By Christopher Hunt
MIDDLETOWN – For the first time, Cornwall’s Aisling Cuffe could become a double state champion at the New York State Championships next week. If she choosing to.
Cuffe won the 1,500 meters Friday at the Section 9 championships at Middletown High School in 4:33.09, a day after she won the 3,000 at Dietz Stadium in Kingston. Winning the 1,500 sets up a showdown on the New York’s best distance runners at the state meet at Caledonia, given that Haborfields’ junior Kelsey Margey qualifies Saturday at the Section 11 qualifier.
Bronxville’s Mary Cain, the state record-holder, punched her ticket a the Section 1 meet. But Cuffe may want to focus on winning a national championship in the 2-mile in two weeks at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Greensboro, N.C. Cain, (4:23.1) Cuffe (4:23.8) and Margey (4:26.54) hold the nation’s top three marks this season. North Shore’s Samantha Nadel may also compete. She holds the fifth-best time.
“I’ve been thinking about it all week,” Cuffe said. “My coaches keep telling me to stop thinking.”
Cuffe has until Tuesday to decide if she will run the 1,500/3,000 double at the state meet for the third time or if the Stanford signee will run the 3,000 alone like she did her freshman year. Cuffe said there is a “65 percent chance that I’ll do both.” But that could change.
“The fact that Mary Cain is running the 1,500 makes me want to do,” Cuffe said. “Mary just makes everything fun.”’
But that also means that she would have to run two hard races a week before nationals. Cuffe plans to run the 2-mile at the national championships, where since could break two national records – the 3,200 (9:48.59) and the 2-mile record (10:01.08).
“Doubling at the state meet is a lot of fun,” Cuffe said. “It’s like you’re always involved in the meet instead of just sitting in the stands. But in my mind, the 1,50 is still Emily’s race.”
Roslyn’s Emily Lipari, who just finished her freshman season at Villanova, was Cuffe’s biggest rival over the past two years and won 2 of the last 3 1,500-meter state titles. For Cuffe, the 1,500 has always been more for fun. The 3,000 is a race that she expects to win.
“So that’s my problem,” Cuffe said. “Do I go to my last state meet and have fun or do I focus on winning the one event that’s sort of the most important.”
Monroe-Woodbury’s Christina Zelenoy will perform her own double at the state meet. The sophomore won the Division I 400 hurdles in 64.86 Friday and ran the third leg on M-W’s winning 4x800 relay. Kelsey Esselman, Randi Gomez, Zelenoy and Sabrina Brooks finished in 9:18.90. Warwick Valley finished second in 9:24.84.
Sabrina Walker also on the Division I 200 for Monroe-Woodbury in 25.41 and helped her team upset Newburgh in the 4x100. M-W won in 49.62 while Newburgh placed second in 49.63.
Newburgh then won the 4x400 in 3:57.49 with D’Yanna McCaskill (59.6), Kayla Phipps (61.0), Seleen Matta (58.9) and Doris Little (57.5).
“We had an upset in the 4x100 so we were really trying to get back in the 4x400,” said Newburgh coach Bruce Greene, running his team without Tiyi Boone, who won the pentathlon. “That was good for us.”
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisHuntArmory.