Nadel heads qualifiers for state meet
North Shore's Samantha Nadel won first place in the girls 3000 meter race in 9:57:79 in the Nassau high school indoor track and field championships. (Feb. 17, 2011) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The last month of track and field has been special for North Shore's Samantha Nadel.
She won the Millrose Mile three weeks ago and the 1,000-, 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs at the Nassau Class A championship last week.
Thursday Nadel got another trophy to put on her mantel as she won the 3,000-meter run in 9 minutes, 57.7 seconds at the Nassau state qualifier at St. Anthony's.
"I felt like I'm in the best shape of my life,'' Nadel said. "I was definitely looking for a win today and to use this as a steppingstone for the states."
The junior will have company at the state meet at Cornell on March 7 as teammate Jessica Donohue was second in a personal-best time of 10:17.3. Nadel and Donohue will be joined by teammate Brianna Nerud, who won the 1,500 in 4:44.7.
Elmont's Valencia Hannon is hoping to strike gold at the state meet. The junior sprinter qualified for the third straight year, taking first in the 55 in 7.21 seconds, ahead of Manhasset's Emily Easton, who finished in a qualifying time of 7.36.
But Hannon, who set a personal mark (6.99) in the race earlier this season, is looking for more than just a title.
"I'm hoping to break a record,'' Hannon said. "I'm tired of seeing seven seconds.''
Other state meet qualifiers include Valley Stream Central's Joanne Imbert (5 feet, 1 inch) and Clarke's Nicole Hertzberg (5 feet), who took first and second in the high jump.
Kira Garry of Friends Academy took third in the 3,000 in a qualifying time of 10:26.19.
Garden City's Emma Gallagher (2:56.81) and Emily O'Neil (3:00.58) took first and second in the 1,000, and Massapequa's Shannon McBrien qualified, finishing third in 3:07.4.
Garden City had another individual qualifier in Taylor Hennig, who took the 600 in 1:38.18. Diona Woods (1:38.42) of Freeport, Cold Spring Harbor's Jillian Lee (1:38.56) and Amanda Schmidt (1:41.85) of Massapequa also qualified in the 600.
Uniondale's Britney Webley (8.5) and Desiree-Johnson Greene (8.86) took first and second to qualify in the 55 hurdles.
MacArthur's Kristina Romano (9-0) and Hallee Henze (8-6) of Cold Spring Harbor took first and second to qualify in the pole vault.
In other field events, Heather Sweeney (17-8½) of Massapequa, Hewlett's Vanessa Pierre (17-8) and Jennifer Cajou (17-7) of Farmingdale qualified in the long jump, and Valley Stream North's Betina Mondelice (36-43/4) and Calhoun's Valerie Vancol (36-3½) took first and second in the shot put to qualify.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
