North Girls Track Places Third at Joe Brandi Relays

Senior trip weekend and the absence of several underclass athletes did not deter the Sachem North girls track team from placing third at Joe Brandi Relays held at Connetquot High School on Saturday.

League II powerhouses Northport and Connetquot led team scoring at the meet. Sachem flexed its sprint and jump muscles at the meet. The 4x100 meter relay took first place in a meet record time. Sprinters Alyssa Leto, Nikki Fogarty, Emily Rathmann and Melissa Michels came less than one-half second from the school record (49.87) in the sprint relay. Nikki and Emily teamed up to take second in the 2x100m hurdle relay.

Sachem’s long jump relay also placed second. Sachem took fourth in sprint medley and the triple jump relays. Katie Michta and Natalie DeQuarto led the distance squad with a winning effort and meet record in the 2x1500m relay.

The North Arrows distance squad had other reasons to celebrate with three sub-6:00 times in the 4x1600 meter relay and many season-bests from 800 meters up. Quarter-milers and field eventers also joined the season-best party.

Alyssa Leto led 400 meter runners with a 62.3 split in her first lap race of the season. Pole vaulter Madalyn Iadanza (7’ 6”) and discus thrower Kaitlyn Okvist (88’ 7”) had career-best performances. 

Sachem hosts its first dual meet of the season on Tuesday versus Northport.

FOOTNOTES

• A Hauppauge coach complemented Sachem’s warm-up routine at the start of the meet.
• Maria Lorenzo showed Sachem’s hurdler toughness following a hard fall near the end of her 100 m. hurdles race.  Despite a tough fall, Maria righted herself and crossed the finish line in a season-best time of 19.0
• Thanks to the team members who filled in as alternates for teammates in several relays today.
• Sachem’s 4x100m relay broke a record (50.2) set by Kellenberg H.S. in 2007.  Connetquot’s 2010 record (14:57.5) in the 2x1500m racewalk was bested by 11 seconds by Sachem sophomores Katie Michta and Natalie DeQuarto.
• Madalyn Iadanza began her pole vault with a new pole received by the team on Friday but returned to the pole she had been using since the indoor season to clear her career-best height.

Article and photos courtesy of Sachem East coach Alex Young

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