East Meadow track and field's Zaria Hall wins three distance races at Nassau Class A championships
Zaria Hall of East Meadow winning the 1500-meter run with a time of 5:02.94 at the Nassau Class A team championships held at St. Anthony's on Feb. 3, 2026. Credit: Errol Anderson
East Meadow senior Zaria Hall is like the veteran boxer of Nassau distance running. She possesses the power, finesse and intelligence that makes her the apex predator of her county’s field.
She knows exactly what to do, when to do it and how hard to go once she flips the switch. She can conserve her energy and wear her opponents down, allowing her to bob and weave her way toward the front of the pack, then hit the leaders with a vicious knockout punch that they never see coming in the final lap. In Hall’s case, that vicious knockout punch is her strong kick, which often turns tight races into blowouts within mere moments.
She did that three times at the Nassau Class A indoor track and field championships on Tuesday at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington. Her night began with a win in the 3,000 meters, finishing in 10 minutes, 24.39 seconds. Later, she placed first in the 1,000 in 3:00.78 before finishing with a victory in the 1,500 in 5:02.94.
“I’ve been doing this tactic since my freshman year,” Hall said. “I know my competition and what they’re capable of. Some races are tactical, others I have to go hard from the gun. I think the key to tonight was a little bit of both feeling good physically and mentally. It comes from conserving energy, taking time to recover after each race . . . but also staying patient, knowing when to go and knowing that I can do this, and that this is where I belong.”
Tuesday marked the fourth consecutive Nassau championship meet (spring 2024, winter 2025, spring 2025, winter 2026) that Hall won all three distance races in her class.
If Hall is Nassau’s veteran fighter, then Baldwin senior Breanne Barnett is its machine. Her friends call her, “The Robot,” because of her consistency in her sprinting mechanics. Those were on full display Tuesday. Barnett — the state’s top-ranked runner in the 300 for the second year in a row — won the 55 in 7.1 seconds and the 300 in 39.46.
“Just having these county championships feels good, but I’m not done yet, though,” Barnett said. “I’m still trying to get that state record in the 300.”
The only other double Class A champion was Freeport senior Angel Omokeni, who flew 17 feet, 4 3⁄4 inches to win the long jump and 37-9 1⁄2 to take the triple jump.
Massapequa won the Class A team championship, scoring 92 points. Senior Emma Villalta won the 600 in 1:37.18 and classmate Keira McLaughlin cleared 10- 1⁄2 to win the pole vault.
Trio puts on a show
Zoe Amadike of Sewanhaka during the long jump at the Nassau Class B team championship held at St. Anthony's on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Credit: Errol Anderson
Roosevelt senior Esmia Thomas, Sewanhaka senior Zoe Amadike and Garden City junior Taylor Maguire ran monopolies over their trades in the Nassau Class B championships Wednesday night.
Thomas won the 55 in 7.01, tying her for No. 1 in the state with Janelia Williams: a junior from Paul Robeson in Brooklyn. She also helped Roosevelt’s 4 x 200 relay team to victory in 1:49.15.
Amadike flew 17-5 1⁄4 to win the long jump and 36-1 to take the triple jump, while Maguire won the 1,000 in 3:09.65 and the 1,500 in 4:59.58.
It was the first time Maguire has won an individual county title.
“It was really satisfying to kick my way in and see my name on the scoreboard up in that first spot,” Maguire said. “I’m super happy with what happened today because it really puts a good light on my whole season. I’m always going to look back on it and think, that was the first time I ever won a county championship. It was everything I could’ve wanted.”
Hewlett scored 117 1⁄2 points to win the Class B team title. Junior Janee Llanos won the 55 hurdles in 8.79, senior Nylah Phillips took the 300 in 40.99 and senior Maree Drayling cleared 8-6 to win the pole vault.
Fessler: Thrice as nice
Valley Stream North junior Paige Fessler racked up her own trio of gold medals at the Nassau Class C championships, winning the high jump (5-7), long jump (17-8) and 55 hurdles (8.86), all while bouncing back and forth between the three events Monday.
Her hurdles victory came by thousandths of a second, and also marked the completion of her night.
“I came in ranked No. 1 in all three, so I came in thinking there was no room for error,” Fessler said. “There was a lot of stress, especially between the long jump and high jump. The hurdles made me work the hardest. Once I crossed the finish line and saw my name at the top, I was relieved.”
North Shore won the Class C team championship with 118 points. Seniors Joanna Kenney (3,000, 9:51.63), Chloe Connolly (1,500, 5:07.07) and Danielle DeMillio (pole vault, 9-0), junior Chloe Brady (1,500 walk, 9:09.33) and eighth grader Tula Belle Gumm (1,000, 3:14.13) all won individual titles.
NASSAU CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIPS
55 meters:
Breanne Barnett, Baldwin, Sr. — 7.1
Savannah Stephenson, Baldwin, Jr. — 7.15
Kendra Gordon, Westbury, Jr. — 7.25
300 meters:
Breanne Barnett, Baldwin, Sr. — 39.46
Shannon Stapleton, Freeport, 8th — 40.1
Destiny Chan-Hescott, Hempstead, Soph. — 41.06
600 meters:
Emma Villalta, Massapequa, Sr. — 1:37.18
Emily Zaradich, East Meadow, Jr. — 1:39.77
Samora Peterson, Hempstead, Fr. — 1:41.79
1,000 meters:
Zaria Hall, East Meadow, Sr. — 3:00.78
Sarah Sohl, Farmingdale, Sr. — 3:05.21
Julia Glenz, Long Beach, Soph. — 3:06.06
1,500 meters:
Zaria Hall, East Meadow, Sr. — 5:02.94
Sophia Vukelic, Massapequa, Sr. — 5:06.86
Charlotte Heym, Oceanside, Soph. — 5:07.72
3,000 meters:
Zaria Hall, East Meadow, Sr. — 10:24.39
Gemma Budek, MacArthur, Jr. — 10:27.12
Sophia Vukelic, Massapequa, Sr. — 10:31.62
55-meter hurdles:
Noelle McGarry, East Meadow, Soph. — 8.99
Kailyn Duffy, Massapequa, Sr. — 9.21
Beatrice Musto, Oceanside, Sr. — 9.28
1,500-meter racewalk:
Samantha Benson-Tyler, Port Washington, Sr. — 7:07.82
Natalie Rivera, East Meadow, Sr. — 7:40.06
Emily Zheng, East Meadow, Sr. — 7:40.23
High jump:
Abigail Joseph, East Meadow, Jr. — 5-1
Kailyn Duffy, Massapequa, Sr. — 5-0
Athena Alevreas, MacArthur, Fr. — 4-8
Long jump:
Angel Omokeni, Freeport, Sr. — 17-4 ¾
Addison Dove, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, Soph. — 17-1
Elena Vallejo Gil, Port Washington, Fr. — 16-¼
Triple jump:
Angel Omokeni, Freeport, Sr. — 37-9 ½
Addison Dove, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, Soph. — 35-1 ¾
Beatrice Musto, Oceanside, Sr. — 33-10
Pole vault:
Keira McLaughlin, Massapequa, Sr. — 10-½
Huiling Tan, Syosset, Sr. — 9-0
Juliette Poitrimol, Syosset, Sr. — 8-6
Shot put:
Addison Dove, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, Soph. — 32-7 ¾
Zoe Scher, Port Washington, Sr. — 31-3 ¾
Sonia Ngai, Jericho, Soph. — 31-3 ½
Weight throw:
Izabella Abreu, Freeport, Jr. — 40-1 ¾
Julia Elmoraly, Syosset, Sr. — 39-7
Aurora Manchame, Freeport, Jr. — 38-6 ¼
4 x 200 meter relay:
Freeport (Angel Omokeni, Sr., Jada McBride, Sr., Shelley Ativie, Soph., Shannon Stapleton, 8th) — 1:48.11
Massapequa (Kailyn Duffy, Sr., Keira Stealey, Sr., Karlye Irving, Fr., Emma Villalta, Sr.) — 1:50.72
Valley Stream Central (Adia Blake, Sr., Kaylah Merilan, Sr., Dakota Benjamin, Sr., Arianna Henry, Soph.) — 1:50.82
4 x 400 meter relay:
Hempstead (Riley Belle, Jr., Samora Peterson, Fr., Rhenia Clarke, Jr., Destiny Chan-Hescott, Soph.) — 4:11.43
Uniondale (Victoria Eleso, Soph., Jada Murchison, Sr., Anaya Nerestant, Jr., MIA Roberts, Jr.) — 4:21.2
Port Washington (Elena Vallejo Gil, Fr., Lily Longaro, Jr., Luna Romero, Sr., Sofia Virmani, Soph.) — 4:22.13
4 x 800 meter relay:
MacArthur (Leah Fortunato, Jr., Sinead Cromie, Fr., Niamh Cromie, Jr., Gemma Budek, Jr.) — 9:47.8
Massapequa (Shannon Carter, Sr., Emma Villalta, Sr., Kyra Florio-Marinello, Sr., Sophia Vukelic, Sr.) — 9:52.64
East Meadow (Marcheline Simbulan, Jr., Isabella Estrella, Soph., Ashley Zheng, Fr., Emily Zaradich, Jr.) — 10:02.87
NASSAU CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIPS
55 meters:
Esmia Thomas, Roosevelt, Sr. — 7.01
Nylah Phillips, Hewlett, Sr. — 7.21
Jada Lawrence, Hewlett, Soph. — 7.4
300 meters:
Nylah Phillips, Hewlett, Sr. — 40.99
Kyra Lekanides, Garden City, Sr. — 41.13
Brianna Civil, Elmont, Soph. — 43.47
600 meters:
Kyra Lekanides, Garden City, Sr. — 1:36.87
Giuliana Portaro, Glen Cove, Fr. — 1:41.49
Harper Lambert, Manhasset, Sr. — 1:44.03
1,000 meters:
Taylor Maguire, Garden City, Jr. — 3:09.65
Valeria Paez, Hewlett, Jr. — 3:10.66
Abigail Tedesco, Garden City, Sr. — 3:14.04
1,500 meters:
Taylor Maguire, Garden City, Jr. — 4:59.58
Fayola Allison, South Side, Sr. — 5:02.57
Valeria Paez, Hewlett, Jr. — 5:05.83
3,000 meters:
Catalina Suau, Garden City, Sr. — 10:43.4
Fayola Allison, South Side, Sr. — 10:48.33
Maeve Nawrocki, South Side, Sr. — 11:15.05
55-meter hurdles:
Janee Llanos, Hewlett, Jr. — 8.79
Sara Osit, Roslyn, Jr. — 8.87
Jada Lawrence, Hewlett, Soph. — 9.53
1,500-meter racewalk:
Daniella Schneider, Bellmore JFK, Jr. — 9:03.39
Alexa Zohar, Calhoun, Jr. — 9:09.63
Sky Zohar, Calhoun, Jr. — 9:10.55
High jump:
Amanda Tedesco, Garden City, Soph. — 4-8
Jenny Gasparello, Calhoun, Soph. — 4-8
Zoe Rechtweg, Hewlett, Fr. — 4-8
Long jump:
Zoe Amadike, Sewanhaka, Sr. — 17-5 ¼
Janee Llanos, Hewlett, Jr. — 16-5 ¾
Isabella D’Ambrosio, Carey, Fr. — 16-4
Triple jump:
Zoe Amadike, Sewanhaka, Sr. — 36-1
Janee Llanos, Hewlett, Jr. — 35-2 ¾
Jenny Gasparello, Calhoun, Soph. — 33-11 ¾
Pole vault:
Maree Drayling, Hewlett, Sr. — 8-6
Amanda Tedesco, Garden City, Soph. — 8-6
Ava Zokai, Roslyn, Sr. — 8-0
Shot put:
Nefertai Cameron, Roosevelt, Jr. — 34-¼
Antonia Bruno, Division, Sr. — 28-0
Maraim Lawal, Roosevelt, Soph. — 27-6 ½
Weight throw:
Antonia Bruno, Division, Sr. — 40-3
Mavelle Rodriguez, Hewlett, Jr. — 34-8
Isabella Torres, Clarke, Sr. — 31-10
4 x 200-meter relay:
Roosevelt (Joy Frank, Soph., Esmia Thomas, Sr., Tajha Coggins, Sr., Sophia Lobban, Jr.) — 1:49.15
Elmont (Brianna Civil, Soph., Arielle Aifuobhokhan, Soph., Keyana Sobers, Jr., Victoria Nelson, Soph.) — 1:51.42
Garden City (Emily Ryker, Soph., Stella Goettelmann, Jr., Anna Olcott, Jr., Reese Goettelmann, Fr.) — 1:54.7
4 x 400-meter relay:
Garden City (Kylie O’Leary, Soph., Ashley Ryker, Jr., Taylor Maguire, Jr., Kyra Lekanides, Sr.) — 4:12.6
Hewlett (Jada Lawrence, Soph., Alyssa Reich, Soph., Valeria Paez, Jr., Nylah Phillips, Sr.) — 4:12.64
Manhasset (Julia Kim, Jr., Harper Lambert, Sr., Elim Yang, Sr., Madeleine Quinlan, Soph.) — 4:19.91
4 x 800-meter relay:
Mepham (Anna Kaplun, Soph., Jamie Bataan, Fr., Emma Kearney, Soph., Paige Anderson, Jr.) — 10:26.1
Manhasset (Gianna Sforza, Sr., Waverly Ling, Sr., Katherine Garvin, Soph., Anna Paloubis, Jr.) — 10:29.65
Garden City (Abigail Tedesco, Sr., Ava Reni, Fr., Elizabeth DiBlasi, Fr., Catalina Suau, Sr.) — 10:34.78
NASSAU CLASS C CHAMPIONSHIPS
55 meters:
Lenora Jones, Valley Stream South, Jr. — 7.3
Cynthia Eustache, Friends Academy, Sr. — 7.41
London Johnson, Friends Academy, Fr. — 7.59
300 meters:
Lana Alvarez, Friends Academy, Soph. — 42.3
Kayla Portes, Island Trees, Sr. — 44.62
Johanna Fray, West Hempstead, Sr. — 44.9
600 meters:
Ariana Madeira, Friends Academy, Fr. — 1:39.46
Maia Madeira, Friends Academy, Jr. — 1:44.09
Hannah Sadowski, North Shore, Sr. — 1:47.08
1,000 meters:
Tula Belle Gumm, North Shore, 8th — 3:14.13
Chloe Connolly, North Shore, Sr. — 3:14.4
Joanna Kenney, North Shore, Sr. — 3:14.58
1,500 meters:
Chloe Connolly, North Shore, Sr. — 5:07.07
Joanna Kenney, North Shore, Sr. — 5:07.36
Erin Burns, Wantagh, Jr. — 5:11.28
3,000 meters:
Joanna Kenney, North Shore, Sr. — 9:51.63
Chloe Connolly, North Shore, Sr. — 10:29.98
Isabella Garra, Cold Spring Harbor, Jr. — 10:33.17
55-meter hurdles:
Paige Fessler, Valley Stream North, Jr. — 8.86
Nicolette Lewis, Oyster Bay, Jr. — 8.86
Jocelyn Schadler, Oyster Bay, Sr. — 9.78
1,500-meter racewalk:
Chloe Brady, North Shore, Jr. — 9:09.33
Savannah Fortich, Oyster Bay, Soph. — 10:24.15
Hannah Vidro, Oyster Bay, Soph. — 10:25.44
High jump:
Paige Fessler, Valley Stream North, Jr. — 5-7
Jessica Reiter, Seaford, Sr. — 5-2
Valerie Martin, Seaford, Sr. — 5-0
Long jump:
Paige Fessler, Valley Stream North, Jr. — 17-8
Maddie George, Wheatley, Jr. — 16-7 ¼
Jessica Kanyaro, Plainedge, Jr. — 16-7
Triple jump:
Jessica Kanyaro, Plainedge, Jr. — 35-1 ¾
Nicolette Lewis, Oyster Bay, Jr. — 33-10 ½
Maddie George, Wheatley, Jr. — 33-6 ½
Pole vault:
Danielle Demillio, North Shore, Sr. — 9-0
Samantha Estela, Valley Stream North, Sr. — 8-6
Nina Ballone, Oyster Bay, Jr. — 8-0
Shot put:
Makayla Boubert, Malverne, Sr. — 35-4 ¼
Mecca Laradji, Island Trees, Sr. — 31-4
Jenny Delvoix, Valley Stream North, Soph. — 30-11
Weight throw:
Jenny Delvoix, Valley Stream North, Soph. — 36-7 ¼
Allison Pearsall, Island Trees, Fr. — 30-11 ½
Marlowe Meier, Cold Spring Harbor, Jr. — 30-9
4 x 200-meter relay:
Malverne (Sophia Baez, Soph., Dolapo Olaniyan, Sr., Khayla Pinnock, Jr., Skyla Hunt, Sr.) — 1:54.21
Valley Stream North (Tashi Cole, 8th, Saniya Smiley, Sr., Knisha Larochel, Sr., Alissa Azor, Sr.) — 1:55.99
Oyster Bay (Kaela Miley, Jr., Nicolette Lewis, Jr., Olivia Lewis, Fr., Anna Bakalis, 7th) — 1:59.22
4 x 400-meter relay:
Friends Academy (Cynthia Eustche, Sr., Lana Alvarez, Soph., Maia Madeira, Jr., Ariana Madeira, Fr.) — 4:15.01
North Shore (Tula Belle Gumm, 8th, Hannah Sadowski, Sr., Kashvi Bhogadi, Soph., Harper Wilson, Jr.) — 4:23.47
Island Trees (Ava Pinto, Sr., Madison Teo, Sr., Brynn Ramsey, Jr., Kayla Portes, Sr.) — 4:32.65
4 x 800-meter relay:
Cold Spring Harbor (Norah Wouters Almeida, 8th, Claire Delli Carpini, Fr., Giuliana Mazzilli, 8th, Isabella Garra, Jr.) — 10:28.82
North Shore (Millie Advaryu-Valente, 8th, Hannah Checo, Sr., Sinead Reagan, Fr., Sloane Bonvicino, Fr.) — 10:37.61
Oyster Bay (Anne-Marie Cochran, 8th, Ava Cekovic, 8th, Liana Altamirano, Soph., Nina Ballone, Jr.) — 11:32.91
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
