Floyd track star Zariel Macchia ruled ineligible for state championships after competing against college athletes

Floyd High School senior Zariel Macchia is ineligible for the rest of the indoor track and field season after violating a rule that prohibits high school athletes from competing against college athletes, according to Tom Combs, the executive director of Suffolk County's governing body of interscholastic sports.

Macchia is one of the most decorated runners in New York State history and has won six state championships in her high school career across indoor and outdoor track and cross country. The ruling means she would not be able to participate in the state championships on March 8, for which she qualified to compete in the 1,000 and 3,000 meters.

She will be able to compete again in the outdoor season.

“We love everything Zariel has done,” Combs said. “She’s phenomenal. We hope that things fall in her direction, however, there are rules that we have to follow.”

Macchia violated the rule by participating in Saturday's Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational, where she finished third in the 1,000.

Pete Macchia, Zariel's father, said he planned to appeal the decision.

“I feel like whatever course is needed should be taken,” Pete Macchia said. “I don’t think there should be any penalty involved in the first place. She’s run against college and professional athletes for four years now in different events."

The rule Macchia violated is called the “College Rule” in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association handbook. It specifies that NYSPHSAA athletes are not allowed to “participate in practice or competition with or against any individual or team representing a college” at any time during a sport’s season. Had her opponents run unaffiliated she would not have been in violation of the rule.

Violators are ineligible for the rest of the season in which they broke the rule.

“As a high school athlete, you can run unattached,” NYSPHSAA executive director Robert Zayas said in a phone call with Newsday. “When a student is competing against someone representing their college in that sport, in that season, the student is in violation of the rule.”

Of the 48 competitors in her race, 45 were representing a college team. Macchia, who has committed to Brigham Young University in Utah, ran in Saturday's race unattached.

“I knew that we were supposed to sign her up unattached and that it’s never been a problem before," Pete Macchia said. "She's run unattached against college and professional runners since ninth grade, and the way we've entered those is the same way we've entered this and it's never been an issue."

Pete Macchia said he has reached out to the lawyers who represented the six Northport High School wrestlers who won an appeal in a special court proceeding at the Riverhead courthouse on Feb. 7 after the group was ruled ineligible for competing in seven tournaments this season when the maximum number allowed is six, according to NYSPHSAA.

No matter what happens in Zariel Macchia’s potential appeal, she intends to go the state championship meet, set to take place at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island.

“I would very much like to compete at the state meet,” Zariel Macchia said. “I want to go, whether I’m allowed to compete in the meet or not. If I just go to watch, I want to go to see who wins and how everyone runs and cheer on my fellow competitors and be happy for them. So whether I’m allowed to compete or not, I still want to go to cheer everyone on, but I’d much rather be there to compete.”