Where would the Jets girls’ cross-country team be without the Hall sisters?
Certainly not second to Syosset in the Nassau County Class I championships that was held Nov. 2 at Bethpage State Park.
With junior Zaria Hall winning the race altogether and her older sister, senior Anaya Hall, placing third, East Meadow’s team score wound up as second-best in the county meet. No other Jet placed in the top 25 for All-County honors.
Zaria won counties for the second straight year and has separated herself as the county’s superstar. She finished with a time of 18:52 – 13 seconds better than her sister, Anaya.
Zaria never thought it would be possible to repeat.
“I had a rough start at the beginning of season,’’ Zaria said. “In the summer, I had injuries. I was going through a lot of tough challenges mentally. I was not thinking I’d get back to where I was last year. I had a lot of big shoes to fill because of all the things I accomplished. There was a lot of pressure I had to perform the same way this year.
“With my injuries, I didn’t know if I’d be able to perform when the time came,” she added. “But I’m really glad I followed my race strategy to win like I did last year.’’
Zaria had foot and calf issues early on. In a freak accident, at a meet in Eisenhower Park, she also sustained a swollen knee and sprained ankle after falling on concrete after getting her foot caught in a ditch covered by leaves. It happened right before the race started.
“I took quite a lot of days off in the season and was not able to practice,’’ Zaria said.
The sisters don’t consider themselves rivals and they will move onto the state meet in Queensbury after doing as well in the state qualifier Nov. 9. Zaria finished first while Anaya was third. It will be the third state appearance for both Halls.
“It’s not competitive at all,’’ Zaria said. “She’s very happy for me and what I accomplish. She doesn’t look at it as competition. She looks at it as a motivator for her to become better.’’
The older sister, Anaya, is being recruited by UConn, Georgetown and Syracuse. Though only a junior, Zaria has aimed at three schools - University of Miami, University of Florida and Princeton.
“I don’t know if there’s much of a difference between the two, but things came a little easier for Zaria,’’ East Meadow coach Michael Ringhauser said. “Anaya has closed the gap with her strong work ethic. But together they’re just a tag-team. They do all workouts together. They have bought in as being a partnership.’’
Anaya and Zaria are tri-captains, along with Kaitlynn Slobodin.
East Meadow’s regular season was stellar as it captured its third straight Division IB championship. The Jets finished 12-1 in the regular season.
Additionally, eight others were anointed All-Conference. The list includes Slobodin, Maritsa Paul, Allie Twible, Marcheline Simbulan, Lila Doyle, Isabella Estrella, Anvi Bonanthaya and Ali Dela Cruz.
Ringhauser said on any given day, the Jets would have different finishers in the 3-4-5 spots behind Zaria and Anaya. “We had a lot of depth,” he said.
“It feels good to boost the team,’’ Zaria said. “A lot of my teammates are very supportive of me and look up to me and I love running with them.”
