Bay Shore power switch remains on
Imani McGhee of Bay Shore competes in the long jump event at the USA Track & Field Long Island 2012 Meet of Champions .(June 11, 2012) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Think Suffolk girls winter track, think Bay Shore.
A perennial powerhouse, the school has won 22 straight league championships and 12 of the last 13 county championships.
This year, Bay Shore finds itself with a mix of youth and experience.
Competing in League II, Bay Shore has a very strong field unit. Junior Imani McGhee anchors the triple jump, along with senior Kelsey Palomino.
Aviana Goode will compete in the high jump and the 55-meter hurdles. Goode posted an 8.85 in the hurdles at the Jim Mitchell Invitational on Dec. 14.
But that's not to say that Bay Shore won't have a steady stream of competition. Northport, led by junior Brigid Brennan, is always a strong contender.
Miller Place will look to carry its cross country success inside. Twins Tiana and Talia Guevara typically thrive on the indoor track. Tiana has already run a 1:38.37 in the 600 meter and a 4:51.24 in the 1,500 meter -- both early season low times for Suffolk County. Talia also has a low Suffolk time, running the 1,000 meter in 3:05.10.
The Guevara twins aren't the only athletes that will make Miller Place tough to top. Freshman Laura Nolan had a significant jump start to her varsity career. As an eighth grader, she took second to Talia Guevara in the 3,000 meter run at last year's Suffolk small school championship. Sophomore Laura Barreca figures to be a strong middle distance runner.
Miller Place will have to compete with Kings Park, the top small school in 2011, in League IV. Senior Alexandra Ambrosio has already clocked an 8:11.97 in the 1,500 meter race walk. Senior Katie Holland is a strong high jumper.
League V's Bayport-Blue Point is looking to a strong distance team to lead their chase for a county title. Courtney Dooley has already clocked a 3:06 in the 1,000 meter run. Bailey Walker, Sam Triani and Casey Hasher lead a strong group of sprinters.
Deer Park, competing in League III, is a team on the rise in Suffolk. Totianyu Guadalupe and Amanda Khare will lead a strong 600 and 800 meter contingent that coach Jim Petti hopes will surprise a lot of people.
In Nassau, Garden City has had a number of impressive early-season performances. Sophomore Mackenzie Bostrom has run the 55-meter hurdles in 10.55. Freshman Emily O'Neill came in third at the Bishop Loughlin Games, running the 1,000 meter in 3:05.07. Junior Katie O'Neill is a strong 600 meter runner.
Uniondale boasts a strong girls team. Senior Timaya Forehand and Aleisha Jeffers are top 55-meter dash runners. The 4X200 meter relay team, made up of Forehand, Crystal Green, Kadesha Roberts, and Kristina Cherrington, has already shown signs of cohesion, running a 1:49.70 in an early cross-over meet.
Massapequa's Kara McKenna came in second to Floral Park's Natalie Thomas in the 1,000 meter run at Tuesday's cross-over meet.
Conference II's East Meadow also looks poised for a strong season. Junior Amanda Ashe won the 1,600 meter run at the Spiked Shoe Holiday Festival in 5:11.1. Ashe has also posted a top time in the 1,000 meter run earlier in the season.
North Shore's upperclassman should carry them. Senior Elizabeth Caldwell is strong in the 1,500 meter run.
In the CHSAA, Holy Trinity's Caroline Brown is set for a strong senior season. She finished fourth in the two-mile run at the Bishop Loughlin Games. Kellenberg's Jazmine Fray finished in fifth in the mile run in the early-season event.
