Kellenberg boys track's Christian Mahfood wins hurdle and high jump at NSCHSAA championships
Christian Mahfood of Kellenberg clears a hurdle in the 110-meter hurdles during the NSCHSAA track and field league championship sat St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Credit: Derrick Dingle
Before Saturday, not much seemed possible to Kellenberg junior Christian Mahfood. Now, nothing feels impossible.
Mahfood was the only male to win two individual championships at the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA outdoor track and field championships at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington. He won the 110-meter hurdles in 17.01 seconds and then broke his personal record four consecutive times in the high jump to win it at 5 feet, 9 inches.
Mahfood had never won a league championship, and there was reason to believe that might not change entering the meet. He ranked fourth in the league in the 110 hurdles at 17.7 — 2.65 seconds slower than St. John the Baptist junior Noah Agbayewa, the defending champion. In the high jump, he ranked second at 5-5 ½.
“I was looking at my times and the qualifying standards, and I was like, ‘Man, can I really do this?' ” Mahfood said.
However, Agbayewa was out sick, which created an opportunity. Mahfood's athleticism took over halfway through the race, as he hurdled efficiently to give himself some separation from the pack.
“I didn’t know I had a chance of winning until I was in the race,” Mahfood said. “I really had no confidence in myself before today, because I’m a realist. But now, this makes me know that I can place higher in my events.”
Once he finished, he went over to the high jump while riding an emotional high and cleared 5-3, 5-4, 5-5 and 5-6. Senior teammates Jordan Porter and Nicholas Perez also cleared those heights alongside him, leaving nothing but Firebirds remaining.
Now, just jumping with friends, Mahfood and Porter each cleared 5-7, 5-8 and 5-9. The tiebreaker went to Mahfood due to fewer earlier failed attempts.
“My teammates really carried me through that,” Mahfood said. “That was do or die, because I’m never going to jump with them again, and they’d be telling me all about how they beat me in high jump.”
Chaminade scored 99 points to win its first outdoor team championship since 2008. Flyers senior Jonathan Szymanski played a role by winning the shot put with a throw of 59-10 ½, but a 161-8 throw by St. John the Baptist senior Joseph Quinn in the discus prevented him from winning both titles.
It was a surprise upset for Quinn, who had not competed since April 18 due to a strain in his right shoulder.
“It’s made it hard to extend my arm,” Quinn said. “It’s been hard to throw. I was in a lot of pain during this competition, so this feels incredible.”
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.
