Baldwin relay wins county title

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Baldwin put on a strong performance at the Nassau County Boys Class AAA Track & Field Championships on May 27, at Uniondale, finishing fourth in the 16-team field.

The Bruins also had an individual champion crowned in the 400 meters—junior Ralph Cordeau (50.4 seconds)—with senior teammate Jordan Brown (40.56s) nipping at his heels in second place. The 4x400 meter relay team also took first place to qualify for the upcoming New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships in Albany on June 12-13.

“Ralph came out hard and sustained it the whole way through,” coach Rich Carroll said. “He led the entire way. Ralph looked great, and it was a real dogfight for second and third. Jordan came out well but with about 110 meters left, he really kicked it in [to high gear].

“For the two of them it could have gone either way. Ralph knows one [speed] and that’s go. Jordan is more strategic. They are two [different] types of runners but they both got the job done.”

With Brown running the lead leg and Cordeau the anchor, the 4x400m relay team, which also featured juniors Dion Spradley and John Isaiah Welch, held off Hempstead for the County crown, finishing in a time of 3:27.5. The Tigers foursome was less than a second off the winning pace (3:28.43).

Baldwin also had its team scoring totals propped up by senior Mike Webster’s second-place finish in the long jump (21-feet, six inches) and junior Christian Melhado’s third place finish in the high jump (5-10). Webster, along with the relay team and Cordeau will compete at the upcoming New York State Qualifying Tournament this Thursday and Friday at Cold Spring Harbor high school. If Webster can land a jump of 22-6, a mark he’s hit during his career, he would join the County champions in heading to Albany. “If he hits the standard he goes,” Carroll said. “If he wins the event, he goes. All he needs is to get it together for one jump.”

Melhado nearly earned All-County honors in the triple jump, finishing fourth with a top leap of 43-8. Junior Miguel McKenzie also just missed earning All-County honors in the discus with a top throw of 47-8 and was barely three feet shy of the leader whose discus traveled 50-feet, 11.75 inches.

A number of underclass Bruins turned in strong performances throughout the spring track season, including sophomore Chris Nunez-Saunders, who came on strong in the 100-meter dash and ran as an alternate on the 4x400m relay team. He also leaped 21-feet, 3-inches in the triple jump earlier in the spring. Sophomore Will Salmon finished eighth at 1500m at the County Championships (4:31), while classmate Frank Mulvey hit 2:04.5 in the 800m event. Freshman Russell Johnson just missed qualifying for the 110 high hurdle event but did earn elite status with a fifth-place finish at Malverne’s Derrick Adkins Classic in April.