Victoria Paris a quadruple-winner for Longwood at Suffolk 1A track and field championshops
Victoria Paris of Longwood competes in the 100-meter hurdles at the Suffolk 1A track and field championships at Connetquotl on Wednesday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
There are breakout performances, and then there is what Victoria Paris had on Wednesday at Connetquot High School.
The Longwood junior won four — yes, four — county titles on Wednesday in the Suffolk Class 1A track and field championships at Connetquot, proving herself to be one of Long Island’s best athletes.
Her day began with her running 14.44 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles. Just a few minutes later, she clocked a 12.51 to win the 100-meter dash. After a couple of hours of rest, she finished the 200 in 25.82 seconds to earn her third individual championship of the day.
To wrap up her once-in-a-lifetime day, Paris anchored Longwood’s 4x100-meter relay team and helped it capture the title in 50.47 seconds. She followed sophomore Mikayla Robinson, freshman Zoe Jackson and sophomore Sara Mangels on the relay.
Paris had never won an individual county title in her four-year varsity career before Wednesday.
“To me, it shows that I’m not done,” Paris said. “I still have better things ahead for me, even next year. For now, I’m just going to keep working hard. I can accept my wins, but I’m not going to be cocky. I’ve still got to work hard because it doesn’t matter who wins. It’s about who works the hardest.”
Now she is firmly on the map, which is exactly what she had been aiming to achieve.
“There are days where I’d be crying about this stuff because I want to make this my career,” Paris said. “I changed my diet and focus — it’s like I’m a whole new person. Just the satisfaction that the hard work is paying off is amazing. I didn’t even know I could do this; I surprised myself.”
Her efforts helped Longwood score 110.5 points to secure the team championship for the second year in a row. Sophomore Sophia Drinkwater also contributed an individual championship for Longwood, clearing 10 feet to win the pole vault.
Sachem East sophomore Bella Galeas also won multiple medals, as she ran 1 minute, 4.68 seconds in the 400 hurdles and then flew 17 feet, 6 1/4 inches in the long jump. She ran the second leg of Sachem East’s championship 4x400 squad that finished in 4:05.34, following senior Alexa Nieves while preceding sophomore Shana Lightell and senior Sarafina Scavo.
Galeas had been out of action for several weeks after suffering a stress reaction in her foot and did not return to competition until late in the season. She had not long jumped since the NYSPHSAA indoor track and field championships meet on March 8.
The schedule on Wednesday did not favor her, as immediately after winning the 400 hurdles, she had to go and attempt a jump in the long jump — her first in two and a half months. While still breathing heavily from the hurdles race, and without taking a practice jump, Galeas leaped the winning distance on her first try. She then had to leave the event early to check in to run the 200.
“I was a little tired, and I hadn’t jumped in so long that I was a little stressed out,” Galeas said. “It felt nice to come out and show that I still have it in me, even with the injury for a month and a half.”
Galeas’ other teammates also had good showings. Scavo added an individual title in the 400, finishing in 59.57 seconds, and anchored Sachem East’s 4x800 to victory as well. The squad finished in 9:49.33, with junior Camryn Goodman, freshman Abigail Erickson and senior Adriana Roa starting things off. Senior Julianna Wottawa won the 1,500-meter race walk in 6:54.36.
Host Connetquot had a double champion in senior Essence Wright, a Rider commit. She threw the shot put 36 feet and the discus 99 feet, two inches to win both. It was her third county title in discus and second in shot put.
“It gets scarier each team because the pressure builds up and now it’s a title that you have to keep,” Wright said. “When I first joined track, it wasn’t about winning, but then I became good. And thanks to my coach and my mom, they told me I was good and to keep going, and I’m very hard on myself, so to have those people around me supporting me keeps me going.”
Wright’s teammate, junior Olivia DiGaetano, ran a 10:17.87 to win the 3,000 while running through some mist and wind. It was her first career county championship.
Though the poor running conditions generally hinder runners, they actually helped her, as it is her favorite weather to work through.
“Believe it or not, I think this played in my favor,” DiGaetano said. “I feel like everyone else hates it, so it just automatically gives me the upper hand. I just hear it and feel it, and it’s kind of like a different medium to run through.”
In the distance events, Floyd senior Zariel Macchia won the 800 in 2:15.11, Bay Shore junior Maggie McCormick took the 1,500 in 4:31.02 and Middle Country senior Sarah Williams claimed the 2,000-meter steeplechase in 7:16.37.
Patchogue-Medford sophomore Mikayla Cooper scored 2,312 points to win the pentathlon.
In the field, Riverhead senior Kayleanne Campbell cleared 5-4 in the high jump and Sachem North senior Lara Verbanac flew 35 feet, 9 1/4 inches in the triple jump.
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
