Track and Field: Riley takes two firsts, Mercy relay team triumphs
Several athletes representing Riverhead schools made a splash on Friday, the first day of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association boys and girls track and field championships. Riverhead junior Melodee Riley finished first in two events and the Bishop McGann-Mercy 4×400-meter relay team took first place as well at Caledonia-Mumford High School.
Riley won both the Division I long jump at 18 feet 9 3/4 inches and the Division I triple jump at 39-9.
Meanwhile, McGann-Mercy’s 4×400 relay team of senior Kayleigh Macchirole, senior Olivia Schumann, junior Sasa Vann and senior Lauren Woodhull clocked a winning time of 3 minutes 57.43 seconds in Division II. It is a school record, according to McGann-Mercy’s athletic director, Paula Nickerson. Details about the previous record were not immediately available.
The second-place team of the Academy of Holy Names posted a time of 3:59.93. That team consisted of seventh-grader Mikaila Ford, freshman Leah Triller, eighth-grader Kaitlin Close and senior Jennifer Stodgell.
Vann also came in 13th in the 100-meter preliminaries in 12.86, failing to qualify for the finals.
Shoreham-Wading River junior Shannon McDonnell finished 21st in the 800 final in 2:17.11.
In the boys meet, Riverhead senior Treval Hatcher tripled jumped 46-3 1/2, leaving him sixth in Division I.
Shoreham-Wading River’s senior pole vaulter, Ben Canellys, was 14th at 13-6.
The meet concludes on Saturday.
