Guevara twins, Greenfield lead Miller Place to Suffolk Small School title

Talia Guevara and Laura Nolan ran side by side, so close that they could hear each other breathe. If they had wanted to, they could have conversed as they left the rest of the 3,000-meter field in their dust at Sunday's's Suffolk Small School Championships.

Then a bell went off, and it all changed. As the clang hit Guevara's ears, signaling the final lap, she switched into high gear, churning all the way to a county title.

"I knew that I had to keep pushing harder mentally and get the most out of my body," she said.

The Miller Place junior crossed the finish line in 10 minutes, 34.48 seconds. Nolan, a freshman, rolled in at 10:34.76.

"I push myself harder to stay with her," Nolan said. "That's my motivation."

The two finishes helped Miller Place take the title, scoring 80 points at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood.

Guevara's twin, Tiana, won the 1,500 in 4:50.31. She also finished second in the 1,000, clocking in at 2:57.41.

SEE PHOTOSSuffolk Girls Small School Track Championships

Nolan and the Guevara sisters were hardly the only reasons Miller Place returned home with a shiny new plaque for the trophy case. There were other contributors -- to win a county title, there have to be.

Senior Hanna Greenfield placed in three events, scoring 22 of Miller Place's points on her own. She won the long jump, flying 17 feet, one-half inch.

"I've been working on sprinting hard to the board," Greenfield said. "When I'm in the air, I'm thinking 'Don't land yet!' and trying to stay in the air as long as I can."

She also placed second in the 55-meter hurdles in 8.91 seconds and fourth in the 55 dash (7.74).

Her teammates certainly take notice of Greenfield's hard work.

"She's amazing," Tiana Guevara said. "She's in her own league. I have no words to describe her. She's awesome."

Emma Larson finished second in the shot put, throwing 31-101/2, her personal best. The finish gained her team eight points, something that meant more to Larson than any gold medal.

"It's a great feeling," Larson said. "I'd rather the team win, even if I don't place well."

And that's precisely the point. Balance is the name of the game.

"We scored all over the place today," coach Fran Sullivan said. "That's what wins."