Sports

Girls Track and Field: Riley produces two first-place finishes

GARRET MEADE PHOTO | Mattituck sprinter Desirae Hubbard raced an unidentified Hampton Bays runner in the 100 meters.

Melodee Riley and her Riverhead High School teammates certainly enjoyed a winning and memorable time at the Suffolk County girls track and field division championships last week.

Riley, a junior, won two individual events and finished second in another one in Division II.

The Blue Waves enjoyed a strong showing at Connetquot High School in Bohemia last Wednesday and Thursday, finishing third with 63 points, behind the Kings Park Kingsmen (105) and the Copiaque Eagles (70).

Riley certainly met the challenge and then some during a busy and productive two days.

She captured the 400-meter high hurdles in 1 minute 6.75 seconds and the triple jump with a leap of 40 feet 1 1/2 inches. She also was runner-up in the long jump at 17-11 3/4.

Riley was far from a one-girl show as she had help accruing points for the Blue Waves, who will compete in the state qualifying meet at Port Jefferson High School on Friday and Saturday.

Kyra Braunskill, a freshman, took third in the long jump with a leap of 35-10 and fellow ninth-grader Destiny McElory also finished third in the 400 intermediate hurdles in 1:09.39.

In the discus, freshman Madison Blom (95-2) and junior Kerrysha Pittman (94-10) earned third and fourth, respectively. Alexandra Ingram (18-6) also earned a point with a sixth-place showing in the pole vault.

The Blue Waves also registered eight points behind a second-place performance in the 4×400 relay (4:05.81) and four more behind a fourth-place showing in the 4×400 relay (51.98).

In Division III, the Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats took home second-place honors with 81 points behind the team champions, the Bayport-Blue Point Phantoms (121).

Shannon McDonnell, a junior, led the way for Shoreham with two individual victories and a second-place finish. She crossed the finish line first in the 800 (2:14.60) and in the 1,500 (4:50.52) in additions to taking second in the high jump (16-8 1/2).

Shoreham senior Danielle Opatovsky won the 1,500 race walk in 6:55.75 and found time to take third in the 3,000 in 11:12.36. Her teammate Audrey Kelly was right behind her in sixth place in 11:23.59.

Laura Lee, a sophomore, was second in the 400 (60.38) and fifth in the 200 (29.06).

One of Shoreham’s seniors, Samantha Maier, enjoyed a strong day in the field events with a throw of 32-8 in the shot put, good for second place. She also hurled the discus 92-6 for a third-place finish.

Another senior, Shannon Gallagher, also gained a point in the shot put (30-1 3/4).

Shoreham sophomore Kylie Trettner was third in the 1,500 race walk in 7:22.42.

Shoreham also finished fourth in the 4×400 relay and sixth in the 4×800 race.

Bishop McGann-Mercy collected 14 points as several athletes decided to attend the school’s senior prom over last Thursday’s finals. The Monarchs’ highlights included junior Sasa Vann capturing the 400 in 58.32 and its 4×800 relay team coming in fourth in 10:17.80.

Mattituck grabbed a point in Division III on the strength of freshman Shannon Dwyer’s sixth-place showing in the pentathlon. Dwyer totaled 1,737 points after competing in the final two events last Thursday. She earned 299 points with an eighth-place finish in the long jump (3.96 meters) and another 437 points with a ninth-place showing in the 800 (2:52.62).