Elmont's Ashley Fulton wins indoor state Federation 300-meter championship and breaks state meet record
Ashley Fulton of Elmont wins the girls 300-meter dash in 39.19 seconds at the New York State indoor track and field state championships at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island on Saturday. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
Before the board updated with the official times, Ashley Fulton vigorously clapped her hands on the infield at Ocean Breeze Track and Field facility on Staten Island, already knowing she’d won the 300 meters.
When the times finally appeared on the board, Fulton, and everyone else in the jam-packed bleachers, learned that she shattered the indoor track and field state meet record, finishing the race in 38.15 seconds on Saturday.
The previous record was held by Colonie’s Kyle Plante, who ran 38.23 in 2012.
“The goal was to get either the meet record or the state record. I got the meet record, so I’m happy,” Fulton said.
It’s the Elmont senior’s first indoor state federation title. Last year, Fulton was the public school 300 champion in 39.58 seconds.
Earlier in the day, Fulton finished in 7.02 seconds for fourth place in the 55, but she didn’t let that race get to her.
“The 55 isn’t my best race, I know the 300 is my best race,” Fulton said. “I brushed the 55 off and came back focused on the 300.”
It was Baldwin’s Sariah Doresca who won the 55 in a personal-best 6.93 seconds. Doresca won last year’s 55 in 7.02, but the junior’s road to a repeat was slowed early in the season by a hamstring injury.
“I had to sit out a couple of meets early in the season and I went to physical therapy, but I feel a lot better and stronger now,” Doresca said. “Doing it two times in a row, it was harder this time. But I knew I was going to be a state champion because of the work I put in throughout the season.”
Sariah Doresca of Baldwin wins the girls 55-meter dash in a PR of 6.93 seconds at the New York State indoor track and field state championships at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island on Saturday. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
Doresca ran a 7.01 in the trials, which was her personal best until she smashed it in the finals. Hillcrest’s Kiera Davis took second place with a 6.98.
“I didn’t even know I ran that fast, but seeing that number in the prelims, I knew I could come back and run even faster in the finals,” Doresca said.
Doresca also helped Baldwin’s 4 x 200-meter relay team to a second straight state title. Joined by Kelys Walker, Jahzara Emeli and Breanne Barnett, Baldwin won in 1:40.11, which broke the previous state meet record of 1:40.27 set by Huntington in 2020.
Walker is the only new addition to the team.
“It’s amazing to get the meet record because that’s what we went for last year and we fell a bit short,” Emeli said.
Doresca helped the Bruins get out to lead and Walker and Emeli did their part to widen the gap before Barnett ran a 24.28-second anchor leg to close it out.
“It just shows that we’re all equally fast and we all have our own strengths,” Barnett said. “Sariah goes first because she has the best start out of all of us. Everyone carries their own weight.”
Uniondale’s Chica Akazi bounced back from a subpar preliminary performance to win the 55-meter hurdles. She was the eighth and last qualifier for the finals with an 8.48-second trials run, but the senior soared to the finals finish line in 8.21 seconds to win the title.
“I was nervous because I didn’t know if I was going to make it to the final with that time,” Akazi said. “I felt like I needed a better warm-up and I needed to focus more.”
Chica Akazi of Uniondale wins the girls 55-meter hurdles in a time of 8.21 seconds at the New York State indoor track and field state championships at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island on Saturday. Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
It’s quite the improvement from a year ago, when Akazi took fourth place in 8.38 seconds. Akazi had championship-level confidence from the start of the season and was looking forward to proving herself as the top hurdler in the state.
“I can’t see the future, but I kept my hopes up and I kept focused throughout the season on making it to states and trying to win gold,” Akazi said. “I’m still speechless seeing my name at number one on the board.”
In the field, Miller Place junior Jillian Scully won the shot put with a personal-best throw of 42 feet, 11 ½ inches. Her winning throw came on her second attempt after her first throw of 39-¼. Scully was nearly three feet ahead of Medgar Evers Prep’s Meagan Ewers, who placed second with a 40-foot throw.