Floyd's Zariel Macchia goes distance at Suffolk state qualifier

One week out from the first state track and field outdoor championships since June 2019 and Floyd freshman Zariel Macchia said she’s ready to go. Macchia, the best distance runner on Long Island, certainly proved that over the last two afternoons.

She won two of the three individual events she entered at the Suffolk state qualifier – culminating in a win in the 1,500 meters in a time of 4 minutes, 31.85 seconds Friday at Comsewogue High School in Port Jefferson Station.

“I think I got everything out of these races that I wanted to,” Macchia said.

Macchia also won the 3,000 meters on Thursday – the opening session of the two-day qualifier – and placed second by a half-step in the 800. She said that she plans to run in the 1,500 and 800 next Friday and Saturday at the state championships in upstate Cicero.

“I’m looking to run the two-mile at New Balance Nationals,” Macchia said. “For a while, I was planning on running the 1,500 at states. I knew it would be a tough race. I think it’s a good combination of speed, and some distance too. I think adding the 800 on top of that, with the great competition, will really help me prepare for the two-mile at nationals.”

The New Balance outdoor nationals is scheduled for June 16-19 in Philadelphia.

Elsewhere, Mount Sinai’s Kate Del Gandio won the 100 in 12.57 seconds and the 100 hurdles in 14.53 seconds. She won the indoor state championship in the 55 hurdles in March and is looking for another title before she ships up to Albany next school year.

“My arms were better than yesterday,” Del Gandio said, referring to the 15.26 that she ran in the prelims on Thursday. “I had a rough day yesterday, so I wanted to come back today and be a lot stronger overall. I really pulled my trail leg a bit more than I did yesterday, my start was 1,000 times better. Those were the main things I was worried about coming into the race today. We fixed what we needed to fix and took home a win.”

On the boys side, Huntington’s Quincy Chery added a 400-meter hurdles victory to his state qualifier haul. Chery won the hurdles in 54.88 seconds Friday after flying 21 feet, 5 ¾ inches to win the long jump on Thursday.

“My goal was to run 54 [seconds],” Chery said. “I knew, in order to do that, I had to get out hard. I did that and, from the 200 mark, I wanted to push whatever I had left. I felt myself coming hard off the turn, which got me to run 54.”

Chery also ran on the winning 4 x 400 meter relay team (3:23.96) along with Nick Grover, Jahmar Francis and Julio Martinez. Martinez also won the 400 in 49.11 seconds.

Connetquot’s Jermaine Thompson won the 100 in 10.91 seconds and the 200 in 21.81.