Syosset's Lilah Grubman jumping for joy after county title

Lilah Grubman waited two long years for another chance at a county championship.

And when the opportunity finally presented itself on Monday, she put on the kind of performance she had envisioned all along.

"This is just pure excitement," the Syosset junior said after winning the girls high jump (5 feet, 2 inches) at the Nassau Class AAA field championships event at Westbury High School. "It was really exciting to finally be able to clear and win counties. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while."

After finishing third in the high jump in the 2019 county championship, Grubman had her sights set on finishing the job entering last season. But with the 2020 spring season canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, her goal of redemption was put on hold.

Upon winning the event, Grubman said she was also alleviated of the pressure she had placed upon herself over the last two years.

"Honestly this is kind of a relief," Grubman said. "There was always some anxiety that I might not be able to do it before I graduate. But now that I’ve done it it’s become another milestone that I’ve achieved. So it’s really cool."

Port Washington junior Colin Funk came away as a first-time county champion as well with a dominant victory in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He finished in 10 minutes, 14.7 seconds, nearly five seconds ahead of second place.

SEE PHOTOSPhotos: Nassau Class AAA track and field championships

For Funk, this race was about taking a slightly different approach.

"At first I was practicing on stepping on the barrier, but that kind of slowed me down a lot," Funk said. "A couple of days ago I started practicing just going over because I did hurdles once during my freshman year. I kind of just bound into it, got a nice step and cleared it smoothly so I could win but not waste too much energy. I think it made a huge difference overall."

After taking the lead early on, Funk continued to break away and maintained his advantage all the way through the finish line.

"That’s kind of something I’ve been doing since my freshman year," Funk said. "I just try to get out strong and hold on because it’s a little bit easier, especially with the hurdles constantly slowing you down and breaking your rhythm. I just want to build a lead that I can maintain while I’m feeling strong and get through the race."

In the boys pole vault, Jack Scanlan from Farmingdale won with an 11-foot jump.