Long Island track athletes have field day 

Ryan John, Valley Stream North, triple jump

Ryan John never stopped working. As a very fitting consequence, he never stopped winning, either. The Clemson-commit was clearly the top triple jumper in the state going into the March 5 championships and, by late afternoon, it was official. John won the state triple jump title with a 46 foot, 6 ¼  inch flight, nearly a foot ahead of the field.

John won time-after-time this winter, but never seemed completely satisfied. That was a major part of his success, too. The senior was always looking for ways to jump further, even if it was almost never needed. He knew it would be eventually and never slacked off.

“It wasn’t my best day, I could have done better,” John said after winning the state title. “But, getting first place is always an accomplishment, no matter what you jump.”

John’s best jump of the season came two weeks earlier, when he flew 47 feet, seven inches to win at the Nassau State Qualifier. That mark was the best in the state this season, according to milesplit.com.

Nicholas Lourenco, St. Anthony’s, pole vault  

As Nicholas Lourenco reflected back on his winter season, a thought occurred – imagine what he could do this spring if he stays healthy? That was a challenge in the winter, with the senior missing five weeks with a stress fracture in his back. Despite that frustration, Lourenco was still the top pole vaulter in the state, clearing 15 feet, six inches to win the indoor title, only a few weeks after returning from injury.

“The thing I take from it is, I just have to stay healthier,” Lourenco said of the indoor season. “I know my body. But at some points I want to keep pushing myself, even though I don’t feel well. I have to learn to back off a little bit better.”

Lourenco got right back to winning after the injury. He cleared 14-6 to win at the CHSAA Intersectional Championships on Feb. 19. By the state competition two weeks later, he felt like the five weeks wasn’t missed at all.

“It was almost 100 percent, compared to the intersectional meet,” he said after winning the state championship. “Everything was smooth and coming natural to me this time.”

Kate Del Gandio, Mount Sinai, 55-meter hurdles

So much had happened since Kate Del Gandio stepped into the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island. Basically, everything. The last time she was there was March 7, 2020. Less than two weeks later, the world would look a lot different.

Understandably, after almost two years of dealing with being a high school athlete during a global pandemic, coming back to Ocean Breeze felt a bit like coming full circle. A very long full circle at that.

“It was a little bit overwhelming to walk back in here and be running here again,” Del Gandio said. “I was like, ‘push that to the side, breathe, be calm, cool, and collected, and run the best race you can, no matter what happens.”

At the end of the long, winding road was a state championship for Del Gandio – who won the 55-meter hurdles title in 8.14 seconds.

She dropped a major personal best with that time, shocking even herself. Prior to the 8.14, her previous top mark was 8.22. Both those times have since been bested. She ran a converted 8.10 at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in mid-March.

Analisse Batista, Huntington, 600 meters

Analisse Batista wasn’t scared, and when she saw an opening, she took it all the way to a championship. The senior was a little surprised when Paul Robeson’s Anissa Moore took out the state championship 600 meters at a hard pace. Batista is someone who likes a faster opening lap, but this was a little extreme.

Once the pace slowed on the second lap, Batista felt the race coming back to her. On the third and final lap, she took control – winning in one minute, 32.94 seconds. She split 32.04 on the final lap, en route to her first Federation indoor state championship.

“I thought (Moore) was pushing right next to me, so I kind of got nervous,” Batista said of the final straightaway. “Then I ended up going right in front of her.”

Batista had won the public school 600 in 2020, but winning Federation, a category that includes every athlete in the state, is the pinnacle of high school running. That wasn’t lost on Batista, who had long been among the best and now is, officially, the single best in the state.

“I’ve never been happier,” she said.

Alexandra Kelly, Rocky Point, triple jump

When Alexandra Kelly left her house on the morning of the state championships, she took the usual fare. Her bag? Check. Her phone? Check. A bottle of water? Check. Her nerves? Well, she decided to leave those at home.

Kelly was among the best 2 or 3 triple jumpers in the state, and had been for quite some time. It was time to start acting like it.

“I went into the meet with a lot more confidence than I had in the past,” Kelly said. “I kind of let my nerves go away and was just really excited. I think that helped.”

That excitement only intensified when she flew 39 feet, six inches and won the state triple jump championship. She was now, officially, the best.

“I (used to) get in my own head a lot,” Kelly said. “But, (at the state championships), I looked back at my successes and said ‘lets finish it off.’  I had a lot of speed right off the bat. I think that helped the most.”

Marisa D’Angelo, St. Anthony’s, pole vault

There was a lot to leap over in the last year, and Marisa D’Angelo categorically answered the call. After dealing with various injuries that began to hamper her last spring and made their way into the winter, the St. Anthony’s pole vaulter was finally back on top. She had recaptured her confidence and captured the state pole vault title, clearing 12 feet, six inches in the process.

“I just felt this relief, like I had conquered it all,” she said.

D’Angelo was the last to enter the competition, meaning that she chose to make her first jump on a higher height than the other pole vaulters. She missed twice at 12 feet, needing a final clear to remain in the race for the top prize.  She made it.

Fast forward to later in the competition. Everyone remaining had missed at 12-3 and she was staring at 12-6 with a chance to win. A year she once called the hardest of her high school career had come down to this.

“I was on the runway and (thought) ‘if I clear this, I win it all,’ she said. “…As I cleared the bar, my face – and there are pictures of this – just instantly was total excitement.”  

Julie Thomas, Commack, shot put

On the morning of the state championships, Julie Thomas was one of the first ones through the doors of Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. Even though she wasn’t throwing until noon, she felt it was important to get her mind and energy concentrated towards a comfortable place while she was in the building. She wanted to relax before she threw, and she didn’t want to try to do it on wheels.

“Nerves-wise, I had told myself the whole entire week leading up to states that it’s just like any other meet,” Thomas said. “I was like, ‘don’t even think about throwing until 12 p.m. Don’t even think about throwing until you’re by that circle, about ready to go.’ I was just enjoying the track meet and I felt like that really helped me ground myself. An hour before I had to throw, it was go time. I wasn’t spent, wasn’t tired. I was ready to go and just ready to throw. My brain was clear.”

What followed was a 40 foot, 10 ½ inch toss that won her the state shot put title.

“It was the perfect mindset,” she said.

Elmont’s 4 X200 meter relay team: Alexandra Williams, Stephney Pryce, Andre-Anna Rodney, Ashley Fulton

The sun on Staten Island was just about set on state championship Saturday, but it could have been a Long Island meet on the track. With both Baldwin and St. Anthony’s threating to take the 4X200 meter crown, it was the Elmont team of Alexandra Williams, Stephney Pryce, Andre-Anna Rodney, and Ashley Fulton that proved to be the best in the state.

The well-seasoned quartet won in 1:42.81, nearly two seconds ahead of the rest of the bunched-up field. It may have been a race heavy with Long Island talent, but it was Elmont that once again reigned supreme.

Baldwin and St. Anthony’s were both in front of Rodney when she got the batten for the second leg.

“I wasn’t necessarily worried,” Rodney said. “I knew that the rest of my team would do what they needed to do to get in front.”

Relay teams are often mixed and matched for most of the season, with the true lineup only coming into focus a few weeks before the state championships. Not Elmont. They were generally the same core four all season, and that really helped.

“We got to know each other more and what our strengths and weaknesses are,” Williams said. “It just helped built us up.”