Long Beach's Linster saves best for last

Long Beach’s Josh Linster had one last try to leapfrog Farmingdale’s Jude Pierre atop the leaderboard in the triple jump at the Nassau Class AAA track and field championship meet on May 27 at Uniondale High School.

Linster’s best triple jump previously—44-feet, 7-inches—wasn’t going to be good enough. He needed a personal best, and that’s exactly what he produced. Linster won the county title in the event and broke a school record at the same time, with an incredible 46-10 ¾ leap.

“It was an absolutely incredible performance,” Marines coach Greg Milone said. “I’m not too surprised because of Josh’s athleticism. It was one of the most clutch performances I’ve seen. He was down to his last jump.

“I’ve coached a lot of talented athletes over the last five or six years, and he ranks right up there,” he added. “He won every event he competed in all season in Nassau County.”

Linster, who is headed to Utica College, also brought home the county 100 meter dash title in 10.93 seconds. He is likely to compete in both the triple jump and the 100 at the state championships at SUNY-Albany on June 12-13.

“It felt shocking,” Linster said of his breakthrough in the triple jump. “I was hoping to reach 45 [feet.] When I landed, I knew I beat him [Pierre.] I’m proud of myself.”

Linster, who said he’s hoping to finish in the top three in the 100 at the state meet, helped Long Beach to an undefeated Conference 2 regular-season title (13-0) and tie for second place behind Westbury in the Division 2A championship meet.

“Josh has a great combination of speed and length,” Milone said. “He’s got experience in the state meet both in the winter and spring, so it’s exciting to see him go back one more time.”

Sophomore Scott Powers finished runner-up in Class AAA in the pole vault (12-6) after winning the Division 2A title in the event. “He’s fast, strong and versatile, and works really hard,” Milone said of Powers, who also teamed with Linster, junior Dave Miller and fellow sophomore Tyreek Bromley in a 4x100 relay that placed fifth in the county. Miller enjoyed a big division meet, placing third in the 400 and fourth in the 200.

Senior Matt McGovern led the Marines in distance events and just missed earning All-County honors in the 3000 steeplechase. He finished first in numerous races at 1600 and 3200 meters during the regular season. “Matt had some impressive meets,” Milone said. “He was one of our leaders on a team that was pretty young.”

Freshman Tristan Groh made a splash in the division meet by finishing third in the long jump. Sophomore Brian Thurston was fifth in the 800, and sophomore Mark Rivera was fifth in the shot put and sixth in the discus. Rivera’s two points in the shot put, the last event, allowed the Marines to finish tied for second place with Calhoun with 82 points. Westbury had 133.