Camylin Blake of Mepham wins her second race of the...

Camylin Blake of Mepham wins her second race of the day, the 100 meter dash, at the East Meadow Track and Field Invitational at East Meadow High School on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Credit: Peter Frutkoff

Camylin Blake is going long. With her training, that is.

The Mepham senior is emphasizing training for longer events this spring, hoping that helps her succeed at a wide range of distances. The move will, theoretically, make Blake a more ‘elastic’ runner. She can go up to the 400 meters, or down to the 100, with relative ease and win the whole way through.

Blake won at two shorter distances on Tuesday, taking the 100 in 12.81 seconds and the 100 meter-hurdles in 14.93 at the East Meadow Invitational at a windy and cold East Meadow High.

Both victories were dominant, with Blake winning the 100 by nearly one second, an eternity in a short sprint and the 100 hurdles by more than three seconds, an eternity anywhere on the track.

“Throughout that start of the season, I’ve sort of been working on long work more than the short work that I was doing a lot of the indoor season ,” Blake said. “In races like the 100, my transition into my ending phase is really clean and good in form. I’m able to keep my composure throughout the race.”

Blake has already racked up a win and a third-place finish in the 400 this spring, showing that she can not only race at that distance, but can compete at it, too.

“I’m more confident and strong in my race model and how I’m able to execute throughout the race in the different phases,” Blake said.

Blake said she’s not yet sure what events she will chose when she narrows her focus toward the postseason. The 100-hurdles is a likely choice — Blake is one of the top hurdlers in the state. But, as for the others, it could be the 200, or the 400, or the 400-hurdles.

The point now, however, is that Blake can do it all. Options in April are never a bad thing.

“I definitely think that playing around with what events I’m going to run, it sort of lets you see what events could work well together and what events I could execute at a higher level,” Blake said.

Elsewhere, Baldwin’s Camdresa Davis snuck up on Staten Island Curtis’ Angel Okafor on the home straightway and won the 400 in 1:02.55. Okafor was second in 1:03.98.

“On the final stretch, it’s all about mindset,” said Davis, who bounded into first place with 30 meters remaining. “I just pushed through and gave it everything I had.”

Davis said she prefers to chase people down, but admitted to being a little nervous when she still hadn’t yet caught Okafor on the final turn.

“I just wanted to try and make that distance up,” Davis said.

Great Neck South’s Isabella Spagnoli won the 1,500 in 5:08.05, holding off both Calhoun’s Julianna Razza (5:13.8) and East Meadow’s Leslie Villafuerte Castro (5:26.11). Spagnoli also won the 800 in 2:32.17.

Spagnoli said she spent the indoor season working back from a fractured right foot suffered early in the cross country season. With that foot completely healed, she’s ready for fast times.

“I kind of used winter as practice to get ready for (spring),” Spagnoli said. “I felt the winter helped a lot, because I’m getting really fast.”

In the field, East Meadow’s Jada Reid won the long jump (14 feet, seven inches) and the triple jump (31-5 ½).

On the boys side, Huntington dominated on the track. Nick Grover won the 100 (11.62), Julio Martinez won the 400 (51.43), Matt Armstrong won the 800 (2:09.26), and Quincy Chery won the 400 hurdles (59.84).

In the field, it was Amityville’s time to shine. Shy Lucas won the high jump (5-8), Ulric Ferrier won the triple jump (41-7), Joshua Figgs-Stallings won the shot put (42-2.5), and Ty’Jon Billinger won the pentathlon (2,619 points).

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