Strong run for East Meadow

East Meadow’s girls’ team brought its best to the Nassau County cross-country championships last Saturday at Bethpage State Park but had to settle for a runner-up finish to Syosset for the Class I title.

Each of the Jets’ top seven runners set career best times on the course and had three of the top six finishers in the 14-team event: freshman Zaria Hall placed second, senior Dakota Eira was fourth, and sophomore Anaya Hall crossed the line sixth.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more than everyone’s best,” coach Michael Ringhauser said. “Our girls ran outstanding. It’s just one of those things where you tip your hat to Syosset. They were a little better.”

All five of Syosset’s scorers finished between third and 13th place overall. The Braves finished five points ahead of East Meadow, which had six All-County finishers (top 25) following a 12-1 regular season. Port Washington’s Ashley Carillo won the race in 19 minutes, 27.89 seconds, about 9 seconds in front of Zaria Hall.

“It was the perfect running conditions we were waiting for all season,” Ringhauser said. “Most of the season was hot or humid or both.”

Zaria Hall went undefeated at the middle school level in 2021 and made quick progress this year, Ringhauser said. Her time at the county championships of 19:38.62 moved her into the top 10 (8th) in program history on the Bethpage course. “She’s extremely athletic with a long, smooth stride and is very coachable,” the coach noted. “She led many races from start to finish but also listens to strategies and is a great teammate.”

Eira earned All-County honors for a third time. She was 18th in Class I as a sophomore, 7th last season, and 4th last Saturday in 20:06.1. “Dakota is one of the most consistent runners I’ve ever coached,” Ringhauser said. “She’s always striving to be better and we know we’re always going to get 100 percent out of her every race. She wants to qualify for the state meet.”

Anaya Hall, a sophomore, made major improvements in cross country under the guidance of Eira. Hall cut three minutes off her time and was sixth in Class I in 20:14.73. A year ago she placed 46th. “Anaya worked on peaking for the championships and she sure did,” Ringhauser said. “She was concentrating on middle distance last winter but her range has increased tremendously. Dakota really took her under her wing.”

East Meadow’s next three finishers all crossed the line within one second of each other. Sophomore Allison Twible, a middle school standout in the spring of 2021 who brings a ton of energy, Ringhauser said, placed 17th. Senior Rebecca Silverman, a two-year captain constantly looking to improve, finished 19th, and Paige Barnett, a junior and first-year member of the varsity roster, closed strong and passed six competitors in the final quarter-mile to grab 21st. They ran 20:55.3, 20:56.55 and 20:56.96, respectively.

Next up is the state qualifier meet this Saturday at Bethpage.