Elmont seizes track titles

Elmont shined in the Nassau Class B indoor boys and girls track & field championships Feb. 7 bringing home both individual and relay titles. 

The Spartans’ strong performance during the county championships at Saint Anthony’s High School in South Huntington was highlighted by junior Ashley Fulton and senior Kimani Lewis, who both captured two individual crowns.

Fulton won the 55-meter dash girls title by beating out Bethpage’s Emily Herbert by 1.02 seconds while Lewis finished just in front of Roosevelt's Brian Johnson-Norman Jr. by .5 seconds in the same event. The duo also both claimed first place in the 300-meter dash.

In the girls 300-meter final Fulton finished 0.96 seconds ahead of Elmont teammate Stephney Pryce at 41.34. She is coming off a strong sophomore year in which she captured state outdoor titles in the 100 and 200 meters.

“She works very hard at her craft,” coach Mike Graham said of Fulton. “She takes everything seriously and she doesn’t waste time.

Lewis won the boys 300-meter finals by just .17 seconds against Sedgeley Duperval of Valley Stream North with a time of 36.17. Lewis is excelling on the track this winter after a strong football season with the Spartans as both a quarterback and wide receiver.

“He’s very competitive,” said Graham of Lewis. “Everything to him means something and if he doesn't do what he expected then it is motivation for him to work harder.”

Lewis and Fulton also proved to be effective leaders as captains in guiding both of their respective teams to county titles in the 4x200 meter relay.

The Elmont girls 4x200 relay team, which is defending state indoor champions, won the county championship event for a second straight season by a commanding 8.36 seconds against second place Calhoun. The team featured Lewis, Pryce, Alice Valenzuela and Thalia Benoit.

The Spartans’ boys 4x200 relay team defeated Division High School by 4.11 seconds. The team consisted of Lewis, Isaiah Davis, William Holmes and Pierce St. Fort Colin. 

Graham said the relay titles are particularly special because of the team-oriented aspect of the events.

“I like the spirit of them working together and accomplishing something together and they themselves also like that,” Graham said. “They are together before the race, they are together during the race and they are together after the race because of how close they are as teammates.”

Benoit also made her mark in the 55-meter hurdles placing second at 1.09 seconds behind champion Sara Manson of Calhoun with a time of 8.95 seconds. Pryce finished second in the 300-meters behind Fulton and also was nearly runner-up in 55-meter dash, placing at just .21 seconds off of second place finisher Herbert of Bethage. 

Elmont competed in state qualifiers on Feb. 14 after press time and those who qualified will take part in the state indoor championships on March 4 at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island.