Girls track standouts set marks at county meet
Ever Meyer is living proof that you don’t always need to win to feel like a winner.
Not only did the Mattituck High School freshman finish third in the triple jump at the Suffolk County girls’ small schools indoor track championships Sunday, she also eclipsed her personal record by almost three feet.
That was some leap forward — 35 feet, 6 3/4 inches — at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood.
“It was a really big [personal record] for me,” she said. “I was more happy than surprised. I knew I could do it. It just took a lot of work.”
Tuckers head coach Chris Robinson had plenty of confidence in the freshman.
“There’s no question that she was capable of doing that,” he said. “With the triple jump, sometimes you’ve got to put all phases together at the same time. When you do that, you get your most successful jump. She was able to put all three phases together. She did what I expected her to be able to do. I don’t think it’s a surprise, but it is exciting.”
Meyer bested her previous PR of 32 feet, 7 1/2 inches, which she accomplished at the small schools’ league championships on Jan. 20.
“Everyone has good days and bad days,” she said. “Today was just a really good day for me. I just got a new pair of spikes. That may have changed my mindset.”
It certainly didn’t hurt and could possibly help Meyer at the all-county championships, which also serve as the state qualifiers, at SCCC on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
“I love this event,” Meyer said. “Today boosts my confidence. I want to take today and get better.”
Robinson said he feels Meyer, who has been competing in the triple jump since last spring, has the potential to soar past Sunday’s distance.
“I still think there’s even greater leaps to come,” he said. “She’s going to keep working and hopefully she can keep getting PRs and getting better jumps every time she steps on the runway.
“She’s young. She’s going to continue to get better because the more times you do it, the better you get. She’s going to continue to grow.”
Southold/Greenport senior high jumper Olivia Misiukiewicz had hoped to equal or pass her PR leap of 5 feet, 4 inches that she achieved the previous week. She finished second at 5’2 as Comsewogue junior Sophia Deja eclipsed 5’4.
“My coaches were motivating me, but I was really tired today,” Misiukiewicz said. “It was still a good day for me.”
Misiukiewicz got over the bar at 5’4 at a meet the previous weekend, which qualified her for the New Balance Nationals in Boston, March 7 to 10.
“It was my goal since the beginning of the season,” she said. “When I finally hit 5’4, I was so happy. I was jumping up and down. I worked really hard to get there.”
Misiukiewicz will join her teammate, senior Cameron Stanton, who qualified with an 18 feet, 1 inch leap in the long jump in December, at the nationals.
Stanton, who also finished fourth in the 55-meter high hurdles (9.11 seconds), endured a difficult time in the long jump, suffering three consecutive line fouls in her heat attempts.
“I was a centimeter off from where I should have been,” she said. “It’s frustrating.”
Stanton said knows what she needs to work on ahead of the state qualifiers.
“I just have to work on my mark before then so that I don’t foul,” she said.
Stanton did have some happier news to share. She has decided to attend Tufts University in Boston in the fall.
“Once I got to be on campus and when I talked to the coach, I really knew that was where I wanted to be,” she said. “It’s a great area. That the level of competitiveness is exactly where I want to be.”
Her younger sister, Devin, a Southold/Greenport freshman, enjoyed a memorable day in the long jump, taking fifth with a PR of 16 feet, 4 3/4 inches.
“When you first start running you kind of feel it,” she said. “When you hit the board, you feel light and free. You feel like you can fly.”
Devin will join Cameron in Boston next month, competing in the freshman nationals.
“It’s a very big deal,” she said. “Nationals is the highest rank that you can compete at. I’m very excited.”
