Maeve Going wins 3,000-meter run in CHSAA Intersectional Championship

No one could keep up with Maeve Going, and the Sacred Heart ninth grader wishes they had.

Going won the 3,000-meter run at the CHSAA Intersectional Championship in 10:06.56, nearly 18 seconds ahead of the 10:23.93 second-place finisher on Saturday at Ocean Breeze Track and Field Facility on Staten Island.

She shaved eight seconds from her previous personal best and clocked the third-fastest 3,000-meter time on Long Island this winter, according to MileSplit. This is her first season of competitive indoor track.

“I really didn’t know how far behind anyone was,” Going said. “You just have to do your best. And it’s hard to do that without anyone pushing you.”

Going, who typically runs the mile and 1,500-meter run, said she wanted a personal record but didn’t have any expectations before the race. Going added that she slowed down in the second half of her win because of the longer distance.

Still, Going closed the final 200 meters in 37.01 seconds, her second-fastest split of the event. Had another runner stayed with her, Going, the only ninth grader to finish in the Top-7, thinks she could’ve run faster.

“I think mentally, a lot of people don’t talk about how hard it is running 15 laps with no one really around you,” Going said. “This is a good race for me, I’m happy with how I did. But I feel like I could’ve done better.”

Going's Sacred Heart team scored 24.5 points and finished second behind Saturday’s champion, St. Anthony’s (48). Brigid Byrnes won the 55-meter hurdles in a personal-best 8.78 seconds, adding a first-place finish for Sacred Heart.

St. Anthony's girls team won the 4 x 200 and 4 x 800-meter relays. Maria Chiariello earned the most outstanding girls field performer award for winning the weight throw and shot put competitions.

Holy Trinity’s Logan Daley won the 55-meter dash (7.16 seconds) and the 300-meter run (40.47 seconds), earning personal records in both. Daley earned most outstanding female track performer recognition on Saturday.

“It feels amazing. I really love this sport,” Daley said. “The 55 [meter] I honestly thought was perfect. I did all my phases correctly and the race turned out really good. My 300, I think I executed that pretty well, too. I’m really happy with today."

Chaminade’s Jack Higgins won the 3,200-meter run in a personal best of 9:22.58. Saturday’s heat pushed him to a Top-10 time in New York State.

Higgins ran the first 1,600 meters in 4:45. He maintained a top-five position throughout the race, despite trailing Xavier’s Matthew McCabe and Aidan Brancaccio of St. Anthony’s.

The Chaminade senior started his kick with about 800 meters to go, limited the field to him and McCabe at the 600-meter mark, then finished the final 200 meters in 29.98 seconds.

“Once I got the lead around the last three laps, I just took it away from there,” said Higgins, who is committed to Bucknell. “I was trying to keep a good strategy. I was looking to take it out at a good pace, like 4:40 [at 1600 meters], that’s kind of ideal for me, and then see what I could do.”

His Flyers teammate Patrick Mulryan won the 1,000-meter run in a personal-best 2:30.21. Mulryan said the race started fast, which pulled him to the front.

“This was a real race where I had to test myself,” Mulryan said. “I definitely want to break 2:30 and get up on the Chaminade all-time list, but I did what I needed to do today.”

Mulryan and Higgins later ran the last two legs of Chaminade's winning 4 x 800-meter relay team, respectively. Flyers ninth-grader Georgios Stergiopoulos won the shot put and weight throw.

The St. Anthony's boys team scored 33 points and finished second behind Saturday's champion, Fordham Prep (52). Matthew Lourenco pole vaulted a New York State-best 14 feet and 6 1/2. Lourenco earned the most outstanding boys field performer award.