First county champs crowned at Day 1 of Suffolk Girls Division Championships

Day one of the Suffolk Girls Division Championships are in the books and, although most events were semifinals that set up a Wednesday smorgasbord of finals, the first few 2014 county champions were determined Monday at Connetquot High School. 

Northport’s Jackie Thorne, a sophomore, won the Division I 800-meter crown in 2 minutes, 14.16 seconds. Thorne used her kick on the second lap to secure the victory. 

“I’m not one whose big on going out fast,” she said. “I usually watch the back of the person in front of me and trust my kick at the end.” 

Shannon Ahern of Kings Park won the Division II 800 crown in 2:17.78. 

“We went through a little slow in the first lap, but that was OK," Ahern said. “The second lap, everyone completely picked it up and it was just a sprint to the end. I just out-sprinted them.”

Ahern said she was boxed in when the race began and needed to search for room as the event progressed. 

“I tried to get outside,” she said. “You had to get to lane three to get out of the inside. When you start in the inside, everyone piles on you. You have to find a way through and work around it.”

SEE PHOTOSSuffolk girls track Division Championships

As a senior, it was Ahern’s final shot at another county championship and she made it count.

“It was definitely a sweet one,” she said. “Ending with a good, strong effort was what I came here for. It was a hard race and I’m glad I pulled it out.”

Miller Place’s Tiana Guevara won the Division III 800 in 2:14.76. Guevara added a victory later in the afternoon, this time in the 3,000 meters, finishing in 10:31.62.

Connetquot’s Erin Melly won the Division I 3,000 title on her home turf, finishing in 10:16.02. The time was a significant improvement over her previous personal best  of 10:24.      

“My training has been good and I’ve just gotten a lot stronger from running cross country,” she said.

West Babylon eighth-grader Tara Hauff won the Division II 3,000 in 10:36.76. 

Three field events also yielded winners on the opening day. 

Connetquot’s Ashley White won the Division I pole vault, clearing 10 feet. 

Sachem North took the top two spots in the Division I triple jump. Leah Blackall won, going 39 feet, four inches. Sunja Joseph was second, flying 38 feet, eight inches. Consewogue’s Tori Reid won the Division II triple jump, going 37 feet, five and three-quarters of an inch. Bayport-Blue Point’s Kathleen Cibuls won the Division III competition, flying 38 feet. 

Ward Melville’s Daniella Chernoff won the Division I discus, throwing 114 feet, two inches. Hauppauge’s Danielle Valenza won the Division II discus with a 128-foot, one-inch toss. Bayport-Blue Point’s Lauren Hansen took the Division III title, going 105 feet, 10 inches. 

The second and final day of the competition is scheduled for Wednesday at Connetquot.