Noreen Guilfoyle’s two individual victories lead Mount Sinai to Suffolk V championship

If there was any doubt that the Mount Sinai girls track team would take a step back after a dominant cross country season, it was put to rest Sunday morning.

Mount Sinai, led by two individual victories by Noreen Guilfoyle, won the Suffolk V championship, scoring 131 points at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood.

Proving that they can compete in all seasons wasn’t the only motivation for Mount Sinai. They were looking to avenge a third-place finish in last year’s edition of the championships, something that stuck in their collective craw for an entire year.

“It’s definitely big,” Guilfoyle said. “ . . . We were supposed to win the leagues last year, but we ended up not winning. This year, it’s a big comeback for us and I’m really glad to have it.”

Guilfoyle won the 3,000 meters in 11 minutes, 20.70 seconds, the 1,500 in 5:03.35 and, along with Sarah Connelly, Isabella DiPalermo, and Kaitlyn Chandrika won the 4 x 800 meter relay in 10:05.54.

Guilfoyle slightly edged DiPalermo, who ran 11:20.86, in the 3,000. After leading the whole way in the 1,500, Guilfoyle slowly increased her lead on the final lap.

“I knew that [Bayport-Blue Point’s Hannah Fiorentine] was right there, and I just wanted to keep strong and keep going,” Guilfoyle said of her 1,500 finish. “I knew that, on the last lap, I had to really kick it so I could push ahead, and I wanted to put the other two girls on my team ahead, too. So I knew I had to kick it so they could kick it, too.”

Those two teammates, Connelly and Chandrika, finished second and third, respectively, in the 1,500, with Connelly clocking a 5:04.26 and Chandrika posting a 5:05.36. Fiorentine was fourth in 5:09.18.

Chandrika also won the 1,000 in 3:09.89, with Connelly second in 3:10.51.

Elsewhere, Shelter Island’s Lindsey Gallagher won the 600 in 1:39.52 and the 300 in 43.97 seconds. Gallagher needed a late lean in the 300 to outpace Mercy’s Olivia Kneski, who was second in 44.02 seconds.

In the field, Glenn’s Alice Chiodo cleared 5 feet, 5 inches to win the high jump. At the conclusion of the meet, the jump was tied for the second-highest in the state and the highest on Long Island, according to milesplit.com.

Chiodo said she had been frustrated with the 5-3 plateau that she hit in early December, working feverishly to get past it and fly higher.

“I’ve been just missing 5-4,” Chiodo said. “It’s incredibly frustrating . . . It’s been almost there, with the bar just hanging on, and then it just drops. It stinks, but getting over it is such a relief.”

The senior said that 5-6 is her personal best and clearing that height would put an exclamation point on her winter season.

“[Today] definitely gave me a boost,” she said. “I was feeling pretty down, being stuck at 5-4 every time. Now, that I cleared it, I feel much better going into upcoming meets.”