Roslyn's Lipari breaks 2:10 to win the 800
Emily Lipari of Roslyn wins the girl's 800 Meter Run with a time of 2:09.35 at the St. Anthony's Invitational. (May 1, 2010) Credit: Photo by George A. Faella
Emily Lipari has proven herself to be a top 1,500- and 3,000-meter specialist. Roslyn's distance dominator had a goal at the St. Anthony's Invitational Saturday: to break the 2:10 barrier in the last 800-meter race of her high school career.
The diminutive Villanova-bound senior did just that.
Facing a field packed with mid-distance specialists, Lipari won the 800 in a personal best time of 2:09.35.
Bayside's Alain Tate finished second in 2:11.12, and Lipari's Nassau rival, Emily Menges of Garden City, came in fourth at 2:13.05. Olicia Williams of St. Anthony's was third in 2:11.36
For Lipari, the race was about achieving her best time as much as it was about winning.
"I was really just trying to hit 2:10, regardless if that meant coming in last or first," Lipari said.
Lipari darted to the front of the pack from the gun, jostling her way into position as she rounded the first turn. She understood the importance of not being tossed around in an early-race scrum for position.
"Especially being small, I knew if I got one elbow in front of me, I would be pushed to the back of the pack," Lipari said. "I didn't want to turn it into a fistfight, so I tried to get out as far as I could in the first 100 meters."
She tucked in with the lead pack early on, but the question was whether a distance specialist like Lipari could sprint past a pack of girls in the whirlwind of a two-lap race.
After an ideal 64-second first lap, Lipari made her move with 150 meters remaining, coming around on the outside to blow past the rest of the field. She did it like an experienced 800 veteran, not like a relative neophyte looking to add to an already-stacked resume.
Lipari appeared to relish the brief reprieve from distance events.
"Shifting speeds in the 800 is kind of different for me because I only get to run it so often," Lipari said.
With "Mission sub-2:10" accomplished, Lipari is now looking ahead to the longer distances, where lowering her 1,500 and 3,000 times remains a priority.
"It's coming to the end of my senior year, and I kind of have a lot of unfinished business," Lipari said.
Lipari also won the 1,500 Saturday in 4:32.12, once again using a furious finishing kick to blow past the field.
Elmont's Valicia Hannon won both the 100 and 200, in 12.16 and 25.15.
In the 3,000, Syosset's Rachel Ngu cruised home for the win with a time of 10:17.73. Lipari chose not to run that race.
Vanessa Stewart of North Babylon won the discus, throwing 141-9. Stewart placed third in the event at the Nike Indoor Nationals in March.
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