Track and Field: Dufton, Husak earn a trip to states for Mattituck
Jack Dufton knows he has little room for error. To accomplish his goal, the Mattituck junior needs to hit every mark and run every time to the best of his ability.
At the Section XI Individual Championships and State Qualifier, Dufton earned a spot at next weekend’s state championship by finishing as the top point scorer among Division II athletes in the pentathlon. Dufton, one of two Mattituck athletes to qualify for the state meet, tallied 2,789 points in the pentathlon, which concluded Saturday on Day II of the championships at Port Jefferson High School.
Now, Dufton will set his sights on another goal: the school record of 2,933.
“Pretty much has to be [personal record] or close to it in every single event,” Dufton said.
Dufton was on pace to come close to that mark after the first two events Friday. He missed his best mark in the high jump, which set him back.
Dufton ran 18.13 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and threw 32 feet 3 3/4 inches in the shot put Friday. On Saturday, he long jumped 18-1 3/4, ran 4:23.92 in the 1,500 and he high jumped 5-6.
On the girls side, Mattituck sophomore Sam Husak clinched a spot in the state meet by clearing 4-8 in the high jump. The two other Division II jumpers both cleared 4-6.
Husak and Dufton will both make their first appearance at the state meet next weekend at SUNY Albany.
Husak came into the season with a top mark of 4-4 in the high jump. She set her personal best at last week’s division championship and matched it again this week.
Mattituck sophomore Melanie Pfennig ran the 1,500 Saturday in 4:57.73. She also ran the 3,000 Friday in 10:50.16.
