,’’ while Mills and Joseph were third with a combined effort of 58 feet.

“While some of our athletes had some individual bests, the weather really played havoc on the quality of performances,” Anderson said. “The meet just became one of competition and toughness, and our team proved to be able to rise to the occasion.”

Huntington is currently 2-0 in dual meet competition as the Blue Devils head into Thursday’s contest against West Islip. The meet at home is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.

The team will also be competing in the Suffolk Coaches Meet on April 9 at Sachem North.

— Huntington Athletics