By Christopher Hunt
LAGRANGEVILLE – A group of friends and Mamaroneck teammates gathered around a panting Anima Banks to tell her how “awesome” she is. Banks was still trying to gain her composure and accept what she’d done.
During the race, she had zoned out, gluing herself to North Rockland Kristen Walsh
for the first lap of the girls 800 meters. But Banks didn’t want to gamble. She didn’t want to wait. She moved hard with 300 left.
Walsh tried to cover but Banks, a sophomore, surged again with 200 to go to win the Division I 800 in 2:10.65 on the first day of the Section 1 state qualifier Friday at Arlington. It’s the third time in three weeks Banks set a personal best in the 800, this time she might have herself the favorite at the state championships in Vestal in two weeks.
“It’s unbelievable,” Banks said. “I knew this was going to be fast but I was hoping maybe if I made it to states that I could try to run 2:10 there.”
But Walsh carried Banks through a quick first lap and Banks knew she needed to shake Walsh early. Banks’ time is the second best in the state this season behind only Roslyn (Section 8) senior Emily Lipari, who plans to qualify in the 1,500 and 3,000 at the state meet.
“The thing about Anima is that she runs up to her competition,” Mamaroneck coach Bob Morrissey said. “That’s why I think she’s going to be contender at the state championships. We don’t even know how fast she can run.”
Nanuet freshman Megan Young is on a similar hot streak. Young blew away the field 
with sixth laps to go in the 3,000, riding a strong pace to her first sub-10-minute race, winning the Division II race in 9:54.93. It came a week after Rockland County’s best distance runner clocked 2:11.8 t o win the 800 at the Class B championships.
“I felt completely relaxed,” Young said. “My coach (Sheri Dempsey) really helped me a lot. She told me exactly where I needed to be. “
Young said she is feeling as strong as ever and isn’t afraid to push herself passed the painful parts of races.
“I’ve been feeling great,” she said. “My legs have just been felt heavy but that will be fine. I feel like I can run any race at states. I just want to run fast and I want to make sure our (4x800) relay makes it tomorrow.”
The boys 800 featured another runner having a breakthrough season. Arlington senior Justin Decker withstood a relentless charge for Jamie Mitchell of Fox Lane in the last 200 to win the Division I race in 1:54.28. Mitchell placed second in 1:54.51.
Decker led the pace early in a tight bunch with Mitchell and North Rockland’s Alex Andre. Mitchell tried to go at the bell. Andre challenged and Mitchell moved again. Then Decker zipped away from them both on the last curve.
“Usually I like to go out faster,” Decker said. “But I wanted to see what happened. I knew that Mitchell was coming. He’s a great runner. I always use Mitchell. I can tell where I’m at when I see him.”
Henrietta Miers of Bronxville won the girls Division II 800 in 2:14.26. The senior held off a charging Jessica Kendzor of Kennedy in the stretch. Kendzor was second in 2:14.52. But the closest race of the day was the boys Division I 3,200. The race had the same canter as the early part of the boys 800, with Eddie Merenda of Arlington, Max Robinson of Fox Lane and Yorktown’s Manu Kumar exchanging leads.
They stayed together until the bell. Robinson went first but Kumar followed with 
Merenda in tow. Then Merenda took off with 200 left but Kumar surged too. The two went side-by-side down the home stretch. Kumar pulled away and almost took the win but Merenda snuck back in and outleaned Kumar to win by .03.
Hamilton’s Tre Bracey won the Division II 100 in 11.22 and the long jump in 23 feet, 1.25 inches. Arlington’s Nate Pickett (pictured above) won the Division I 110 hurdles in 14.94.
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.