Elmont Memorial boys’ relay teams brings home state title

Elmont Memorial High School’s boys’ 4 x 400-meter relay team brought the school another state title at the state track and field championships at Cicero-North Syracuse High School earlier this month.

The squad, anchored by sophomore Aidan Peterkin, won the event with a time of 3 minutes, 20.99 seconds on June 9.

“It was honestly a great feeling, and throughout the whole season we were working to achieve this accomplishment,” Peterkin said. “I was just blessed to do it with these guys.”

The work that juniors Caleb Harris, Rlen Richards and Dominic Collins, who ran the first three legs, team alternate Christopher Diaz-Hernandez and Peterkin put into their training this year is something they’re looking forward to replicating next year.

“At practice, we all have to give 110 percent,” Diaz-Hernandez said. “Because we all know that once we finish it, it’s going to help us out in the long run.”

Each runner played an important part in securing the title for the Spartans. Harris sets the tone, he said, and “bring(s) the energy” for his teammates. Richards stays focused on controlling the race when he takes the baton.

“Our goal is to dominate the race every time we step on the track,” he said.

Giving Peterkin enough of a lead for him to secure the win, Collins said, is crucial. “Me being the third leg, my goal is to give (the baton) to the anchor and put him in position to win,” he said. “Because I know, with us having one of the better 400-meter runners in New York state, he’s going to get it done.”

As Peterkin takes the baton for the final leg, he said, he stays focused on himself and “lock(s) in” to get the job done. “We can’t worry about any other team,” he said, “because we have to worry about our team.”

Elmont track coach Michael Graham said his job in training these athletes is to “remind them of the big picture” to help them accomplish their goals.

“I’m extremely proud of them,” Graham said. The team’s mission began in the winter, when they failed to qualify for the finals in the state indoor track and field championships. That fueled them to conquer the event in the outdoor season. “What’s good about it is that it’s not about where you start,” Graham added. “It’s about where you finish.”

The five athletes traveled to Philadelphia on June 14 to compete in the New Balance Nationals Outdoor track and field championships at Franklin Field. In their race on June 16, they ran even faster, finishing in 3:20.28, but placed 33rd. Nonetheless, the team members were proud that they had brought their skills to the national stage, and improved on their state title-winning time.

“We’re very consistent, I would say,” Diaz-Hernandez said, unable to recall the last time he and his teammates ran slower than 3:20.

Consistency has been the team’s key to success, Richards agreed — and seeing where they stacked up against the best runners from across the country was something he said he would never forget.

Peterkin welcomed that experience. He ran the individual 400 meters in Philadelphia, and finished 27th, with a time of 48.50 — one of just three sophomores who placed in the top 30. And Peterkin improved dramatically from his 51.04 at the state championships, where he finished eighth.

“I was grateful because I was able to do it with my brothers,” he said of experiencing the nationals with his teammates.

The relay squad members are proud of their accomplishments this year, and they’re eager, they say, to get back to practice in July and train to do even better next season.

“Soon we’re coming for the school record and more, maybe get the state record as well,” Diaz-Hernandez said. “We’re just striving for more in the future.”

Without a senior on the team, they’ll have a good chance to improve. “Elmont Memorial is standing in a good place as it pertains to track in the upcoming years,” Graham said.