Calhoun retains conference title

Calhoun girls’ winter track and field won its third straight Conference 2 title, and to do so, it required a true team effort: across 17 events, it earned points in 16 of them, with 20 different girls directly contributing. In total, the Lady Colts finished the meet with 130 points, more than 15 points better than second-place East Meadow.

“They’re a great group of girls. They bonded and worked together nicely,” coach Joe Migliano said. “A lot of the sport is individual, and we really to prove why it’s a team sport.”

Leading the way was freshman Sara Manson, who scored 18 points alone across three events. Sophomore Julianna Razza tallied 14 points and junior Faith Dwyer contributed 12, while both were also part of the first place 4x800-meter-relay team that earned 10 points for their school.

Migliano especially lauded Razza’s performance, finishing second and third, respectively, in the 1000-meters and 1500m, noting that the two distance races took place back to back. “She was our MVP of the meet,” he said.

Manson, meanwhile, earned points in the 55-meter hurdles, long jump and the triple jump. “She’s one of the hardest working girls we have,” Migliano said. “She racked up the points for us. Usually you don’t see a freshman do that.”

Dwyer was the winner in the 3000m with a time of 11:39.42, and also placed fifth in the 1500m.

In her second-place finish in the 55-meter-dash, senior Lisa Jose set a personal record at 7.52 seconds. She also added points in the long jump and triple jump. “I couldn’t be more proud of that kid,” her coach said. “She’s one of the most athletic girls I’ve ever coached.”

In its second place 4x400-meter relay finish, Calhoun was in fourth place when the baton was handed off to their anchor, Elizabeth Tuzzolo, a senior who has dealt with injuries this season. But she saved the best for last, propelling her team to a second-place finish.

Other conference champs included junior Tali Gekhman in the 1500m race walk, and sophomore Erika Klein in the weight throw. Eighth-grader Omana Phillips and junior Alexandra Unz were the other runners in the first-place 4x800 relay.

Other scorers for Calhoun in the conference meet included Samantha Latorre, Skylar Bruno, Rebecca Sirof, Elenna Kakalos, Katelyn Gladkowski, Julia Baguiao, Jenna Stewart, Kelly Martin, Kayla Locasto, Kristina Losquadro, Julia Kirpalani and Julia Oladipo.

At the state qualifying meet at St. Anthony's on Feb. 11, after press time, two Calhoun girls competed to qualify for the state championships on March 7 in Staten Island: Dwyer in the 3000m and Manson in the 55-meter hurdles. Both earned spots based on top performances throughout the season.

Following the strong finish this winter, Migliano said they're now looking to continue their momentum this spring, where they'll be shooting for a fourth straight conference title. “The girls’ goal is to win the county in the spring,” he said. “They should be right up there.”