Westbury's Skeete wins three long-distance races
Westbury's Owen Skeete won the 3,200, 1,600 and 1,000 meter runs at the Nassau Class B championships at Suffolk CC-Brentwood. (Feb. 8, 2010) Credit: Dave Sanders
Westbury's Owen Skeete wanted to make history.
His coach, Donald Ross, was nervous, but Skeete, who had his sights on winning the 1,000, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs, said he had everything under control.
Skeete put Ross' fears at ease as he won all three races at the Nassau County Class B track and field championships at Suffolk CC-Brentwood last night.
Track officials couldn't confirm if Skeete was the first boy in Nassau track and field history to complete the feat, but he became Westbury's first athlete to do it.
"[Westbury] always said they never had a distance runner,'' Skeete said. "Now they can't say that."
Ross gave Skeete the option of scratching from one of the races.
"Today [my coach said], 'I still have the power to scratch you. Tell me any time,' '' Skeete said.
"My heart was pounding hard when the 1,000 meter started,'' Ross said. "It's so close to the 3,200. Only the 55-meter semifinal is between the races."
Skeete first won the 3,200 (9:59.59) going away over Manhasset's Joseph Nassirian. The 1,000 (2:42.14) and 1,600 (4:37.37) that followed weren't as easy.
The 1,600 was the toughest for Skeete. "I had a slight cramp underneath my chest,'' he said.
Skeete wasn't alone for Westbury as teammate Darnelle Mickens captured the 55-meter dash in 6.76 seconds, edging Roosevelt's Erin Parker, and the 300 in 36.7 seconds.
Other individual county champions included Wheatley's Josh Haghighi in the shot put (54-3 ¾) and Corona Isaiah of Valley Stream South in the long jump (21-5).
Roosevelt's Dale McDonald won the 600 in 1:25.69 and Hewlett's Brian Durdaller (10-6) and Corey Sider (9-6) took first and second, respectively, in the pole vault.
In the girls events, North Shore, which won its first indoor title since 2004, produced several winners, including Brianna Welch in the 600 meters and Brianna Nerud in the 1,000.
Valley Stream North also boasted several individual winners, including Treyanna McKinney in the 55 hurdles (9.21) and Sarah Craig in the shot put (32-11).
Manhasset's Emily Easton was a double-winner, taking the 55 (7.46) and the 300 meters (41.78), and Hewlett had a good night with Makisa Francis winning the high jump (4-10) and Vanessa Pierre taking first in the long jump (16-5).
Villanova-bound Emily Lipari of Roslyn was a double-winner, taking the 3,000 (10:14.84) and the 1,500 (4:43.59).
Play ball: Turn the NY baseball teams' springtime home into your next vacation For spring training, Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel couldn't choose whether to visit the Yankees in Tampa or the Mets in Port St. Lucie, so he visited them both.
Play ball: Turn the NY baseball teams' springtime home into your next vacation For spring training, Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel couldn't choose whether to visit the Yankees in Tampa or the Mets in Port St. Lucie, so he visited them both.
