June shines in spring track for St. Anthony's

After winning the CHSAA winter intersectional championships, St. Anthony’s looks poised for another strong season in spring. A second place finish at the Knight-Time Invitational, held last Saturday at Uniondale High School, featured a number of strong performances from some of the same athletes that made the Friars’ winter season so special.

Melissa June won the 100 meters in 12.42 seconds, the 200 in 25.71 seconds. June had to fight the gusting winds on her path toward victory. While the winds weren’t as bad as they could have been, according to June, she still had to account for them.

“You have to fight through it and pick up your knees,” she said of running through wind. “You feel a resistance, especially because it’s pushing you and you can’t really go anywhere. You really have to work through it. You have to concentrate a lot when there’s a lot of wind.”

June has dedicated the early part of the season to working on her starting phase.

“I’m looking for instant drive and to pick up my knees,” June said of her desired technique. “Today, it was OK. I didn’t feel like it was as good as it could be, compared to what I know I can do. But, I’ll still work on it.”

She also wants to work on her finishing phase, looking for 100 times in the “mid 11” (second) range and 200 times in the “low 24” range.

“I know what I need to do to improve,” June said. “Hopefully, (people) can just watch and see.”

Sophomore Shea Bohan and freshman Gianna Mincone used each other to push themselves toward a close-as-could-be finish in the 3000. Bohan won in 10:54.57. Mincone finished second in 10:54.58.

“It wasn’t really about beating her,” Mincone said. “It was about working together and pushing ourselves. The race was against the clock, not my teammate.”

Bohan agreed.

“Our pacing was good today,” she said. “Gianna helps me run faster at the end, so I was glad she was right behind me.”

Uniondale won the overall team title, scoring 140 points. Sophomore Crystal Green won the 400-hurdles in 1:04.81. Uniondale’s 4-x-400 relay team, composed of Green, Timaya Forehand, Kristina Cherrington and Ashley Souffrant, won in 4:07.76.

Souffrant, Forehand, Aleisha Jeffers, and Chelsea Desuze won the 800 sprint medley relay in 1:55.41. Uniondale senior Fola Arogbo won the shot put with a throw of 38 feet, one inch.