Massapequa's Alyssa LeBron wins weight throw title

Alyssa LeBron is running now.

The Massapequa senior doesn’t necessarily want to do it, but if it helps her throw farther, she’s all in.

"I’m not a big fan of running," said LeBron, a thrower on the school’s track and field team. "But I’ve been doing more of it than I have [in the past]. I think that’s helping, somehow. I know if you get more speed in the circle, it’s definitely going to go farther. I’m a lot faster in the legs and a little bit stronger. It’s making my throws 100% better."

So, there LeBron is, working on her leg strength at practice on most afternoons, knowing it will help. And it does. LeBron, one of the best throwers in the state, won the Nassau Class A weight throw championship Thursday night at St. Anthony’s, tossing a personal-best 46 feet, 5 ¾ inches.

The night showcased only the weight throw from all three Nassau classes. The full county championships will be completed next week.

LeBron’s is the second-furthest throw in the state this season, trailing only Corning’s Elyssa DeRosa’s toss of 46-9 at a Section V meet last weekend, according to milesplit.com.

LeBron’s top mark came on her fifth throw of the six-throw competition. She was more than 45 feet on all six and 46-plus on three.

"I’m at a really good mark right now," LeBron said. "I’ve been inconsistent in practice. So, all my throws being over 45 [feet] was great."

LeBron won the same event two years ago, but has gained about six feet on her throw. Last season, the event proved difficult to even practice. Nassau competed outdoors in the winter, did not have a postseason, and had a handful of meets snowed out. This, on top of the obvious difficulty of throwing a weight outdoors in January and February, made it nearly impossible to gain any traction. Still, LeBron is clearly better than she was as a sophomore.

"It definitely restricted me from learning as much as I would like," LeBron said. "I’m definitely training harder now. It’s motivated me to train a lot harder than I would have if I didn’t have the year off."

On the boys side, Syosset’s Aaron Fishler won Class A with a throw of 62-8 ¼, the fifth-best in the state as of Thursday night, according to milesplit.

"I was just super calm during my throw and let it piece itself together," Fishler said. "My extension of my arms is kind of what I do best. Especially on my [winning] throw, I was super long and patient and I let the weight pass me. Once I get that, it’s over. It just goes, man."

Roslyn’s Jacob Kafri won Class B boys honors at 53-1. Calhoun’s Erika Klein won the Class B girls championship, throwing 34-1 ¼. Clarke’s Liam Farrell won the Class C boys championship, throwing 50-6 ½. Seaford’s Grace Cassarello won the Class C girls title with a toss of 21-2 ¼.