By Sr. Friar Danielle D'Alonzo
 

The St. Anthony’s girls’ track and field team faced steep odds and fierce competition in the NSCHSAA League Championships Sunday, January 28. However, the Friars rose to the challenge and took first place in the meet.

St. Anthony’s edged out a victory with 85 points to Kellenberg’s 60 and Sacred Heart’s 42.50. The Friars relied heavily on teamwork for this win: they scored many of their points in the relay races. The Friars swept the relays, winning the 4×200, the 4×800, and the 4×400. The 4×200 team, which was comprised of Emily Sanders, Nicole Karabaich, Amy Tang, and Sophia Lagana, won with a time of 1:49.30. The 4×800, run by Lindsey Schwasnick, Larisa Dorrian, Áine Mannion, and Jennifer Furman, blew away the competition with a time of 10:14.47. In the final event of the day, Sarah Dolphin, Kelly Gaffney, Julia Ostermann, and Brianna Burkley secured one last victory for St. Anthony’s, winning the 4×400 in 4:12.13.

According to head coach Olivier St. Aude, the Friars were successful in the relays because of their cohesion as a team. “The girls really came together—freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors,” said St. Aude. “I wasn’t expecting to sweep the relays, but they just went out there and did what they always do.”

The St. Anthony’s athletes also scored many points in the individual events. Brianna Burkley was a key factor in the Friars’ victory: not only did she anchor the first-place 4×200 relay, but she also took first in the 55-meter dash with a time of 7.45, and second in the 300-meter dash in 41.89. Her teammate Amy Tang was not far behind her in the 55, earning third place in a time of 7.63. Meanwhile, in the 55-meter hurdles, Friars Nicole Karabaich and Katiana Pierre placed second and third, respectively, with times of 9.07 and 9.41.

While these Friars dominated the track, their teammates were making a strong showing in the field events. Bianca Skelton and Marissa Lindner swept the pole vault, each vaulting a height 9-00.00 and claiming first and second place. Hunter Roman won the long jump with a distance of 15-11.50, and Nicole Karabaich was second in the high jump with a distance of 4-10.00. Finally, Mikyla Rodgers threw the shot put an impressive 38-07.00 meters, in a feat that earned her the title of Meet MVP.

Although St. Anthony’s victory was decisive, the team did not take it for granted that they would win. In order to earn the championship title, the Friars had to contend with the toughest competition in the league. For example, Friar Kelly Gaffney had to settle for second place in the 600-meter run, but only after a battle with Sacred Heart’s Ellen Byrnes, a University of Pennsylvania commit with the second-fastest 600-meter time in New York. The 1500-meter run was just as competitive, led by Kellenberg’s Maureen Lewin, who anchored a sprint medley relay that currently holds the fastest time in the nation, and Sacred Heart’s Maggie Maier, who was the fastest cross country runner in the Long Island Catholic league this year.
St. Anthony’s Jennifer Furman had to strategize carefully and push herself hard in the 1500-meter run in order to contend with Lewin and Maier. She trailed these two closely for the whole race, and came in third place with the remarkably fast time of 4:56.41.

“I knew the competition was tough, but once I saw just how tough it was, it turned into a mental game,” said Furman. “I did my best to sit behind the leader. With two laps to go, the race went from reasonable to insane, but I was really glad to have such tough competition to push me.”

Coach St. Aude knew that all of the races would, like the 1500, be packed with fast runners, so he trained his athletes to compete with the best. It was thanks to this training that the Friars were able to overcome the challenges presented by the other teams.

“Going into it, I knew Sacred Heart had a really good girls in the 3000, 1500, and 600, and Kellenberg too,” he said. “So I knew going into the program that we would have to hang with those girls, who are the top athletes in the league.”

The Friars will return to the track on Saturday, February 11, to defend their City Championship title from last year. The meet will take place in Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island.