JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Riley Avenue School in Calverton.

To the Editor:

With graduation approaching, I cannot forget the dedication, inspiration and guidance of specific teachers and programs that tremendously benefited our son, Carlos.

While I have often railed against the unsustainability of the benefits and retirement packages at the expense of the beleaguered taxpayer, as well as the general edge that government workers have over those in the private sector these days, the aviation program provided by BOCES through the Southold School District and specific mentors set the stage for a truly exciting and richly rewarding career start for Carlos.

With over 2,000 flight hours already logged and positions from Guam to Ottawa, including flight instruction, first captain and advanced training of other pilots, he has been able to follow his dream.

An early mentor, Mrs. Madigan at the Riley Avenue Elementary School in Calverton channeled some of his apparent attention deficit issues in kindergarten into model rocket building and launching, which captivated him. Later on, after he made the cut into the aviation program, Mr. Dzenkowski was a role model and mentor.

Because of his and others’ dedication, and Carlos’ interest and aptitude for aviation, Carlos earned his private pilot’s license before graduating and was the keynote speaker at the aviation graduation ceremony. All this helped turn a youth who was not particularly thrilled with traditional academics into a good college student with an ongoing passion for aviation and a dedicated purpose in life.

This is all more than I could ever have foreseen during some of the more trying times early on. So, yes, for some graduates who may not have developed a clear idea of what kind of career they would like, or even what their skills and aptitudes are, I would always recommend looking into government work. But for other, such as our son, who have abiding passions, I recommend first following up on what they’re passionate about.

I’m sure they also have had mentors that they and their families will remember for years to come.

Thanks to the schools and teachers who made it possible for Carlos to embark on a rewarding career. At least for now.

Harry Katz, SOUTHOLD

To read more letters to the editor, pick of copy of this week’s News-Review on newsstands or click on the E-Paper.

DANIEL DE MATO PHOTO | Riverhead shortstop Danielle Napoli applies the tag at second base on a Bay Shore runner Wednesday in the Class AA quarterfinals.

SUFFOLK CLASS AA QUARTERFINALS | MARAUDERS 3, BLUE WAVES 0

The No. 8 Riverhead Blue Waves were eliminated from the Suffolk County Class AA softball quarterfinals, dropping a 3-0 decision to top-seeded and host Bay Shore on Wednesday afternoon.

Bay Shore right-hander Michelle DeVito allowed two hits, struck out 11 batters and walked only one at Jim McGowan Field at the Fifth Avenue Elementary School.

Kali Alzate went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in the fourth inning for Bay Shore.

Only five Riverhead players reached base as Stephanie Falisi doubled with two out in the second inning. Sara Tucci had the other hit. Danielle Napoli twice got on via errors and starting pitcher Amanda Graziano walked as the Blue Waves finished at 15-6.

The Marauders (20-1) will host fourth-seeded Hauppauge in the semifinals on Friday.

JOE WERKMEISTER PHOTO | Riverhead sophomore Rachel Clement finished fourth in the pentathlon on the second day of the Division II Championship Wednesday at Connetquot High School.

DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS

After winning the triple jump on the first day of the Division II Championship Monday, Riverhead junior Kyra Braunskill picked up two more medals Wednesday on the final day of competition at Connetquot High School.

Braunskill ran 12.71 seconds in the 100-meter dash to finish third. She followed that with a second-place finish in the long jump. On her first attempt, she cleared 17 feet 2 1/4 inches, her best mark of the year. She couldn’t top that on her next five attempts and settled for second behind North Babylon’s Nailah Jones (17-08).

A second-place finish would have been great for most jumpers. Not for Braunskill, who was visibly frustrated after the long jump ended.

“She wants to be No. 1,” said Riverhead coach Maria Dounelis. “If she’s not No. 1, she’s not satisfied. She’s pretty hard on herself.”

The Blue Waves finished fifth as a team in Division II with 41 points. Braunskill accounted for 24 of those.

Sophomore Rachel Clement competed in her first-ever pentathlon and tallied 2,226 points to finish fourth. She long jumped 14-08 1/2 Wednesday before running the 800. She finished fourth in that race in 2:38.18. On Monday she ran 20.02 in the 100-hurdles, high jumped 4-07 3/4 and threw 24-11 3/4 in the shot put.

Junior Destiny McElroy came into the meet with high hopes in the 400-hurdles. But she caught an unfortunate break.

She ran in the 400-dash Monday and surprisingly qualified for the finals Wednesday. That meant she had to run the 400 finals before her main event, the 400-hurdles. There was supposed to be one event in between the two, which would have given her about 35 minutes between events, still a quick turnaround.

But as she prepared to run the 400, an official announced that the 400-hurdles were being switched with the 800 of the pentathlon, pinning McElroy’s two events back-to-back.

“They’re trying to kill me,” McElroy said, smiling, on the track before starting the 400.

McElroy ran a slow pace in the 400 to try to conserve energy and finished a distant sixth in 1:05.4. Still, she didn’t have enough left in the tank for the hurdles and settled for fifth in 1:08.52.

She had about 10 minutes between races.

“She’s a victim of her own success,” Riverhead coach Justin Cobis said.

Junior Danielle Thomas cleared a personal best 9 feet in the pole vault and finished fourth. Teammate Christy Brewer was fifth after clearing 8-6.

Thomas was a surprise in the long jump as well. She qualified for the finals and took seventh with a top mark of 15-11 1/4. Thomas had little left in the tank on her final three jumps after already pole vaulting earlier in the meet.

Riverhead’s 4 x 800 relay team shaved 16 seconds off its best time. The quartet of Rachel Conti, Maria Dillingham, Megan Carrick and Meghan Van Bommel ran 10:17.08 for ninth.

In Division III Shoreham-Wading River finished sixth with 40 1/2 points. Senior Meghan Serdock had a huge performance in the throwing events. She won the discus Monday with a top mark of 100-11. She followed that with a second-place finish in the shot put Wednesday by throwing 31-07 1/2.

McGann-Mercy was 11th in D-III with 18 points. Junior Danisha Carter was third in the 100 in 13.02 and fourth in the 200 in 26.55. Junior Delina Auciello ran the 2,000 steeplechase and finished third in 7:38.19.

joew@timesreview.com

The Riverhead Town Board heard opposition from the farm community to a proposed change to require stricter regulations on excavating land for agriculture during a public hearing tonight.

Farmers argued that under state law, agricultural uses are exempt from requiring permits for excavating, but Supervisor Sean Walter contends that under current rules, developers can just say they’re farming and operate sand mines instead.

The board also approved a resolution to hire Richard Marakovitz as a consultant on air traffic control issues for $200 a day, capped at $5,000. Mr. Marakovitz is being hired to help the town try to lure the FAA to EPCAL. Officials said Mr. Marakovitz has been helping the town voluntarily, but that there is a lot more work ahead on the issue.

Click below to read the recap of News-Review reporter Tim Gannon’s live blog during the meeting. The full agenda and resolution packet is below that.

May_22,_2013_-_Agenda by rnews_review

May_22,_2013_-_Packet by rnews_review

Suffolk’s Democrats and Republicans have both held nominating conventions, but neither party has decided who will run in November for the North Fork’s open State Assembly seat.

The Suffolk GOP met last Tuesday in Holtsville, but held off on naming a candidate for the Second Assembly district. After the convention, Republican chairman John Jay LaValle said he expected to have a candidate selected by Friday or possibly Monday.

On Monday, he said he expected a decision by Tuesday, but no candidate had been chosen by Tuesday night.

The GOP has screened a number of candidates, including Southold Councilman Chris Talbot, former Ed Romaine aide Bill Faulk of Manorville, Southold Trustee Bob Ghosio, Mattituck attorney Stephen Kiely, New Suffolk attorney Anthony Palumbo, Mount Sinai attorney Raymond Negron and John Kreutz, Brookhaven Town deputy receiver of taxes. Mr. Talbot has opted not to seek re-election to the Southold Town Board this year.

By controlling 67 percent of the district, the Brookhaven GOP would appear to have the upper hand in the selection process.

Suffolk’s Democrats gathered Monday night, but rather than select an Assembly candidate the party took the unusual step of putting the choice in the hands of the Brookhaven, Riverhead and Southold committees. The 2nd Assembly District extends from north central Brookhaven east to Fishers Island.

Riverhead’s Democrats will meet first, holding their convention Thursday night, followed by Brookhaven on May 28 and Southold on May 29.

“This appears to be a close race at this point,” said Southold Democratic chairman Art Tillman. He asked that party members not commit to any one candidate prior to the convention.

“Our small party will have greater influence if we can proceed united at this point and this requires party discipline,” the chairman said in a recent email to committee members.

As is the case with the GOP, Brookhaven’s Democrats may have the final word on the nominee.

Democratic contenders include Cutchogue winery owner Jim Waters of Manorville, Riverhead attorney John McManmon, Rocky Point attorney Jennifer Maertz, East End Arts director Pat Snyder of Jamesport, Suffolk Park Police officer Tom Schiliro of Manorville and Riverhead attorney Ron Hariri.

Ms. Maertz, who twice ran unsuccessfully for a state Senate seat, is the only candidate with prior political experience.

The Assembly seat opened up when Republican Assemblyman Dan Losquadro of Shoreham won a March special election for Brookhaven highway superintendent.

tkelly@timesreview.com

BARBARAELLEN KOCH PHOTO | Tony Yarusso of Riverhead was one of the last people to cast his vote at Riverhead High School at a minute before 9 p.m. Tuesday.

The Riverhead Central School District’s budget proposal passed 1,520 to 1,252 on Tuesday.

Though the voter turnout was about the same as last year’s vote, the results were much closer than in 2012, when the budget passed by nearly 700 votes.

Voters cast their ballots at four polling locations across the Riverhead area: Aquebogue Elementary School, Phillips Avenue Elementary School, Riley Avenue Elementary School and Riverhead High School.

Of the four voting locations, only a majority of Phillips Avenue voters cast ballots against the budget. Most absentee voters also voted no.

The biggest margin of victory for the budget proposal was at Aquebogue Elementary School, where about 63 percent of voters favored the budget.

There were two related propositions on the ballot. One was a proposal to establish a capital reserve fund to help build a new school bus maintenance facility. The other involved a plan to buy property in Riverside to help establish the facility.

While the first proposal was accepted, the proposition to buy the Riverside properties was defeated.

Phillips Avenue voters rejected both propositions by wide margins, while the land-buy proposal only found support at the Riley Avenue polls, where it came ahead by a single vote.

Newcomer to the board Chris Dorr took home most of the votes in two of the four polling places, raking in 423 votes in Aquebogue and 209 votes at Phillips Avenue. He came in second at the high school polling place by six votes, and only came in last at Riley Avenue.

Board member Amelia Lantz won re-election, while incumbent Jeff Falisi was voted out of office.

For a full breakdown of the vote results by polling place, see below:

ROBERT O’ROURK PHOTO | Brittany Mahan of Shoreham-Wading River receiving a throw to get Sayville’s Emily Sellitti out.

SUFFOLK CLASS A FIRST ROUND  |  GOLDEN FLASHES 4, WILDCATS 0

To stop a softball team like Sayville, you just might have to be perfect. After all, the Golden Flashes are the defending New York State Class A champions.

For three-plus innings on Tuesday afternoon, Shoreham-Wading River senior right-hander Chelsea Hawks was perfect, mowing down the opening 10 batters before the fourth-seeded Golden Flashes took advantage of some imperfect play by the No. 5 Wildcats and some errors to break through for a 4-0 home win in the Suffolk County Class A Tournament first-round game.

“We gave them four outs every inning, which didn’t help,” said a tearful Hawks, who played in her final high school game. “And it wasn’t our game.”

For the third year in a row, Sayville (18-3) eliminated Shoreham (16-3) from the playoffs.

“We had been playing pretty good and we thought we had a pretty good shot,” Hawks said. We played them last year … and beat them twice during the season. I knew we had a shot, definitely. We just had to play our game and make every play, which we didn’t do.”

Shoreham coach Christina Shiffman agreed.

“They’re definitely a quality team with quality hitters,” she said. “On the mound, even though they had four runs on the board, Chelsea on every single pitch, we had to be careful with all batters because they have a great hitting team. You have to be close to perfect and I think it helps to score first and that’s what we were going for in there.”

Sayville scored first as it the hosts took advantage of just about every mistake — large and small.

“They definitely did,” Hawks said. “We made an error and they took it to their advantage. So, we gave it to them, completely.”

Hawks (15-2) was unhittable through the first 10 hitters, striking out five, including the side in the third inning. With one out in the fourth, Sayville second baseman Jess Griffin tried a bunt that third baseman Alex Hutchins threw over the head of first baseman Erin Whelan. Griffin wound up at second.

“At that point, we were just trying to get something going, put the ball in play, making them make plays,” Sayville coach Brittany Rowan said.

After retiring Cindy Griffin on an infield pop-up, Hawks walked Kristen Bricker. Olivia Kaczmarak singled in Griffin and Crissy Malone drove in Bricker with another single for a 2-0 lead.

“Chelsea Hawks is an absolutely phenomenal pitcher,” Rowan said. “We knew that we were going to have to make some adjustments at the plate. We went one-two-three for the first, second and third inning. They learned from their at-bats. They went up and they started driving the ball.”

The hosts added a run in the fifth inning as Emily Sellitti singled, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Jess Griffin’s single. With two out in the sixth and Malone on second with a double, the Wildcats twice allowed catchable pop-ups to fall in foul territory, giving Kerry Keehan a lifeline and two extra opportunities to lash a run-scoring single to center.

“Unfortunately, that’s the way the momentum goes sometimes, not in our favor,” Shiffman said. “In practice and every time we talk to them, we stress to them how important it is to play as perfect as we can and make no errors. Sometimes it can be contagious, and unfortunately, that’s what happened.”

Sayville junior right-hander Julia Simpson (12-2) was quite effective, limiting the Wildcat to only one hit — by Hailey Tilton in the first inning. Hutchins managed to reach base three times — all on errors. Simpson struck out four batters and walked one.

“We just didn’t hit,” Hawks said. “We can’t win with no hits.”

Simpson got the start because Amanda Eremita had a 101-degree fever.

“She’s filling in some big shoes from last year,” Rowan said of Simpson. “I’m so proud of what she’s done throughout the whole year.”

If Sayville has any aspirations of repeating as a state champion, Rowan hasn’t talked about it.

“We never talk about one game, anything in the future,” she said. “It’s always who we’re playing. We only focus on that. We don’t look ahead. To tell you the truth, I don’t look ahead. People are asking me, ‘When’s the next game?’ I don’t know. I’m very superstitious. We don’t look ahead to the future or to the past. What we did was nice, but it doesn’t help us get to where we need to get today.”

The Golden Flash’s next game is against top-seeded Miller Place in the semifinals on today.

“They can go far,” Shiffman said. “They can beat anyone in Suffolk County. I think they can be competitive. If they don’t win, they’ll give every team a run for their money.”

PAUL SQUIRE FILE PHOTO | This widow’s walk-type structure atop a Calverton home was the start of a grand plan to match an 8,500-square-foot South Fork mansion, the homeowners had said.

A Calverton man is no longer facing criminal charges for allegedly building an illegal tower out of the top of his Founders Path house, after he was found to be unable to defend himself in court Tuesday due to mental illness and is being sent to a psychiatric facility.

Eugene Lafurno, 58, had been arrested April 5 on an active warrant issued last October, officials said.

Town officials say the half-finished tower Mr. Lafurno built may exceed the town’s height limit for houses and was built without a valid building permit.

He was arrested by town police after he refused to answer to the alleged code violations in Town Justice Court.

Mr. Lafurno was found to be “not competent to assist in his defense,” town court officials said. He was remanded to a Suffolk County Department of Health psychiatric facility, officials said.

COURTESY PHOTO | The Calverton home is being modeled after this South Fork estate on the market for $11.5 million.

In an interview in March, Mr. Lafurno — who has lived in Calverton for the past 20 years — said he was modeling his house after a five-bedroom, 8,500-square-foot mansion he once saw in Remsenburg.

The tower is currently topped with exposed wooden beams and tarps; the tower was supposed to be the centerpiece of the home, Mr. Lafurno said.

He said he was trying match his home, which he called “The Epiphany,” to the mansion, which is currently on the market in Remsenberg for $11.5 million. He would then sell it at a hefty profit, he had said.

In a rambling conversation that touched on ancient Egyptian deities and Jesus’ crucifixion, he claimed officials and neighbors were engaging in a conspiracy seeking to trample his dreams and also accused the Riverhead Police Department of “abducting” him, injecting him with drugs, and throwing him into a psychiatric facility.

Riverhead Town officials had begun civil action against the couple for the alleged violations in March.

It was not clear if the ruling in court Tuesday would affect the town’s civil case.

The tower that was built out of the house didn’t match the plans submitted to the town, said town attorney Robert Kozakiewicz, adding the permits issued for Mr. Lafurno’s proposed project had also since expired.

psquire@timesreview.com

Meredith Bushell doesn’t crave the spotlight on a lacrosse field. It’s her competitiveness that drives her, and what has helped her thrive as a defensive player.

She rarely cracks the box score for goals or assists. And she’s fine with that.

“I don’t like people beating me,” the Shoreham-Wading River senior said of what motivates her on the field.

That mentality has helped her become one the premier defensive players in the county. And in Tuesday’s Class C semifinal game against Babylon, she faced the challenge of guarding an elite playmaker in Shelby Fredericks, a Northwestern committed attackman.

In a game where every goal was hard earned, the Wildcats needed to contain Fredericks for the final 2 1/2 minutes of regulation and into overtime, just long enough to emerge 8-7 winners and advance into next Tuesday’s county championship.

The Wildcats (13-4) will be making their 10th straight trip to a county final and will face their longtime rival in undefeated Mount Sinai.

The Wildcats never trailed against the Panthers, but there was no shortage of intense moments.

Fredericks struck twice in a 2 1/2 minute span to tie the game at 7 with 2:35 left in regulation. On her first goal, the ball bounced at the goal line and shot directly up and knocked off the crossbar into the cage. She tied the game on a free position for her next goal.

Bushell knows Fredericks well having played with her on several teams outside of school and at camps.

The Wildcats’ ‘backer’ zone defense doesn’t typically allow the defense to focus on one particular player. But when the Wildcats needed to make an adjustment in the second half to focus more on Fredericks, it was Bushell who got the call.

“I pretty much stayed with her when I knew we needed it,” Bushell said. “At the end when we had a free position, I was on her like glue.”

Fredericks (2 goals, 2 assists) had the ball in her stick with 10 seconds to go in regulation with a chance to win the game, exactly what the Panthers (12-5) could have hoped for at the start. But Fredericks waited a few seconds too long to make her move and couldn’t get off a strong shot at the end, sending the game into overtime.

“Meredith was doing great,” said Shoreham coach Mary Bergmann. “I don’t think [Fredericks] was getting too many looks late in the second half and into overtime. She was passing the ball around and that’s kind of what we wanted.”

In the first overtime period, Jessica Angerman won the opening draw against Fredericks, giving the Wildcats a crucial first possession. The Panthers had dominated on draws all game, but the Wildcats came up with a big one when they needed it.

With 1:33 left, Lauren Lustgarten circled behind the cage and found Paulina Constant darting to the front wide open. Constant caught the pass and buried the shot to put the Wildcats ahead 8-7.

“It’s a hard spot for the goalie,” Bergmann said. “The goalie’s backwards and has to turn around.”

To start the second overtime period (there are two three-minute halves in OT) the Panthers won the draw. As the Panthers tried passing the ball toward the crease, Meghan King intercepted a pass in front of the goal, sending the Wildcats in transition.

The goal for Shoreham became simple: hold the ball.

The Wildcats nearly ran the clock down, thanks in large part to a huge effort from Shannon Rosati. Earlier in the first overtime she took a hard hit and appeared a bit shaky forcing her to come out of the game. After the trainer determined her fit to return, Rosati came back in with 1:28 left. Using her speed, she raced through the Panthers’ defensive zone with the ball, running crucial seconds off the clock.

“I think that says a lot about her and says a lot about our team mentality ” Bergmann said. “She knew she wanted to come back in the game. Maybe without her we might not have been able to pull that off as good as we did.”

The Wildcats ran nearly two minutes off the clock before turning the ball over near midfield with 14 seconds left. The Panthers got one last chance, but couldn’t get off a quality shot at the end.

“I knew we were going to be OK,” Bushell said.

Goalkeeper Lauren Daly delivered a strong performance between the pipes for Shoreham. The sophomore stopped seven shots, including a big one with 1:35 left in regulation on a Fredericks shot. A scramble for the ground ball ensued behind the goal and Daly fought her way in to scoop up the ball.

“Lauren’s awesome,” Bushell said. “She literally saves us all the time.”

The Wildcats never led by more than two in the game, but each time Babylon tied it, they answered with a goal to recapture the lead. Shoreham got a balanced effort offensively with three players scoring multiple goals. Rosati, Alex Fehmel and Alyssa Pearce all scored a pair. Constant had 2 assists to go with her game-winning goal.

joew@timesreview.com

GARRET MEADE PHOTO | Shoreham-Wading River senior Kyle Fleming threw a personal record 140 feet 8 inches in the discus.

DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS

It was typical Ryan Udvadia.

After the Division III 3,200-meter final started, the Shoreham-Wading River junior was hanging well back in the bottom third of the field, as if toying with the opposition, who surely knew what was coming. Early in the third lap, Udvadia made a tremendous move, passing a half-dozen runners and easing into the third position. By the time there were three laps to go, he was in the lead, coasting to a victory he made look almost effortless.

Udvadia ran about 28 seconds slower than his personal record for the distance, and yet still managed to beat his nearest competitor, Bayport-Blue Point senior Adam LaFemina, who was over 10 seconds behind him in the Suffolk County Division Championships at Connetquot High School on Tuesday. Udvadia’s time was 9 minutes 29.82 seconds. Further back was Shoreham-Wading River junior Connor McAlary, who was fifth in 10:01.92.

Although the top-seeded Udvadia may have been saving his legs for Thursday, when he will run in the 1,600 (he is the favorite to win that event as well, having clocked a personal-best time of 4:15.64 earlier this year at the Penn Relays) and the 4×800 relay, he blew away the field.

“He doesn’t surprise me anymore,” Shoreham-Wading River coach Bob Szymanski said. “I mean, he doesn’t lose.”

Connetquot has a nice looking track, but Udvadia is not a fan of it. “I really hate this track, just because the turns are bigger than the straightaways,” he explained.

Not that one could tell by his performance, but the weather conditions irritated Udvadia’s allergies.

“The pollen was unbelievable,” he said. “It was horrible. I can feel it in my throat right now, so I’m expecting to feel sick on Thursday.”

That would be a setback Shoreham-Wading River could ill afford. As it was, the Wildcats took a blow on Tuesday when one of their top athletes, Israel Squires, injured his ankle while playing basketball in a physical education class. The sophomore, who was seeded third in the triple jump, fouled and did not record a distance in the event.

Squires also anchors Shoreham’s 4×100 relay team, the No. 1 seed which qualified for Thursday’s final. The meet will conclude on Thursday, when most of the finals will be held.

Szymanski fears Squires’ injury could cost the Wildcats 30 points.

“That’s not a good thing,” Szymanski said. “I’m totally depressed. I feel bad for the kid, but he’s got to use better judgment than what he did by playing hoops right before” the meet.

A more encouraging development for Shoreham was the discus, which senior Kyle Fleming took first place in with a personal-record throw of 140 feet 8 inches. Fleming, whose best throw going into the meet was 132 feet, surpassed that distance on four of his six throws Tuesday despite throwing into the wind.

“The wind was tricky,” Shoreham’s throwing coach, Bill Hiney, said. “Throwing into the wind, you really have to have hand control. If the tip of the discus is up, it will just sail right over and cut distance off your throw. Kyle controlled that very well.”

Fleming left the school before a reporter could interview him.

The Wildcats also received a fourth-place finish from senior Thomas Sager in the pole vault. He cleared 12 feet.

Riverhead junior Marcus Moore took second place in the Division II triple jump, covering 42-10. North Babylon senior Kamar Marston-Mills (44-3 1/2) was the only one to throw farther than him.

“I don’t think he had his best legs today, so I was happy with 42-11,” Riverhead coach Steve Gevinski said of Moore. “He’s a phenomenal athlete. I think he’s just growing into his body, too. I think as he builds a little more strength, he’ll be even better.”

Mattituck freshman Darius Brew, one of the youngest athletes to compete in the triple jump, was congratulated by his coach, Pete Hansen, after covering 41-1 during the preliminaries. But then Hansen delivered the distressing remark that he didn’t believe Brew had qualified for the Division III finals.

That did not sit well with Brew.

“It was terrible,” Hansen said. “It was like I killed his puppy.”

As it turned out, Hansen was wrong. Brew did indeed reach the finals, and turned in a personal-best 41-2 1/2, which brought him sixth place.

“I think the biggest thing for him is he does not like to lose,” said Hansen. He added, “There are so many good things about him, I can’t say anything bad.”

Brew, whose best triple jump before Tuesday was 40-11, said he has more distance in his legs. “Every time I get a best, a personal best, I feel that my body is able to do better,” he said.

Mattituck junior Sal Loverde finished eighth in the discus with a throw of 124-6.

BRAUNSKILL TAKES TRIPLE JUMP Riverhead junior Kyra Braunskill won the Division II triple jump title in the girls division championships on Monday at Connetquot High School. Braunskill’s winning distance was 39-3 3/4.

Riverhead also received a fifth-place finish from sophomore Rashae Smith in the discus (96-6).

Through three events of the pentathlon, Riverhead sophomore Rachel Clement held sixth place with 1,209 points. She took second in the high jump (4-7 3/4), third in the shot put (24-11 3/4) and sixth in the 100-meter high hurdles (20.02).

Following the first day of the two-day meet, which concludes Wednesday, Riverhead was tied for third place in the team scoring with Half Hollow Hills West. They both had 12 points, trailing Kings Park (21) and North Babylon (18).

In Division III, Shoreham-Wading River was in a third-place tie as well with Elwood/John Glenn. Both teams had 14 points. Miller Place (39) is first and Hampton Bays (16) is second. Bishop McGann-Mercy is 10th with two points.

Shoreham received 10 points from Meghan Serdock’s victory in the discus. The senior threw 100-11.

The Wildcats also received a fourth-place finish from freshman Kaitlyn Ohrtman in the 3,000 meters (10:33.89). McGann-Mercy junior Delina Auciello was behind her in fifth place in 11:22.00.

Mattituck junior Shannon Dwyer was fourth in the pentathlon after three events with 1,244 points. Dwyer was second in the shot put (28- 1/4), third in the high jump (4-4) and seventh in the 100-meter high hurdles (19.10).

bliepa@timesreview.com