Track: Luciano wins award, Mamaroneck's Markopoulos gets record, Arlington top Joe Wynne team
SOMERS — No matter how fast anyone ran during the second and final day of the 44th annual Somers Lions Joe Wynne Track and Field Invitational, they weren't going to outrun the wind.
But despite gusting conditions (sometimes accompanied by rain) that made unseaonably low-50s temperatures feel more like mid-30s and forced cancelation of the pentathlon, javelin, pole vault and hammer, season-best and personal-best times were recorded Saturday and one meet record fell.
Team scoring awards were given for both boys and girls by class size and overall.
Arlington was the big winner, It captured the combined girls and boys team scoring with 91.5 points. Host Somers was second (85), Scarsdale third ( 76.5,) Hen Hud fourth (75) and Lakeland/Panas edged Briarcliff 63-61 to round out the top five.
The Admirals won the boys overall scoring title with Irvington second, Briarcliff third, Lakeland/Panas fourth and Mamaroneck edging Somers by a point and New Rochelle by two points for fifth.
The overall girls team championship went to Scarsdale. Somers was second, Bronxville third, Hen Hud fourth and Arlington fifth.
It was another Dutchess school that made its mark in two of the meet's premier events, the boys 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.
Lourdes' Chris Boston, who'll run for Marist College next year, clocked a personal-best 11.12 in the 100.
That gave him the Class B title and was also the fastest time of the day.
Class A went to Lakeland/Panas's Paul Ronga in 11.41 and Briarcliff's Kevin Callaghan ran 11.44 for the boys Class C 100 title.
"I just was relaxed and stayed focused and pushed through (the wind," Boston said.
Boston later also captured the boys 200 in 22.56.
Mamaroneck's Anthony Alves ran 23.87 to win the boys A 200.
The overall girls 100 winner has been so good at the distance that she captured bronze at states in the event as just a freshman.
Her goal is to return to states this spring and better that performance.
But while Putnam Valley's Nia Givan, who ran a season-best 12.61 to secure the Class C title, would be a shoo-in to make many high-level collegiate track teams, that's not the direction she has chosen.
"I love cheer. It's my main sport. Cheering is in my heart," said Givan, who'll attend Spelman College in Atlanta and compete in competitive cheer.
Arlington's Riley Pettigrew took the Class A girls 100 in 12.82, despite slipping down at the start, and Somers' Lindsay Gill won B in 13.25.
Markopoulos record-setter
After Mamaroneck's Jason Markopoulos stepped to the starting line of the boys 3,200 race, he was smacked by a "nasty headwind."
His immediate thought was, "This is going to suck."
But, as it turned out, the wind temporarily subsided and the race definitely didn't suck for Markopoulos.
The senior, who'll compete for Division I Brown University next year, ran a personal-best 9:17.85, which not only gave him the Class A championship and was the overall winning time, but also broke the meet record.
The record had been 9:18.24, set in 2019 by Croton standout Sean Gardiner.
Day 1 results: Irvington relay breaks 48-year-old record at Somers Lions Joe Wynne Invitational
Markopoulos joked he should have won the $100 prize given to the overall boys seeded mile winner since his last 1,600 was faster than the time run by the mile winner.
He hopes to qualify in the 1,600 for states, even though his 3,200 time is currently No. 1 in Section 1 and No. 9 in the state among high school boys.
"I'm going to put all my eggs in one basket," he said, noting he wants to run the 1,600 in under 4:14.
Nanuet's John Fontanez, who ran an outdoor personal-best 9:38.58, won the Class B 3,200 title and Pleasantville's Alex Searle (9:49.81) took the Class C title.
With the pentathlon canceled, Irvington's Liam Sawian, who'll complete in the heptathlon and decathlon next year at Lafayette College, concentrated on the high jump Saturday.
That worked out well.
Sawian cleared 6-0 in his second attempt to both win the Class C championship and to edge Stepinac sophomore Nate Alvarez, who cleared it on his third attempt, for the overall title.
Alvarez won the Class A championship with his season-best jump.
Class B went to Somers' Nathan Marcus at 5-4.
Sawian, who also cleared 6-0 indoors last winter, hopes to win the D2 pentathlon title at states.
"High jump is a hit or miss event," he said, explaining he was drawn to the pentathlon because, with five events, a poor showing in one can be overcome.
Alvarez, whose personal-best in high jump is the 6-1.25 he cleared during winter, described this spring as his first "serious" season of outdoor high jumping after competing "here and there" last year.
During the competition, jump officials held the bar in place until a split second before jumpers too flight, so it wouldn't be blown down by the wind.
"It was very tough," Alvarez said of the conditions. "I felt I had to push through. I felt really good today."
At 21-0, New Rochelle's Jabari Clarke captured the boys Class A long jump with the top jump of the day.
Sawian was first in Class C (20-4) and Hen Hud's Charley Corrado took Class B (19-1).
Clarke, who hasn't settled on a school but plans to compete next year in college, is working to go 22-4 or 22-5 before his high school career ends.
Diya Shadaksharappa of Class A Scarsdale captured the meet's award for most outstanding girls field performer after out-jumping all competitors and winning Class A titles in both the long jump and triple jump.
Shadaksharappa's 16-9 long jump was a personal best.
Maria Regina's Rihanna DeFreitas went 15-1.25 to win the Class C girls long jump and the B title went to Hen Hud's Jessica Redmond (14-2.5).
Shadaksharappa went 35-10 in the triple jump with Redmond winning Class B at 29-5.75 and Hackley's Gabrielle Hogrefe taking C at 28-2.5.
Brian Luciano, sitting No. 2 in the state at 195-0, was the clear favorite in the canceled boys hammer.
The disappointment of losing that event didn't stop the Somers senior from claiming gold and, in turn, the top boys field award with Class B and overall wins in both the boys shot put and discus.
Luciano threw the shot 47-8. Arlington's Isaiah Weathers (45-9.25) took the Class A crown and Pawling's William Mann (38-2) won the C boys shot put championship.
Luciano topped everyone in the discus with a 152-6 toss.
Arlington's Amon Frye (122-8) won the boys A discus and, at 96-4, Rye Neck's Nathan Shpilberg won the C discus.
Another Tusker senior, Megan Spencer, won both the girls Class B shot put and discus.
Her discus throw of 98-10 was the best among girls for the day.
Lakeland/Panas's Suzy Conners (83-3) took the A girls discus and Hackley's Katelyn Qu (80-0.5) took Class C.
At 30-1.5, Spencer edged Hen Hud's Karli Martin by just one-quarter of an inch for the girls Class B shot put title.
But the top girls throw was by Class C winner Kara Philip (32-3.5) of Albertus Magnus.
Carmel's Gianna Herrera (26-8.75) was the Class A girls shot winner.
Hugh McGuire of Class B Horace Greeley ran 4:32.5 to capture the boys mile.
The Class C win went to Hackley's Asher Beck (4:37.41) and the Class A winner was John Jay-East Fishkill's Tyler Sturomski (4:40.41).
Other winners
The top 400 girls performance was logged by Class C winner Donna Napolitano of Bronxville, who finished in 1:01.
John Jay-East Fishkill's Arianna Gonzalez (1:01.95) won Class A and Eastchester's Ava Pennachio (1:03.21) took Class B, edging Brewster's Sienna Santiago by .10 of a second.
Hamilton's Jaylen Savage won the Class C boys 400 in a meet-best 50.88.
New Rochelle's Kaique Braga (52.01) took the A 400 and Eastchester's Aidan Savitt (52.71) edged Somers' Andrew Fasone (52.73) for the B crown.
In running a 10:09.12 3,000, Yorktown's Sydney Leitner won the meet's outstanding girls runner award and easily posted the day's best time in the event, while taking the Class A title.
Putnam Valley's Bronagh Cassidy (10:25.76) took Class C and, at 10:31.97, John Jay-East Fishkill's Amelie Guzman captured the Class A 3,000.
The top boys triple jump belonged to Valhalla's Tyler Drummond, who won Class C at 40-8.25.
Hen Hud's Charley Corrado (38-2.75) won the Class B boys triple and Lakeland/Panas's Oliver Stone took Class A (37-9.25).
At 1:59.77, Pawling's Noah Brightman ran the top time of the meet in the 800 and won the boys Class C title.
Sleepy Hollow's Ryan Lyppens (2:02.94) won the Class B 800 and Fox Lane's Bruce Lenes (2;03.31) took Class A.
Scarsdale's Alexandra Simon, in 2:27.56, ran the top girls 800 time and took the Class A title.
Class C winner Hope Hershberg of Bronxville was close behind in 2:27.77.
The Class B win went to Nanuet's Elaine Batista (2:31.73).
Brewster's Michael Brill captured the Class B boys hurdles with a day's best 1:01.09 clocking.
Class B went to Ayden Wisner-Magee of Lakeland/Panas (1:04.52) and Class C went to Tuckahoe's Andrew Reichelt (1:08.62).
Nanuet's Samantha Dow (1:08.83) posted the top girls 400 hurdles time and won the Class B title.
Scarsdale's Elizabeth Fine won Class A in 1:14.38 and Rye Neck's Blathnaid Grenouillon clocked 1:25.85 for the Class C win.
Cornell-bound Ava Black of Bronxville had the top time in the girls 1,500, winning the C title in 4:54.15.
Mamaroneck's Rosemary McManus (4:55.75) was the A winner and Sleepy Hollow's Bianca Vercesi (4:57.17) won the C championship.
The girls 200 dash went to Class A winner Grace Adeyeye of Lakeland/Panas in 27.42.
Somers' Haylie Donavan ran 27.75 to take the 200 girls B crown.
Relays
Mamaroneck (Justin Solis, Oliver Smeal, Vincent Repoulis and Anthony Alves) won both the overall title and the Class B title in the boys 4x200 relay, finishing in 1:33.89.
Lourdes (Boston, Hall Schofield, Alex Latsko and Tanner Powell) ran 1:36.63 to capture the B championship.
And Putnam Valley (Kanyon Lewis, Lenny Rein, Nicholas Lombardi and Christopher Soliz) crossed the finish in 1:40.75 to win the relay in Class C.
Class C Bronxville (Danielle Dragoni, Napolitano, Juliet Winiecki and Amelia Koenig) posted the top girls 4x200 relay time, crossing in 1:47.69.
Adeyeye, Alanalee Hughes, Kiara Williams and Kailey Burdett ran 1:48.22 to take the girls A 4x200 gold.
Lourdes (Piper Ruddy, Rebecca Gould, Caitlin O'Keeffe and Mary Wilantewicz) ran 1:58.74 to take first in the girls Class B 4x200 relay.
Arlington (Ian Lewis, James VanDongen, Ronnie Geiger and Ethan Green) had the top time of the meet in the 4x800 relay, winning the Class A title in 8:32.64.
Irvington (Liam Lyons, Lucas Turano, Brice Pierce and Max Shevrin) won Class C in 8:38.67 and Somers (Colin Brooks, Aiden Meza, Connor Phillips and Rintaro Onishi) ran 8:55.25 for the Class B 4x800 boys title.
The best girls 4x800 was logged by John Jay-East Fishkill (Estella Pouani, Emma Egan, Amelie Guzman and Kathryn Erich), which crossed in 10;28.67.
Pleasantville (Camilla Browand, Clara Shingler, Elizabeth Dean and Sara Agabob) clocked 11:17.89 for the Class C win and Somers (Kim Gates, Brooke Fazio, Mia Sandolo and Sofia Milojevic) ran 11:34.49 for the Class B girls 4x800 win.
Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at both @HaggertyNancy and at @LoHudHockey.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Track: Arlington top team at Joe Wynne, Markopoulos breaks meet record
