North Fork track athletes make late push to qualify for state championships

Le Neve Zuhoski and Michael Garret just about saved their best for last at the state qualifiers, and the Southold/Greenport athletes were rewarded for their efforts.

Zuhoski’s second-to-last discus toss of 119 feet and 1 inch not only solidified her third-place finish, but it boosted her into intersectional honors as well.

Garret’s final shot-put throw lifted the sophomore to a spot at the states, along with Zuhoski, at Comsewogue High School in Coram on June 4 and June 5.

They were among eight athletes from Southold and Mattituck who qualified for the state track championships at Webster Schroder High School in Webster on June 13 and 14.

The Settlers’ Emmett Tramontana (boys discus), Devin Stanton (girls long jump) and Ida Reiniger (girls 400 hurdles) also booked spots, as did the Tuckers’ Ever Meyers (girls pentathlon), Charlie Carter (boys pentathlon) and senior Anthony Soto (boys 400 hurdles).

Zuhoski, a junior, put on a show with six superb tosses. All of her attempts exceeded 108-8. Not surprisingly, she was ecstatic.

“It is crazy,” she said. “I can’t even speak. It’s such an honor to be where I am, especially coming from such a [small school] and competing at these levels.”

Zuhoski qualified for her second consecutive state competition.

“It’s going to be so fun,” she said. “I just want to do my best. I think it’s going to be great. I’m so pumped.”

The same could be said for Garret, a sophomore who missed out on securing All-County status with a fourth-place finish at the Suffolk championships on May 29. He qualified for his second states at 38-7.

“Last week, my goal was top three,” he said. “I always set such high goals for myself. I understood that fourth place wasn’t a negative, and it was this meet that mattered the most. Coming out here and being able to go out there and PR [personal record] last week made me feel good enough to keep going this week.”

Garret’s PR is 40-6.

“I did not throw my best today,” he said. “I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t throw better. My technique was good, and my strength felt good, but I was only in the 38 range.”

Two other Settlers reached the states for the second year in a row: Reiniger (107.86, 400 hurdles) and Tramontana (133-4, discus), who surpassed his PR by 5 feet.

Southold girls coach Tim McArdle called Reiniger’s achievement a “very big deal.”

“We want to keep that rolling, moving forward,” he added.

Stanton, a junior, leapt 17-2 in the long jump.

“Long jump’s one of those events that anything could happen on any given day,” McArdle said. “It’s a game of inches. It doesn’t work every time in your favor. This was her day.”

Meyer, another junior, qualified for the pentathlon for the second time as the top Class C finisher (2,393 points).

“I didn’t do my personal best, but it was an accomplishment,” she said. “So, I’m happy.”

Mattituck girls’ coach Chris Robinson was encouraged by Meyer’s improvement.

“Compared to last year, she’s grown into it,” he said. “Each race, she’s gotten better. Now we need to put it all together at the same time. This week has been great.” 

Meyer said that she will take a different approach upstate.

“I had a lot of nerves last year,” she said. “I wasn’t really in a competitive mode. It was just like, ‘Oh my God, I made it to states.’ … But this year I’m coming to compete. I hope to do a lot better.”

Soto, a senior, ran the 400 hurdles in 1:03.52 at the best Class C finisher.

Perhaps the most intriguing race was between two juniors — Mattituck’s Carter and Southold’s Liam O’Neil — in the 1,500 meters, the final event of the boys pentathlon. Carter had amassed 2,046 points to O’Neil’s 1,878 entering the race. O’Neil finished a strong second in 4:37.29. Carter was timed in 5:02.97, qualifying by a mere 14 points.

“It was two great kids that are deserving to get up there,” Mattituck boys coach Jordan McGinn said.

Southold boys coach Joe Corrado consoled O’Neil.

“It’s a heartbreaker,” he said. “I feel bad for Liam. He worked his butt off. But kudos to Charlie, he worked his tail off.”

After crossing the finish line, Carter collapsed to the ground.

“I put every part of my soul into that race, so I was pretty tired at the end,” he said. “It was nice that I was able to have that moment of knowing that I put everything into it.”

Carter only took up the event at the East End Classic on May 16.

“Throughout the year, he was doing high jump, long jump, sprinting,” McGinn said. “We saw his build-up and were like, ‘Let’s throw him in the pent.’ He did phenomenal. Couldn’t be more proud of him.”