Sacred Heart's Brigid Byrnes wins three events at Catholic championships

Lately, the winning hasn’t stopped for Sacred Heart’s Brigid Byrnes. If she can keep that going for a few more weeks, she’ll graduate with more medals than she’ll know what to do with.

Byrnes’ latest triumph came Saturday when she braved wet conditions — consistent rain that occasionally morphed into torrential downpours — to take home victories in three events at the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA track and field league championships at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington.

Byrnes won the 400-meter hurdles in 1 minute, 4.13 seconds, the 100 hurdles in 15.79 seconds and the long jump at 16 feet, 11 1/4 inches.

This came one week after Byrnes won the 100 hurdles (15.44) and 400 hurdles (1:05.49) at the North Shore Invitational at North Shore High School in Glen Head. She was second in the long jump last weekend, flying 17-1.

Byrnes said that a slight change in her long jump form has her more consistent in her field event.

“I do two cycles in the air, instead of one,” Byrnes said. “I’ve been doing a lot of landing drills, pulling my legs forward and my arms down, instead of landing on my feet.”

In the hurdles, it’s all about what’s happening behind her.

“I’ve been really focusing on my trail leg,” Byrnes said. “I’m doing more trail leg drills, getting faster, and stepping faster in between the hurdles.”

Now, Byrnes will take her winning streak to the most important meet of the outdoor season to date, the CHSAA Intersectional Championships, next Saturday at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island. 

“I’m feeling confident, but I know there’s some really good competition at Intersectionals,” Byrnes said. “I think they’ll really push me and help me to get more [personal bests].”

St. Anthony’s won the girls team championship with 105 points. Sacred Heart was second with 64. The Friars took the first three places in the 100. Maggie Kemper won in 13.13 seconds, Alexya Platt was second in 13.47 and Amanda Desenchak was third in 13.52. Lindsey Yakaboski won the 800 in 2:15.81, Kayla Desousa won the 400 in 1:00.08, and Kiera Udell won the 3,000 in 11:13.87.

St. Anthony’s team of Platt, Desousa, Amanda Dolan and Olivia Czoch won the 4 x 400 relay in 4:10.6. Yakaboski, Emma Rodriguez, Riley Griffith and Reilly McKinley won  the 4 x 800 in 10:05.96.

In the field, Maria Chiariello won the shot put (33-11) and the discus (115-9).  Gabriella Cooper cleared 7 feet to win the pole vault. 

Elsewhere, Kellenberg’s Shannon Pulis won the 2,000-meter steeplechase in 8:26.70. Pulis was locked in a competitive race with St. Anthony’s Elizabeth Guilfoyle before outpacing her in the final 200 meters. Guilfoyle was second in 8:29.33.

“I just wanted to stick with [Guilfoyle],” Pulis said. “I knew she was hurdling the barriers and I was stepping on them. I knew she would be a little bit tired from that. So I just gave it everything I got and I [beat my personal best] by 20 seconds.”