Boys Winter Track: SWR’s Udvadia races to pair of firsts at league meet
LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Ryan Udvadia has made quite a name for himself as a long-distance runner. What the Shoreham-Wading River junior accomplished on Sunday further added to that name.
Udvadia was a two-event winner in the Suffolk County League V Championships that were contested at Suffolk County Community College West in Brentwood.
In the 1,600-meter final, Udvadia flew to the finish line in a time of 4 minutes 35.62 seconds. His nearest competition came from Bayport-Blue Point senior Adam LaFemina, who was second in 4:42.57. Another Shoreham-Wading River junior, Keith Steinbrecher, came in sixth place in 4:55.15.
Udvadia also triumphed in the 3,200 in 10:03.80. Port Jefferson sophomore James Burke was second in 10:14.08.
Shoreham-Wading River also received second-place finishes from its 4×200-meter relay team (1:39.79) and senior shot putter Kyle Fleming, who recorded a throw of 44 feet 1 1/2 inches. (Shoreham-Wading River senior Charles DeMaio was fourth in the shot put at 43-8 1/2.)
The Wildcats also took third in the 4×800 relay in 8:55.07.
Shoreham-Wading River junior Jordan Wright was third in the 55-meter dash in 6.95 seconds.
A pair of sophomores, Colin Rickey (2:49.46) and Matt Gladysz (2:49.74), brought Shoreham-Wading River fourth and fifth place in the 1,000.
Shoreham-Wading River junior Max Maritato finished in a three-way tie for fourth in the high jump along with Mount Sinai junior Steven Boyce and Port Jefferson junior Daniel Gross. All three jumpers cleared 5-4.
Bishop McGann-Mercy’s 4×400 relay team clocked a time of 4:02.99 to finish fourth. The Monarchs also received sixth-place showings by junior Riley Knowles Join in the 1,000 (2:52.44) and senior Robert Folkes in the shot put (39-8).
Bayport-Blue Point was the top League V team with 128 points. Shoreham-Wading River (61 1/3) was fourth and McGann-Mercy (6) eighth.
A school record had been in Anthony Galvan’s sights for a while. On Sunday, he turned his dream into a reality, breaking Riverhead’s 3,200-meter indoor record by 3.07 seconds.
Galvan, a senior, posted a time of 10:13.17, which was good enough for third place in the League III Championships, not to mention a place in the Riverhead record books. The previous mark of 10:16.24 was set by Connor Marengo in 2006.
Finishing ahead of Galvan were North Babylon senior Kris Moran (9:56.50) and Hauppauge senior Ronny Cavaliere (9:59.97).
“He had a very deep personal commitment to breaking that record, and it certainly helps when you’re running with excellent competition to drive you to that,” Riverhead coach Sal Loverde said. “He’s a strong runner. He’s a committed athlete to his craft. He does all the work that he needs to do.”
Galvan also took fourth place in the 1,600 in 4:45.91 and ran a 2:12 leg in the 4×800 relay, which Riverhead took seventh in. “He had a great day,” said Loverde.
Riverhead finished fourth in the team scoring with 44 points. Half Hollow Hills West ran away with the league title with 125 points, 18 more than second-place North Babylon.
Loverde figured that Riverhead lost anywhere from 14 to 20 points by not having its best hurdler and best long jumper available to compete. Clifton Russell, a junior, was not feeling well and not present at the meet. “Not having Clifton Russell was a bit of an issue,” said Loverde.
But the Blue Waves still took 10 points from the triple jump thanks to the efforts of two juniors, Marcus Moore and Darren Jefferson. Moore finished second to Half Hollow Hills West’s Frederic Fils Aime (41-9 1/4) with a distance of 39-10. Jefferson, competing despite a sore ankle, was sixth at 38-8 1/4. Loverde said Moore landed a jump of around 41 feet, but lost distance when he tilted back upon hitting the sand, leaving a handprint.
Jefferson also grabbed third in the 55-meter hurdles in 8.66 seconds. His teammate, sophomore Andrew Smith, was fourth in 8.76.
Riverhead senior Jeffrey Pittman didn’t do too badly himself, finishing fourth in the 55-meter dash in 6.81 and sixth in the long jump at 18-11 3/4.
Pittman had been working on a reduced training regimen because of a sore ankle. “He did what he needed to do to keep us competitive,” said Loverde.
Another Riverheader, sophomore Jacob Robinson, was fifth in the 300 meters in 38.67.
“It brings to a close a league competition that was very good for us,” Loverde said. “The kids rose to the occasion.”
