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Senior Mike Mallazzo was a key part of an otherwise young Long Beach team.
Jeff Wilson/Herald
A sophomore-laden Long Beach boys’ cross-country team finished middle-of-the pack in the Nassau Conference II championship meet on Oct. 31 at Bethpage State Park, placing seventh out of 14 schools with 187 points.
It didn’t come as a surprise to Marines coach Greg Milone that sophomore Andrew Still paced them over the 5K course, finishing 12th out of 91 runners with a time a 17-minutes, 56-seconds to earn All-Conference honors. “He took a big step forward and hit his stride,” Milone said of Still, who ran a season-best 17:43 at the county championships/state qualifier meet the following Saturday.
Team captain Mike Mallazzo was a key to the team’s 9-4 finish in league meets and picked up All-Division accolades. He placed 27th in the conference race (18:38) and qualified for the county meet. “Mike’s a great leader,” Milone said. “He was first or second for us in all 13 league meets.”
Hard work paid dividends for sophomore Eric Abasolo, who fulfilled his goal of cracking 19 minutes and placed 34th in the conference race in 18:53. “Eric’s a workhorse,” Milone said. “He really wanted to come in under 19 minutes and he made it happen.”
Junior Shaun Bogart and sophomore Peter Morelli completed Long Beach’s top five, placing 55th and 59th respectively. Bogart was All-Division. Sophomores Jon Klus and Conor Sofield also made solid contributions.
“All the guys did a fantastic job of staying focused,” Milone said. “We didn’t have the best of days at the conference meet, but the record reflects the quality season we had.”
Lady Marines make strides
Milone and coach Megan Grahlfs couldn’t be more excited about the progress made by the girls’ program. Led by senior Tirsa Umanzor and sophomore Jenna Keane, the Lady Marines qualified for the county meet and their top five each set a new personal best when they got there.
Umanzor, a captain in just her second year competing, placed 25th in Conference II (22:51) and stomped to a 21:58 at the county meet. “She worked hard over the summer and came into the season in phenomenal shape,” Milone said. “She was three or four minutes better than last year.”
Umanzor and Keane were All-Division. Keane raced home 30th in the conference and shaved more than a minute off her time a week later at counties, finishing in 22:15. Junior Megan Cabasino and sophomores Imani Delgado and Melanie Simons established their best time at the county meet, and senior Erica Jackson also contributed to a nine-win league season.
“The girls were all on the same page,” Milone said. “It was a collective effort.”
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