SCHOOLS

Off to the races at Mepham High

Pirates welcome hundreds of runners for Paul Limmer Invite

Posted

Hundreds of runners gathered at the Mepham High School track last weekend for the eighth annual Paul Limmer Invitational on April 5.

Athletic Director Anthony Cracco said the Pirates hosted 33 track and field teams from across Long Island, which is the most that have ever taken part in the meet. Calhoun and Kennedy high schools in the Bellmore-Merrick Central District were among the participating teams.

The meet is named for Paul Limmer, who coached the Mepham track and field team from 1969 to 1999. The Pirates also remember another beloved track coach by presenting an award in his honor at the event.

The Coach Hughes Memorial Award was named for longtime Mepham track coach Gerry Hughes. He suffered from ALS before he died in 2010. To be considered for the award, senior runners write essays. The honor is presented at Mepham’s Varsity M dinner later in the spring.

Mepham’s Emily Hagarty received the Hughes award this year. The senior also placed first in the girls’ varsity 100-meter hurdles at the invitational.

One of Hagarty’s classmates, Charlie Skidmore, won the varsity boys’ 3,200-meter run. Two Calhoun High School runners also had first-place finishes; Grace Moore won the varsity girls’ 3,000-meter run, while Nadya Resnick won the 1,500-meter run for freshmen and sophomore girls.