By Sabrina Artusa

The Ward Melville High School boys track team have proven themselves as formidable competitors repeatedly this season — the Ward Melville name consistently high on the rankings. In this year’s winter season, the Ward Melville Patriots upheld their reputation.

On March 8 senior Jon Seyfert stepped up to the line for the 1600-meter race telling himself that winning was the only option. Seyfert, usually calm before racing, was nervous. 

He knew he wanted to give his coach and parents a state championship. His goal was to secure a position in front in the first 100 meters. Having done so, he held his position, waiting for the right moment to push ahead. In the seventh lap, he took the lead: a move that did not go unchallenged. 

“Another kid comes out from [lane] three or four trying to cut off,” Seyfert said. “[He] either had to go faster or go behind me and at that point I was like, ‘I got this.’” 

The other runners were unable to catch up and Seyfert, remembering his coach’s advice to run through the line, flew past it with 13 others chasing behind, making Seyfert the state champion in the mile.

He completed the mile in 4:15:68, utilizing months of hard summer and fall training to push him past the competition. 

“[There was] a lot riding on it,” he said. “You don’t know how many chances you are going to get for a state championship.”

“From the time the gun went off, I couldn’t be more excited as a coach,” Coach Ryan DeLuca said. “He took his experiences from his past races and experiences and did everything right.” 

From the initial positioning to mid-race strategy to patiently waiting to make the final move in the seventh lap, Deluca said the race was Seyfert’s “best executed race in four years.” 

Last year, Seyfert came in second in Suffolk County’s cross-country championships. Now, he is first in the state in the indoor 1600 meters. 

Having become a state champion, Seyfert said his primary goal in every race is to reach his potential. “I just want to say I couldn’t have gone any faster. I want to finish and say I gave it my all. I really did try.”

On March 8, running the 1600 meters, Seyfert tried and succeeded. 

New Balance Nationals

On March 14 and 15, the Patriots were back for the New Balance Nationals for the distance medley relay and the 4x mile relay. 

After not performing as well as they hoped in the distance medley relay, sophomore Andrew Senf, juniors Anthony Anatol and Luke Jantzen and Seyfert approached the 4x mile race hopeful and ready. They had trained for months, 

DeLuca told his team, ‘You guys can rebound from this in a big way. And the race that didn’t go well was a good chance to flush [your] legs.” 

“They came back with vengeance,” he said. 

Senf was the lead-off runner. As he prepared at the line holding the baton, he endeavored to set up his teammates for a good race by getting out in front and pushing the pace in the last 300 meters. With the disappointing distance medley relay behind him, he felt that there “was no pressure” and that being at nationals was itself an accomplishment.

Senf ran a personal best and “took charge” early on, according to Seyfert, who said “it was really cool to see.” He created such a large gap between himself and the next runner that, when he handed off the baton, completing his mile in 4:26, Jantzen was in “no man’s land,” as Seyfert put it. 

Jantzen, excited to race, knew that they were going to break the school’s record for this event. He visualized the race and tried to mentally prepare for the mile ahead of him. 

He handed off the baton to Anatol, who held the team’s position and, with the help of Senf and Jantzen, was able to lap some of the competition. Seyfert took the baton from Anatol and finished the last leg. The four finished with a time of 17:51:90, making them 12th fastest in the country. 

“After that night we came back the next day and we put it all together. We did what we were supposed to,” Jantzen said. 

“A lot of what helped get us to this point is that we all have such a good dynamic as a team and not just the four of us on the team but the guys that didn’t go as well,” Senf said. “Being with the coaches and the other kids is just such a pleasure. If I were on another team I don’t know if I would find the same enjoyment. The people just make it so fun.”

For more information visit the school website: www.threevillagecsd.org.