Jason Louser went out with a splash, and what a splash it was.
Louser not only won state championships in two events, bringing him five state titles over the course of five years, but he wrapped up his high school swimming career with a pair of state records, to boot. READ
Welcome to Sunken Meadow State Park, home to one of the most grueling cross-country courses in New York State. It’s a place known for breaking down runners and bringing up their times.
As described by DyeStat.com, the five-kilometer course starts with a flat 1,200 meters before the runners hit steep Snake Hill. Then they move on through a picnic area and take a half-mile climb to the base of notorious Cardiac Hill, which extends for some 200 meters of steep terrain.
“Snake kills your calves while Cardiac just kills you in general,” said Mattituck senior Christian Demchak. READ
Hard as it may be to believe, one of the few prizes to elude Katherine Lee during her glorious track and field career has been an indoor state title. Saturday was her last chance to change that.
Although Lee didn’t walk away with a winner’s medal, she earned a pair of consolation prizes: nice looking runner-up federation and public school medals that will make a nice addition to her trophy case. READ
It didn’t bring him a gold medal, but Rickie Casazza turned a scary moment into a golden moment for him in the state winter track championships Saturday.
The Shoreham-Wading River high jumper had missed his first two attempts at 6 feet, 4 inches. Then the senior cleared the height on his third and final try. That enabled him to go on and clear 6-5 and then 6-6, leaving him in second place at Ocean Breeze Track and Field Athletic Complex in Staten Island. READ
If Jason Louser has a home away from home, it might be the Nassau County Aquatic Center at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. The 15-year-old Shoreham-Wading River High School sophomore trains there regularly as a member of the Long Island Aquatic Club, sharing the one-hour drive to and from with his parents, Karen and Kevin.
Over the past year, Payton Capes-Davis has covered a lot of ground — both literally and figuratively.
The Shoreham-Wading River High School senior has come a long way, much further than even she could have fathomed.
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As the top-seeded runner in his heat, Eric Cunha knew he pretty much had to win his heat in order to walk away with a state medal. That’s a lot easier said than done. Still, the Riverhead High School senior was determined and not to be denied. READ
Mark Matyka has a lot to be proud about, but his high school wrestling season ended in tears on mat No. 2 at Times Union Center in Albany Saturday.
Matyka appeared on the path to a Cinderella story. The Riverhead junior was a wild-card entry to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships. Then, after losing his first-round Division I match at 99 pounds Friday by a major decision, 12-4, to sixth-seeded Monsignor Farrell sophomore Terry Adams, Matyka battled back in the consolation rounds. Later that day he recorded 6-2 decisions over Malone sophomore Sam Searles and Clarence freshman Aiden Rabideau.
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