Meet the girls outdoor track state champions for 2024
Chica Akazi of Uniondale wins the Federation girls 100 hurdles at the New York State Track and Field Championship on June 8, 2024, in Cicero, N.Y. Credit: Derrick Dingle
Chika Akazi, Uniondale, 100-meter hurdles
Akazi had unfinished business this year.
She improved on her third-place finish in the Division I 100-meter hurdles last spring with a personal-best time of 14.07 seconds to earn the Federation title at the girls outdoor track and field state championships at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.
She ran 0.53 seconds faster than last year.
Akazi also clocked back-to-back personal records at the championships, running the Federation race seven-hundredths of a second faster than her Division I championship time of 14.14. She won that title 30 minutes before the Federation final.
Akazi also won the indoor 55 hurdles state championship in 8.21 in March.
Alexa Jacobs, Port Jefferson, 100 meters
Alexa Jacobs of Port Jefferson wins the 100-meter dash at the Suffolk state qualifier meet at Comsewogue on May 31. Credit: Morgan Campbell
Jacobs had been preparing to go back-to-back since last spring.
The Port Jefferson sophomore, who took the Division II state title in the 100 last year, won her second consecutive crown in 12.3 seconds.
Nicea Jones, Malverne, 400 meters
Nicea Jones of Malverne wins the Federation girls 400-meter dash at the New York State Track and Field Championship on June 8 in Cicero, N.Y. Credit: Derrick Dingle/Derrick Dingle
Jones held up a No. 1 with her finger before she crossed the finish line.
The Malverne junior had never been in the 400 state Federation final, but she knew she belonged, winning the title in 55.71 seconds.
“This just proves to me that I can compete at this level and it’s very motivating,” Jones said. “I have another year to reach this height and I just want to continue to get stronger. I’m looking forward to a personal record and a trip back here next year.”
Samara Lawrence, North Babylon, 400 meters
North Babylon’s Samara Lawrence crosses the finish line in the 400-meter final during the NYSPHSAA outdoor track and field championships in Syracuse, N.Y., on June 7. Credit: /Lauren Petracca
Lawrence has strength and speed, and her senior year was capped with her first individual state crown.
After finishing third last year in the Federation 400, the North Babylon senior bested her time and won the Division I crown in 57.05 seconds. She was second in the Federation in 56.25.
Last spring, Lawrence ran a 56.16 at the state championships. She also made up about 25 meters on the anchor leg to help her 4 x 100 relay team win a Suffolk title earlier this month.
Sophia McInnes, Bayport-Blue Point, 800 and 1,500 meters
Bayport-Blue Point’s Sophia McInnes competes in the girls 800-meter championship during the NYSPHSAA outdoor track and field championships in Syracuse, N.Y., on, June 7. Credit: /Lauren Petracca
There’s no task too tall for McInnes.
She proved that when she ran her way to a Suffolk and state title in the 800, despite running in the event for the first time this spring.
She earned the state Division II crown in 2 minutes, 8.94 seconds and won a Suffolk title in 2:07.18 last month, a county meet record. She also raced to her second 1,500 state crown, getting Division II honors in 4:27.19.
“She wanted to help her teammates by running in the 4 x 400 relay team with them in order to win a state title,” coach Vin Ungaro said at the Suffolk qualifier meet. “She always wants to help the team in any way she can.”
McInnes did just that in Cicero, anchoring the 4 x 400 and 4 X 800 relay teams to Division II titles.
Zaria Hall, East Meadow, 1,500 meters
East Meadow’s Zaria Hall competes in the girls 800-meter final during the NYSPHSAA outdoor track and field championships in Syracuse, N.Y., on, June 7. Credit: /Lauren Petracca
The sophomore ran a 4:28.57 to win the Division I title and was third in the Federation. Hall — who also qualified for the state championships in the 1,500 last year — shaved 8.42 seconds off her time. Her vast improvement sprung her six places up the leaderboard, leapfrogging Floyd's Zariel Macchia in the process and placing her one spot behind Bayport -Blue Point’s Sophia McInnes, the Division II champion.
Zariel Macchia, Floyd, 3,000 meters
Zariel Macchia of Floyd wins the girls 3,000-meter run at the New York State Track and Field Championship on June 7 in Cicero, N.Y. Credit: Derrick Dingle/Derrick Dingle
In her third consecutive trip to the state championships, Floyd’s star junior improved on her second-place finish from last season to win it all this year. Macchia dominated her competition in the 3,000 and won the Federation title in 9:34.75. Her time was 4.78 seconds better than the field.
She was 1.07 seconds faster than her second-place finish last year.
“I just really wanted to put up a hard pace and really push it the whole way,” Macchia said. “Seeing that I can run that time and basically push the pace myself was a pretty big confidence booster going into the 5K [at a national meet].”
Cali Gabrielson, Mount Sinai, 3,000 meters
Mt. Sinai's Cali Gabrielson races during the NYSPHSAA Class B Cross Country Championships at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School in Verona, N.Y., on Nov. 11, 2023. Credit: Bryan Bennett
Gabrielson is only an eighth grader, but she’s already setting the pace for a stellar career.
Gabrielson took home the Division II 3,000 title in 9:56.50 on the first day of the state championships.
As a seventh grader, she ran 4:58.06 in the 1,500 and 10:52.32 in the 3,000.
Sachem East, 4 x 400 relay
Sachem East passes the baton in the 4x400-meter relay at the Suffolk state qualifier meet at Comsewogue on May 31. Credit: Morgan Campbell
Sachem East’s relay squad of Savanna Edwards, Bella Galeas, Taylor Percy, and Sarafina Scavo won the Division I title in 3:55.12.
They were second in the Federation race in 3:58.57. In that race, Percy propelled Sachem East from fifth to second place before anchor Scavo held the team’s pace to finish right behind Federation winner Burnt Hills - Ballston Lake (3:58.05).
Bayport-Blue Point, 4 x 400, 4 x 800
Bayport-Blue Point’s relay teams have posted top times in the country, and there was no doubt their strength would be felt at the state level in Cicero.
The Phantoms scored more team points than any other Division II school behind performances from its relay squads.
Maggie Yost, Ava Brogan, Ansley Brogan and Sophia McInnes won the 4 x 400 Division II title in 4:00.42.
The Brogans, McInnis and Madeline Jensen took the 4 x 800 Division II title in 9:24.57.
Jillian Scully, Miller Place, Shot put and discus
Jillian Scully poses during the indoor state track championships at the Ocean Breze Athletic Compler, in Staten Island on March 2. Credit: Debbie Scully
Scully continues to set and achieve her goals.
The Miller Place junior threw the discus 154 feet, 4 inches, nearly 27 feet further than the runner-up, and heaved the shot put 46-11 1⁄2, an almost five-foot advantage, to win two Federation titles. She also took gold in the Division I shot put (42-10) and Division I discus (149-2).
One weekend. Four state championships.
Scully won the indoor shot put state championship with a 42-11 ½ throw in March.