Seniors lead Lady Rams

Senior Nicole Hertzberg captured two events and senior Kaitlyn Kieser finished first in the Long Jump and runner-up in two events to lead Clarke to a third-place finish in the Nassau Class A girls’ track and field championship meet this spring.

Hertzberg and Kieser combined for 46 of the Lady Rams’ 78 points. North Shore (126) won the county title, while Valley Stream North (95) finished second.

“It was a great year,” Clarke first-year coach Pat Kehoe said. “Nicole and Kaitlyn are tremendous athletes and leaders. They’re extremely hard workers and just great kids.”

Hertzberg set a school mark in the 100 Hurdles at the county meet May 24 at Westbury High School, winning the race convincingly in 15.4 seconds. She also captured the High Jump title, clearing the bar at 5-feet. “She spent a lot of time working with assistant coach Gary Maercker, and her time in the hurdles came down quickly,” Kehoe said. “It was a lot of repetition in practice. Nicole said she did more hurdling this year than all the other years combined.”

Kehoe said Hertzberg’s athletic ability was evident with her performance in the Division 4-A championship meet. She won the High Jump and finished second in the 100 Hurdles that day, but most impressive was her victory in the Pole Vault with a height of 7-feet, 6-inches. “We don’t even have equipment to practice the Pole Vault, and it’s only an event held in certain meets,” Kehoe said. “For Nicole to win it was impressive.”

Hertzberg was also a part of a record-setting 4-x-100 relay with Kieser, senior Sarah Minischetti and freshman Lauren Bower that finished in 52.3 seconds on May 4.

Kieser, who competed in last week’s state championships outside of Syracuse and established new school marks in the Triple Jump (34-11 ½) and 200-meter dash (25.9 seconds), was recently honored by the Nassau Coaches Association with the prestigious Dick Ferziger Award. “I think Kaitlyn came into the season more relaxed, knowing her college situation was behind her,” said Kehoe, who noted Kieser is set to attend Oneonta. “She loves to compete and never lets the pressure get to her.”