Girls Track and Field: Mattituck seals sixth straight league title
Confident. Strong work ethic. Determined.
Those were the words Chris Robinson used to describe the Mattituck girls track and field team he coaches. He could have added a few more: Suffolk County League VIII champions.
Mattituck clinched its sixth consecutive league championship (excluding the 2020 season lost to the COVID-19 pandemic) and 11th overall with a 95-36 win in its final dual meet at Center Moriches High School Monday.
“They’re very excited,” said Robinson, whose team finished with a perfect 6-0 record. “You know, there was a little bit of pressure behind it in the sense that we had some success in the past, but they rose to the challenge and bringing home a league championship is great.”
Emily Nicholson has been on four of those league champion teams. “I was just really proud of everyone and how we just came together as a team,” the senior said. “Everyone plays a different role and having it all come together is just great to see.”
Mattituck senior Mackenzie Conroy took first place in the 400 meters in 1 minute, 4.1 seconds, and the triple jump at 35 feet, 2 inches, in addition to running the anchor leg for the victorious 4×100 relay team. That relay team, which included Casey Szczotka, Nicholson and Alyvia Apparu, was clocked in 53.9.
“Everyone plays a different role and having it all come together is just great to see.”
Emily Nicholson
Another senior, Aaliyah Shorter, was first in the shot put (29-4) and discus (94-1, a personal record). Nicholson took top honors in the long jump, covering 15-5. Other first-place finishes were turned in by Szczotka in the 100 high hurdles (17.1) and 400 intermediate hurdles (1:13.6), Abby Woods in the high jump (4-6) and Georgia Buckley in the 800 (2:35).
Also among Mattituck’s seven seniors are Isabella Cianfrogna, Olivia Goerler, Dimitra Pando and Kate Schuch.
“It’s never expected,” Robinson said of the league title. “The girls were confident, just because of how hard they have worked. They have a confidence about them that they feel like they can compete with anybody as long as they’re doing what they’re able to do. But it’s just that constant work that they put it in at practice that kind of carries over to the meets.”
Conroy said: “Overall, I’m just happy that I got my last year of track with this team because I think this team has been the closest one I’ve been with. I’ve developed so many friendships with this team and I’m just happy that this is my last one. I ended it on a good note.”
