Seniors set pace for Falcons

Though nosed out for the Nassau Class A boys’ track and field title, Valley Stream South enjoyed a huge spring with a pair of county champions and two state meet qualifiers.

“The county meet came down to the 4 x 100 relay and it couldn’t have been any closer,” Falcons assistant coach Ken Rice said. “We didn’t have great handoffs and we still almost won. It was a good surprise.”

South’s foursome of Rashawn Providence, Isaiah Corona, Shaquille Hodge and Obinna Nwaigwe completed the sprint relay in 44.9 seconds, good enough for a third-place finish. Mineola’s runner-up performance, in 44.8, helped it take the county title with 73 points to the Falcons’ 71. Floral Park, which won the 4 x 100, was third in the team standings.

“We came in fourth during the regular season and peaked at the right time,” said Rice, the team’s head coach during the winter and assistant to Katie Deruvo in the spring. “The seniors came up big and we also got points from some promising underclassmen.”

Providence repeated as county champion in the Triple Jump, topping the field by a wide margin. His top jump on May 26 at Mitchel Athletic Complex was 43-feet, 8 1/4-inches was 33 inches better than runner-up Lenny DiBono of Seaford. Nwaigwe took third and Corona finished fourth. “Rashawn battled a sore knee at times but still had a great spring,” Rice said.

Senior Steven Persaud won the county title in the 400  with a personal-best time of 49.7 seconds. He was also runner-up in the 800 in 1:56.10 and ran the leadoff leg in South’s third-place 4 x 800.

“Nobody works harder and nobody wants to win more than he does,” Rice said of Persaud, who ranks seventh in the 2010 graduating class and will attend Cornell. “He’s all about the team.”

Corona had a breakthrough in the state qualifier meet June 3 at Westbury High School, winning the Long Jump (21-feet, 8-inches) after placing third in the county. “Isaiah’s fast and liked coming to practice every day and working on his jumps,” Rice said. “He improved his technique tremendously.”

Nwaigwe was the team’s other state meet participant. He was second at the qualifier in the High Jump after placing third in the county in the event as well as the Triple Jump. What made his accomplishment that much more impressive was he juggled volleyball and track this spring. “He’s the best athlete in the school,” Rice said. “He watched some video on the high jump and it helped him a lot. He’s a naturally gifted athlete who can do anything he puts his mind to.”

Hodge emerged as a quality sprinter and was the team’s biggest surprise, Rice said. He placed fifth in the county in the 100 and 200. “Each week he improved one aspect of his running style,” Rice said.