Repeat county title for Hewlett

Can you say dynasty? For consecutive seasons, the Hewlett girls’ track and field team proved to be the school’s most successful athletic program by capturing its second straight Nassau County Class AA championship, this time in convincing fashion at Glen Cove High School on May 23.

The Bulldogs, who were once again dominant in field events, amassed 116.5 points. Manhasset finished a distant second with 77 points. It is the program’s third county title. Hewlett also won its conference for a second straight season.

Ronnie Hillel racked up 22 total points with a first place finish in the pole vault, and third place finishes in both the long jump and triple jump. Hillel also won the pole vault at the county meet in 2016. Fellow sophomore Thalia Reveil had a huge day, taking first in the triple jump, second in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, and fourth in the long jump.

Junior Patsy Iannico was a double winner. Iannico finished first in the 100-meter high hurdles and defended her title in the 400m IH. She blew away the field at the State Qualifier Meet in the 400m IH with a time of 62.96 to qualify for the state championship meet. She enters the state meet ranked among the top five hurdlers.

Head coach Steve Honerkamp loves the approach of his team. “The girls care about one another and appreciate what each athlete brings to the team,” Honerkamp said. “Once you win a county championship, you want to do it again. They came in with a bit of a chip on their shoulders, but they don’t get stressed. They just love to compete and win. They’re a well-rounded, hard-working group.”

One of the team’s youngest members, freshman Kayley Ragazzini, had an outstanding county meet. Ragazinni finished third in both the shot put and discus. Her 100 ft. 10 in. toss in the discus and her 31 ft. throw in the shot put were both personal records.

The 4x800 meter relay team, which comprised freshman Liliana Ospina, sophomores Shirley Leshem and Kaylyn Forbes, and senior Nikki Matza, exceeded expectations. The team finished in third place with a time of 10:41.67.

Lesham and Matza took fourth and fifth, respectively, in the steeplechase, while Forbes scored in both the 1500 and 3000 meters. Sophomore Anyia Wilson took third in the high jump and fourth in the triple jump.

Senior Colette Davies, the school’s female athlete of the year, took second place in the pole vault. “I can’t say enough about what Colette meant to the team,” Honerkamp said. “She’s a big reason for our success. She always put the team first, and competed in any event for the better of the team.”

Hewlett loses only 10 points from its county meet total to graduation. “We’ve been very young the past two seasons,” Honerkamp said. “They got a taste of it last year, and came back hungry. It’s going to be fun to watch them grow another year. I’m very optimistic about the future.”