Girls Track and Field: New 4×400 mark for McGann-Mercy girls
One meet for everything.
That is what the race for the Suffolk County League VIII girls track and field dual-meet championship has come down to. The Bishop McGann-Mercy Monarchs and the Port Jefferson Royals, who are both 5-0 overall and in the league, will compete for the title on Wednesday at Port Jefferson High School. Winner take all.
After an Easter break, the Monarchs had a lot on their plate last week, including a school record in the 4×400-meter relay.
Following their final home meet of the season, a 90-60 defeat of The Ross School/Pierson Ravens last Thursday, the Monarchs honored their four seniors — Michelle Borge, Kayleigh Macchirole, Olivia Schumann and Lauren Woodhull — by presenting them with flowers.
McGann-Mercy had a lot to feel good about. Tori Tremble won both the 400-meter intermediate hurdles and the 100-meter high hurdles. Tori Cataldo, a sophomore who is a three-year letter-winner, won the 400 and was also on the winning 4×100-meter relay team.
Lauren Valle made her much anticipated return to competition after an early-season hip injury. She competed in the 800 and took second by 1/10th of a second to freshman teammate Fiona Nunez. It was Nunez’ first time under 3 minutes for the 800.
Macchirole, Sasa Vann and Olivia Schumann all broke 28 seconds in the 200, with Woodhull just above 28 seconds to complete McGann-Mercy’s sweep of the top four places in the event.
Colleen Edwards and Lindsay Gelling went first and second, respectively, in the 1,500 racewalk.
Some of the Monarchs competed in the prestigious St. Anthony’s Invitational the next two days. The highlight of the meet for McGann-Mercy was the 4×400 relay. Vann, Macchirole, Woodhull and Olivia Schumann clocked a school-record time of 3:57.91. They improved on the previous mark of 3:58.57 that was set last year.
It is the second-fastest time in the county this year, and it qualified the Monarchs to run in a national meet in North Carolina.
Delina Auciello, Isabella Franz, Meg Tuthill and Emily Venesina all ran season-best times in the 800 on Friday night. Vann won the 400 in a season-best time of 1:00.6.
