Massapequa's Kyra Florio-Marinello wins Nassau D-I 2,000 steeplechase to qualify for states
Kyra Florio-Marinello of Massapequa competes in the girls 2,000 meter steeplechase during Day 2 of the Nassau County track and field state qualifiers at North Shore High School on Friday, June 6, 2025. Credit: James Escher
Massapequa’s Kyra Florio-Marinello recently stepped away from playing soccer to focus solely on track and field, and it’s certainly paid off.
The junior qualified out of Division I in the 2,000-meter steeplechase in 7 minutes, 23.50 seconds on the second day of the Nassau state qualifier meet Friday at North Shore High School in Glen Head, earning a trip to the state championships on June 13-14 in Middletown.
“Honestly, this doesn’t even feel real,” Florio-Marinello said. “Last season, I was one place away from qualifying and this year, I finally did it. This is my first time going to the state championships for any sport.”
Coach Mike Lisa said it was evident Florio-Marinello had one goal in mind this season:
make it to Middletown.
“Last year, she got [disqualified] in one of her events,” Lisa said. “She came back this year, and she had set a goal to get this far. She [set a personal best] this year by over 30 seconds, so she’s definitely put in the work, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Manhasset’s Anna Paloubis won the overall event in 7:20.62 and will compete out of Division II and Liana Altamirano of Oyster Bay (7:45.61) will compete out of Division III.
Elsewhere, the Cold Spring Harbor 4 x 800 relay team, composed of Sofia Mulada, Megan Jasinski, Isabella Garra and Ariana Madeira, earned a spot out of Division III. They clocked in at 9:28.19, beating their previous record of 9:43.39.
“It’s so exciting,” Mulada said. “We’ve all worked so hard, and it was just so worth it.”
Jasinski acts as the anchor for the team and preaches the motto, “I can, I can, I can.”
“I always say to repeat, ‘I can, I can, I can’ in our heads during the race,” she said. “It keeps you in a positive mindset, and you can do anything if you keep a positive mindset.”
They will be joined in Middletown by Division I’s East Meadow (9:20.18) and Division II’s North Shore (9:27.77).
Elmont’s Makayla Noel also crossed the finish line with a new personal best time after winning the Division II 200 in 25.97 seconds.
“It feels really good because I haven’t been able to really hit 25 [seconds] at all this year,” Noel said. “Going to the state championship, I’m going to keep this same energy going.”
Last season, Noel competed in the 4 x100 relay at the state championship. She looks forward to competing in an individual event this time around.
“I would love to earn another PR at the state championship,” the senior said. “I’m definitely hoping to place high.”
South Side senior Victoria Daniel earned state qualification in a second event after finishing first in the Division II 100 in 12.40. She already had the state standard for the 100 hurdles.
“It’s a really rewarding feeling being able to compete in two events for my senior year,” the Albany track commit said. “My first state championship was my sophomore year, and I’ve improved so much since then.”
Oceanside junior Alexa Kosakowski didn’t expect to qualify in any event. Now, she’ll be competing in two events at the state championships. She finished first in the Division I 100 hurdles in 15.71 and earned a spot in the high jump with a 5-02.
“I’m just really surprised and mind-blown,” Kosakowski said. “I wasn’t even thinking that I had the chance at one, and now I’m going for two. It’s going to be my first state championship, and it feels great to see my hard work come to life.”
