One of the freshest State Records is under assault once again. Only two years after being established, the 55m State Record is once again in jeopardy, and for the first time since 1995, its being done by someone north of New York City.
Last night, at the Millrose Games Trials, Senior Carter Cukerstein (Shenendehowa) broke new ground, by surpassing his previous PR by almost a full tenth of a second. It may not seem like much on paper, but in the sports shortest official distance, it's launched him to the top of the US Rankings.
Setting a Meet Record, Cukerstein ran 6.29 to win the 55m final by more than three meters over the field. He was already on the National radar after putting up a 6.36 performance earlier in the year up in Boston, but now has edged ahead of previous National Leader Terrell Robinson Jr (Mount Tabor, NC), who had clocked 7.30 back in December.
It also makes Cukerstein the third fastest New Yorker in history. For over 20 years, the record sat at 6.31, set by Jarmiene Holloway (Marshall) back in 1995. But that mark has been surpassed three times in the last three years. Carlon Hosten (Taft) was the first to dip under, with a 6.28 clocking at the PSAL Champs in 2018. Andre Leslie (Farmingdale) put pressure on the mark in 2020 with a 6.30 clocking, but was beaten out by the now State Record Holder Brandon Smith (South Shore), when he ran 6.27 to win the State Title.
Cukerstein had been making waves last spring, clocking 10.86 in the 100m dash, and going 21.92 in the 200m, neither with a wind-gauge. But that ended abruptly for the Football Player/Sprinter, when a hamstring tweak sidelined him for the remainder of the Season. He's come back strong in 2022 however, as he's undefeated in his favored event.
More to come from the Shen sprinter, for sure.
