Shot thrower leads Lynbrook track

Forced to sit out the winter track and field season after undergoing knee surgery, Lynbrook senior Jamie Hirsch wrote a storybook ending to his high school athletic career.

Hirsch won the Nassau Class AA title in the shot put and also took first in the state qualifier in the event. He competed in the state meet at Vestal High School last weekend and placed 13th.

“It’s an amazing story,” Owls coach Fred Deruvo said. “Jamie worked hard in therapy and finally got clearance to compete in early March. We proceeded with caution, and he was focused and relaxed. It didn’t take long for the results to come.”

Hirsch topped the 50-foot mark by a half-inch at the state qualifier on June 3 at Westbury High School, besting favorite Greg Gromling of Oceanside by two inches. Hirsch (47-8 1/4), junior John Chiulli (44-2 1/2) and junior Michael Calderone (41-5 1/2) gave Lynbrook a 1-2-5 finish in the county meet.

The Owls finished 15-1 during the regular season and won the Division 3B championship. “It has been a lot of fun coming to the Lynbrook family,” said Deruvo, who spent decades coaching track at Clarke.

Senior Andrew Malordy led the Owls in sprints. The school record-holder in the Long Jump and also the 300 indoors, he placed third in the county in the 200 meter run (22.5 seconds) and fourth in the 100 dash (11.4). “He set the tone and did anything the team needed,” Deruvo said. “In the division meet, he ran the anchor leg in the 4 x 400 relay. He got the stick five yards back of the leader and ended up winning handily.”

Junior Travis Locke claimed the county High Jump title with a leap of 6-2. he also took fifth in the 100. “He’s a great talent,” Deruvo said.

Others scoring points for Lynbrook in the county meet were junior Gonzalo Andreani (fifth in Triple Jump), junior Rich Bellusci (fifth in Long Jump), junior Ankush Mohile (fourth in 110 High Hurdles), and the 4 x 800 relay consisting of seniors John Lithen, Dan Trotta and Alex Courtman, and freshman Jesse Bua.