Nassau boys, Suffolk girls win relays

ITHACA, N.Y. - It was probably the most unexpected of outcomes for Long Island at the state championships at Cornell University Saturday.

The Nassau boys intersectional medley relay team, despite just one day of practice together, found enough chemistry to finish first and win the Federation title in 8 minutes, 56.98 seconds.

The girls fared just as well. Suffolk's intersectional medley team ran to a first-place finish in 10:28.63.

It took a lot for the boys to cross that finish line first as East Meadow's Sean Grady, who ran the 1,600-meter anchor leg, overcame a deficit on his final lap to edge Suffolk's team.

Mineola's Nuno Tinoco, Joshua Salmon of Uniondale and Chris Edouard from Valley Stream North ran the other legs for Nassau.

Jarrick Ambrose, Austin Coneys, Nicholas Collazos and Tim Odin made up Suffolk's medley squad.

Sometimes it takes weeks of practice for a relay team to feel each other out and perfect its baton handoffs. Nassau's team was able to do it in one day.

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"We practiced handoffs [Friday]," Grady said. "It was difficult, but we got it."

Although none of the athletes had run together before, they had formed a bond through competing against each other.

"It was pretty awkward, but we just developed that chemistry," said Edouard, who ran the 600 leg. "We don't train with each other, but we compete with each other all the time. So we see each other's faces."

"This was totally unexpected," said Tinoco, who ran the 1,000 leg. "We thought we might medal and get like sixth or fifth. But when [Grady] came down that last turn on the straightaway . . . It was just insane."

For Salmon, who ran the 200 leg, it was his first winning experience.

"This is exciting," Salmon said. "I just started running track last year. But from our practice [Friday], I knew this could work."

The Suffolk girls intersectional relay kept the momentum going, finishing ahead of the CHSAA team.

Like the Nassau boys team, the girls didn't have much practice time and weren't expected to win.

"This was a great experience," said Sachem East's Melanie Notarstefano, who ran the mile. "We were seeded sixth. So we were just expected to maybe get a medal."

Kings Park's Christine Hagan ran the 1,000 leg, Olivia Schumann (Mercy) ran the 200, and Catherine Sandkuhl of North Babylon ran the 600. "When the race first started, I thought we were coming in last," Hagan said. "I was like 'this is horrible.' "

Notarstefano started the anchor leg in second, but overcame the CHSAA team in the last two laps.

"When she got in first, I was like we're going to win this," Schumann said. "This was awesome."