Bonnie Pisciotta sets Lindenhurst record in long jump

Lindenhurst's Bonnie Pisciotta doesn't just want to win, she wants to be remembered. Already the owner of four school records, she took another step toward Lindenhurst track immortality at Sunday morning's Suffolk Crossover meet at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood.

Pisciotta did 16 feet, 3 inches in the long jump. Although the performance ranked third behind North Babylon's Teena Mobley and Nailah Jones, Pisciotta broke her school record of 16 feet, 21/2 inches, according to coach Steve Gosline.

"It's nice to know that I can come in, push myself, and break [the records]," she said. "It gives me a lot of confidence.

Pisciotta also won the 55-meter dash in 7.71 seconds.

"I pushed in the middle and had a great finish," she said.

Middle Country's Yae Adegoke took second in the dash, clocking 7.91 seconds. Pisciotta's teammate, Rachel Ramirez, took third with an 8.12.

Always with an eye toward improving, Pisciotta has incorporated a down start into her routine. Instead of standing upright at the starting line, she crouches, placing her hands on the ground as she waits for the gun.

SEE PHOTOSSuffolk County Crossover Meet

"It's a more aerodynamic [position]," she said.

Pisciotta, who began sprinting seriously this season, enjoys the need-for-perfection nature of the event.

"It gives you a rush," she said. "It's quick and shows me what I can do. With distance events, you have time to recover if you mess up. If you mess up [sprinting], your race is over."

Pisciotta did 33 feet, 7 inches in the triple jump, taking third behind Smithtown East's Tristan Bevans and Kings Park's Kiera Durand.

Pisciotta's busy morning wasn't done quite yet. After one victory and two top-three finishes, she took her place as part of Lindenhurst's 4 x 400-meter relay team.

The team, which also included Alyssa Barthelmes, Madison Darby and Maggie Sadowska, ran a 4:33.60. They finished second behind Huntington's Kerri-Ann Giambruno, Jontae Smith, Adelia Witt and Katie Healy, who were timed in 4:27.31.

Despite the small nature of crossover meets, with only 13 teams competing Sunday in Lindenhurst's section, Pisciotta doesn't view the events as being any less important to her development.

"There's still a lot of good competition here," she said. "There's not as much pressure, but I use everyone else's talent to push me forward."

She's going forward, all right -- straight into the record books.