Sayville's Mullane Baumiller wins 3,000 at Suffolk girls track and field qualifier

The first final of Monday night’s Suffolk girls track and field qualifier gave observers one of the top distance matchups in Suffolk this season. It was one not seen in the postseason so far, with large and small schools being separated for their own county championships, but it was worth the wait.

Sayville’s Mullane Baumiller won the 3,000 meters in 10 minutes, 4.84 seconds, topping Northport eighth-grader Mia Wickard, who finished second in 10:14.01, in a battle that was both predictable and excellent at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood. The two are among the three best 3,000 runners in Suffolk, and they showed why.

“Mia and I run really similar times, so whenever we race together, we also [run personal bests],” said Baumiller, who quailed for the state championships, scheduled for March 4 at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island. “We’re great friends, so I feel like having that friendship outside of running, we push each other to go faster.”

Baumiller ran her best time of the season, still the second-fastest one on Long Island, behind Bayport-Blue Point's Sophia McInnes' 10:03.25 run earlier this month. Wickard’s time moved her into third on Long Island, according to milesplit.com.

After starting the race in the middle of the pack, Baumiller and Wickard  spread the field out, with the Sayville senior settling into to second, a step behind her main competitor.

“I got spiked a couple times, but we were going at a pretty chill pace, not too fast,” Baumiller said. “On the last 1,000, we started to pick it up a little bit. At that point, I still had a lot left. I was able to use that and get around her.  

Baumiller moved past Wickard with about 250 meters left, flying home for the over nine-second victory.

“It was a short distance, and I had a lot left,” Baumiller said. “I knew if I started sprinting then, I would be able to keep that pace for the rest of the race.”

Elsewhere, North Babylon’s Samara Lawrence won the 55 in 7.29 seconds. Lawrence said she’s sometimes battled nerves before races – which has affected her breathing. Extra conscious of this, she said she worked hard on calming techniques prior to the starting gun.

“I just count and breathe,” she said.

Lawrence said she felt a little behind at the start, needing to make up for any lost ground in her second phase.

“The first 5 to 10 meters, that’s when I say ‘you have to go,’ Lawrence said. “It’s a quick race.”

The next two weeks will be all about speed training and working on explosion at the start for Lawrence, who  Monday ran the fastest time in Suffolk this season, according to milesplit.

“If [my block starts] are more powerful, I get out quicker,” she said. “Then, I just go.”

In the field, Commack’s Julie Thomas won the shot put, throwing 44 feet, 11 ½ inches, besting her previous state-leading throw by 10 ½ inches. Thomas is the defending state indoor shot put champion.

“I feel like I’m in a really good spot,” Thomas said. “I feel really comfortable and confident in my technique right now.”