Sports

Track & Field: Riverhead’s triple jumpers save best for last

Shoreham-Wading River seniors Ryan Udvadia and Keith Steinbrecher race in the 3,200 of the Division III Championship. (Credit: Robert O'Rourk)
Shoreham-Wading River seniors Ryan Udvadia and Keith Steinbrecher race in the 3,200 of the Division III Championship. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Most of the events on the track Tuesday were preliminaries. The majority of finals are on Thursday.

The two finals on the track were the 800 and 3,200. In Division III, Shoreham-Wading River’s Ryan Udvadia emerged a double champion.

He ran 1 minute 57.38 seconds in the first event, the 800.

Udvadia said he was nervous about the 800 coming into the day, knowing he was going up against a talented runner in James Burke of Port Jefferson. But Burke missed a chunk of the season battling an illness and wasn’t up to his normal par in Tuesday’s race.

“Coaches told me take it out hard and run the last lap and that’s what I did,” Udvadia said. “Got positive results.”

Going out hard at the start of a race is unusual for Udvadia, who prefers to sit back before making his move. In the longer distances like the 1,600 and 3,200, that works for him. But in the 800, there isn’t much time to wait.

“It helps me a lot with the 1,600 and 3,200,” Udvadia said of running the 800. “It gives me some speed and a little bit of endurance.”

In the 3,200 just over an hour later, Udvadia took it easy at the start before surging into first with just over 800 meters remaining. He opened up a big lead going into the final 400 meters and crossed the finish line in 9:44.44, raising his right hand in victory as he crossed the line.

His teammate, senior Keith Steinbrecher, finished in third in 9:55.43.

Steinbrecher said when he’s racing, he always knows Udvadia is going to make his move into first at some point. His goal, he said, is to focus on the other runners around him.

“I was just trying to make my move against the other couple of guys that were in that pack with us,” he said.

Steinbrecher said he’s focused more on running the mile this year as well as the steeplechase, which he’ll run Thursday. Udvadia and Steinbrecher will both run as part of the 4 x 800 relay Thursday as well.

In the 800, Shoreham’s Gladysz finished third in 2:00.96. Senior Connor McAlary was sixth in the 3,200 in 10:08.72.

The Wildcats will send two runners to the finals of the 100: Jordan Wright (11.2) and Bryce Casey (11.22). Casey also qualified for the finals of the 200 (23:09). Matt Leunig will run the finals of the 400-hurdles (58.93). McGann-Mercy’s Luis Cintron also made the finals (1:00.13).

Mercy’s Dale Kelly qualified for the 400-dash finals (52.4).

For Riverhead, Jacob Robinson will the 200 finals (22.87). Two Blue Waves will run the finals of the 110-hurdles: Darren Jefferson (15.41) and Andrew Smith (15.72).

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