WESTBURY – It looked like practice. Or maybe a changing of the guard.
Garden City’s Emily Menges, a Georgetown-bound senior, dragged her standout middle-school teammates through 800 meters on the first day of the Section 8 state qualifier. While Menges powered through her best race of the season, seventh-grader Emma Gallagher and eighth-grader Katie O’Neill scurried to keep up like kids following their mom at the mall.
Menges won the 800 in a season-best 2:10.73, the third fastest time in the state this season. Gallagher lowered her seventh grade state record, finishing second in 2:12.58, also qualifying for the state meet June 11-12 in Vestal and O’Neill was fourth in 2:17.99, which shows Garden City should have half-milers for years to come.
“I felt so much better than I’ve felt all season,” Menges said. “I really needed that. “
Fittingly, Gallagher’s breakthrough followed Menges’.
“I think she needed that too,” Menges said. “I think that if I would have run faster earlier in the season she probably would have too.”
Menges instantly becomes one of the favorites for a state title.Mamaroneck sophomore Anima Banks clocked 2:10.65 at the Section 1 state qualifier Friday. Only Emily Lipari of Roslyn has a faster time this season than Menges and Banks, though she won’t compete in the 800. Lipari plans to double in the 1,500 and 3,000.
Lipari competed the first leg of the double by winning the 3,000 Wednesday in 9:44.77. The senior said she wanted to work on the latter part of her race since that’s where her rival Aisling Cuffe of Cornwall dropped her at the Loucks Games last month. She’ll likely face Cuffe again at the state meet after Cuffe qualifies today at the Section 9 qualifier in Kingston.
“I know I’m going to Cuffe again,” Lipari said. “I’m giving up my prom to race her. I’ve got to be ready.”
Wantagh’s Nick Filippazzo took the 3,200 over favored Owen Skeet of Westbury. As his custom, Skeet crushed the first few laps. Then Filippazzo made a move at the mile mark and Skeet never recovered. Filippazzo won in a personal best 9:26.13.
“I decided to go (at the mile),” Filippazzo said. “I was tired of losing to Skeet all season. You know he goes out hard and he usually comes back but this year, he stopped coming back.”
Skeet, who had been having a career season, finished third in 9:35.03 but qualified for the state meet by having already reached the qualifying standard.
Matt Granata of MacArthur won the boys 800 in 1:55.11.
Marlene Ricketts survived what could have been viewed as a disastrous outing in the triple jump. She fouled four of six attempts but still managed to win with a jump of 37 feet, 5.75 inches. Teammate Tiara Mitchell qualified in second-place at 35-6.
“It bothers me,” Ricketts said of her performance. “I hate not being consistent.”
But Ricketts didn’t seem worried after the competition. She admitted she never felt comfortable and simply called it a bad day. The senior, who signed with Penn State, as the state leader this season at 42-4, what would have been a state record but was not accepted for record keeping purposes because the performance was measured without a wind gauge or two certified officials.
“I just have to look at it like the main thing was qualifying so basically I have a second to achieve my goal,” she said.
And what’s the goal?
“To break the record and have it count this time,” she said.
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.
By Christopher Hunt
WESTBURY – It looked like practice. Or maybe a changing of the guard.
