Calhoun sprint medley squad headed to nationals

For the first time in Calhoun High School history, a track relay team has qualified for nationals. The sprint medley relay squad of Devon Bayer, Grace Moore, Cristin Rodriguez and Juliann Vizoso finished third at the national qualifying meet in New York City on Feb. 12 and will return to the city for the National Track & Field Championships on March 11.

The sprint medley relay, or SMR, comprises two 200-meter legs, a 400-meter and an 800-meter.

Calhoun takes in students from the Merricks and some from the Bellmores.
“Coming in virtually unknown and as a huge underdog, no one expected much from the girls — no one but them,” said their coach, Joseph Migliano. “The task for the night was simple: run a certain time and qualify for the national championships. This was much easier said than done, as only one team in all of New York state had qualified already.”

The girls got off to a fast start, led by Rodriguez, a junior who had a personal best that night. “Rodriguez would hand off to junior sensation Devon Bayer for the next leg of the race,” said Migliano. “Looking like a veteran, Bayer ran a smooth and extremely fast leg, setting her personal best for the season as well.”

“Grace got off to a blazing start, passing three girls within the first 200 meters,” Migliano said. “Grace ran a strategically smart and fast race, setting up to pass her opponents at every opportunity. She would anchor the relay, beating her personal best by over 10 seconds.”

The squad is currently ranked 43rd of more than 150,000 high school SMR teams across the country.