SCHOOL PRIDE & PERSONAL BESTS

Hauppauge High School runners Shannon Downey, Nicole Scudero, Casey Cummo and Jasmine Davis placed third in the 4 x 400m relay at the Millrose Games on Saturday, February 14, 2015. The team finished with a school record time of 3:59.27, shattering their own record of 4:02.52 in the process. The relay team received the bronze medal for their stellar performance.

The Millrose Games are the longest running and most prestigious Track and Field Meet in the world. The Games are held at the 168th Street Armory’s New Balance Track & Field Center, which is also home to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. The Armory’s banked track is the fastest track in the world. More than 125,000 athletes compete on the track annually.

According to Coach Ed Dunphy, no athlete in Hauppauge’s history, male or female, has ever qualified or competed in the Millrose Games. That changed on Saturday, February 14, at 2:52 p.m. when the six 4 x 400 Millrose qualifying relay teams, including Hauppauge, were escorted to the track. The teams represented Nassau and Suffolk’s best of 2015.

As their lead off runner, Downey, has set the tone for the girls all season long. Though the day’s race went out exceptionally fast, Downey kept her composure. She didn’t try to do too much on the first lap. A poised Downey ran a PR (personal record). Her split was 60.81. She handed off the baton in a tight pack that included 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place. Scudero, the rookie of the group, brings her Go For It All, hold nothing back right from the start attitude to the field each time she races. However, she promised Coach Dunphy that she would run a controlled first lap, so she wouldn’t run out of steam at the end. She kept half of her promise. Wanting to stay in the mix and keep her team in contention, Scudero succumbed to the fast pace, resulting in a faster than planned first 200-meters. But this time, she didn’t falter at the end. Replicating her teammate’s feat, Scudero ran a PR with a time of 61.26. Cummo is the grittiest of the four girls. With laser focus, she locked in on the teams ahead and fought to gain ground to the bitter end. Keeping her eye on the prize, Cummo also ran a PR with a time of 61.26. The anchor leg, Davis, is the heart and soul of the team. She received the baton virtually tied for sixth, 1.91 seconds out of medal contention. Patience, Patience, Patience. Davis methodically closed the gap, secured a hold on 5th place, slid into 4th, and then made her big move into third. This last move left her missing 2nd place by only 0.55 seconds at the finish line. Following her teammates lead, Davis ran a PR, in a time of 55.94. Of the 24 athletes in the race, Davis had the fastest 400-meter time.

Hauppauge won the Bronze medal at the 108th running of the Millrose Games. They broke their old school record, 4:02.52, by 3.25 seconds, which they set at the Millrose Trails back in January. They also broke the esteemed four-minute barrier, with a time of 3:59.27. Their date with the track on this Valentine’s Day was not a disappointment. “The Bronze medal was the finest looking piece of jewelry the girls had hanging around their necks,” said Dunphy.

These four athletes have achieved many great successes while running the 4 x 400m relay event this season. At the Millrose Trials, they finished first and broke the school record by 3.32 seconds; their time was 4:02.52. At the League #3 Championship Meet, they finished first and broke a two-year-old meet record by 8.95 seconds; their time was 4:13.05. At the Small School County Championships, they finished first and broke a 29-year-old meet record by 2.37 seconds; with a time of 4:06.77. And at these Millrose Games, they broke their school record by 3.25 seconds, with their amazing 3:59.27 performance.

According to Dunphy, “this magical season has been full of memories that don’t seem to end.” The team’s Millrose Games performance exceeded the time standard for the 2015 New Balance Nationals Indoor Track & Field Meet. This is the first time a relay team from Hauppauge has qualified for Indoor Nationals. “Even more impressive is that they qualified for the Championship Event in the 4 x 400-meter relay,” said their coach.

The New Balance Indoor Track & Field Nationals are the most prestigious post-season track and field championship meet for high school athletes in the country. More than a million high school athletes compete in Track & Field annually, less than 0.02 percent of those athletes qualify to compete at Nationals.