Elmont tears up the track

With the prom, graduation, and summer vacation the only things on the agenda for most high school students at this time of year, a few fleet-footed sprinters from Elmont are headed north for this weekend’s New York State Track and Field Championships in upstate Vestal.

Coaches Michael Graham and Fran Murphy are excited about the return trip upstate. “I’m optimistic that we’ll do well in the state meet,” Graham said. “The athletes compete their hardest each time they get on the track. That’s really all you can ask for.” 

In 2009, Elmont’s 4 x 100 meter relay team, which comprised Cherrelle King, Valencia Hannon, Toni-Ann Lawrence and Ashley McCarthy, won the state title in a time of 47.84 seconds. Although Lawrence has graduated, the team added sophomore Kyla Ridley and hasn’t skipped a beat. The team finished first in the Nassau Class AA meet, and also crossed the finish line in front in the state qualifier. Junior Deon Phillips will serve as an alternate on the team that looks to defend its state championship.  

Hannon, a sophomore who won a county championship in the 100 meters in a time of 12:16, will look to exact a little revenge in this event at the state meet. She finished second in the state meet as a freshman in 2009. Hannon had a terrific spring season. Her only second-place finish of the year came at the prestigious Glenn Loucks Games in White Plains. 

McCarthy, a junior, finished second in the county at 100 meters. She was the county champion at 200 meters as a sophomore. Ridley had the second best time in the county among sophomores in both the 200 and 400 meters.     

On the boys’ side, junior Jaquan Smith won county titles in both the 100 and 200 meters in times of 11:20 and 23.10, respectively. His 10:40 at the Bulldog Invitational at Hewlett High School last month was the fastest time posted for 100 meters in the county for the spring season.

The 4 x 400 relay team, which is made up of Smith, and seniors Daquan Grant, Joshua Garcia-Dingle, and Jovantee Fleemont, also qualified for the state meet. Junior Angelo Melendez is the team’s alternate. Melendez qualified for the state meet in the 800 meters. He was the conference and county champion in the event, and also finished first at the Bulldog Invitational and the District Dual at Valley Stream North. 

While the present looks strong at Elmont, the future of the track and field program is glowing. Many top performers will be back in 2010-11, and a strong contingent of underclassmen posted excellent times this season. Freshmen Paul Jean, Chad Barker, who finished first in the 800 meters in the Freshmen/Sophomore county championships, and twins Bradley and Brandon Atkins all have tremendous upside. 

“We have a lot of runners, both boys and girls, with excellent futures on the track,” Graham said. “If they stick with it, we expect big things from them. We’re very proud of these athletes. They always compete to the best of their ability.”