Baldwin's 4x200 relay conquers counties

Baldwin’s 4x200 girls’ relay team ran away from the competition in the Nassau County Class A indoor track championships Feb. 8.
The Bruins took first place in the event by 4.44 seconds over second-place Uniondale with a time of 1:149:17 at the county meet held at Saint Anthony’s High School in South Huntington. The championship team featuring eighth-grader Breanne Barnett, freshman Jahzara Emeli, sophomore Cambresa Davis and freshman Jillian Rickford is composed of all underclassmen giving the program a strong foundation for future success.
“They are a good group of kids with a bright future ahead of them and hopefully they will be competing at the state meet and get the experience at a very young age to set them up for a lot of success in the future,” Baldwin head coach Peter Buckley said. “To be competing at this level now is a great opportunity and great practice for the future.” 
The state championships are March 5 at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island. Buckley said the relay team has potential to bring home another trophy. “Elmont is their main competition and there are some PSAL teams that are competing very well,” Buckley said. “With the relay it is one of those things where anything can happen.” 
Barnett also took first place in the 55 meters, defeating Uniondale’s Aniyah McCarthy by .11 seconds. Buckley said Barnett has made major strides in her first season on varsity and has a potential for a big high school career with four years left after this season. 

“She is a great kid, a great student and has a great demeanor,” Buckley said of Barnett. “She puts in a lot of work and she is eager to compete and at such a young age and it doesn’t seem like anything gets to her.” 
Davis nearly captured the 600 meters falling in a “photo finish” to Port Washington’s Paige Nettesheim. Buckley said the close loss in which Davis led nearly the entire race was a heartbreaker, but he was impressed how she bounced back from the disappointment to compete in the other events. 
Emeli also had a strong showing in the the 300 meters finishing second just .6 seconds behind Mepham’s Camylin Blake
Freshman Sariah Doresca was injured for counties but will be back for state qualifiers.  Buckley said she likely would have won the 55 and 300 meters while also being instrumental in the relays.