Sophomores set pace for Hewlett

Sophomores Kaylyn Forbes and Shirley Leshem continued their strong running for Hewlett at last Saturday’s Nassau Class II cross-country championships at Bethpage State Park, earning All-County honors by finishing 13th and 15th, respectively, in the 5K race under ideal conditions.

The Lady Bulldogs, who went 11-2 in Conference 3 and finished third behind South Side and Wantagh during the regular season, placed sixth overall in Class II and will send a full squad to the State Qualifier Meet as a result.

“It doesn’t happen a lot, so it’s a nice accomplishment,” Hewlett coach Stephen Honerkamp said of the whole team advancing. “The girls have done well all season and it’s great that everyone’s moving on for another week.”

Forbes and Leshem both set personal bests at the county meet while maintaining their status as the Lady Bulldogs’ top two runners. “They both came on strong late last season,” Honerkamp said. “Kaylyn set our freshman record and also competed well in the spring, and Shirley is never too far behind her.”

Forbes was ranked No. 16 in Class II going into last Saturday’s event and crossed the line in 21:00.99. During the regular season, she finished first overall in three of the five conference meets, and fourth and sixth in the other two. “She just goes about her business and runs a steady pace all the way,” Honerkamp said. “She’s made steady progress; gets better and better every race. I think she has potential to break 20 minutes.”

Leshem was ranked No. 24 in Class II and finished in 21:22.13. She also came through in every conference meet, finishing as high as second and no worse than eighth. “All-County was a big goal for Shirley,” Honerkamp said. “There are so many kids in that same time range, 15 seconds could mean 15 places. She has such a great work ethic and never backs down from anyone. She always has an answer if someone threatens to pass her.”

Senior Nicole Matza was Hewlett’s third finisher in the county meet and most of the conference races. She was 35th overall in Class II (22:23.92) after placing as high as sixth (twice) in conference events. Nicole and her sister Lori are finishing out their fourth years on the team and have served as positive role models, Honerkamp said. Lori Matza finished as Hewlett’s fifth scorer in the county meet with a time of 22:56.67.

Sophomore Sophie Riegel, one of the county’s top racewalkers in track and field, continued to show her growth on the cross-country course by shaving 30 seconds off her previous best time (22:42.60) and finishing as the fourth Lady Bulldog. Senior Colette Davies, who battled injuries, had a good effort, Honerkamp said, and sophomore Baldwinder Khur had an impressive showing as well.

Hewlett’s boys’ team, which went 7-6 in Conference 3, got All-County performances from senior Ben Jacobs (17:52.11) and junior Zach Gladstein (17:48) last Saturday, and a top performance from sophomore Ian Acriche.