Freeport’s coed practices were conceived by second-year girls’ track and field coach Jahn Scott as a means of raising the bar for her runners – who train alongside and go head-to-head with their male counterparts.
Turns out it’s the girls who are setting the standard, as nine Lady Red Devils racked up a total of 12 All-Division nods – not including relays – at the Section VIII Division 1A Championship on May 16 at Freeport High School, taking a bigger haul than Freeport’s boys’ team (six honorees, 10 honors) at the meet.
“Having the boys as our pacers is paying off,” said Scott, whose team finished third out of seven schools at the Divisional, and got another top finish from its top-ranked and undefeated 4x400-meter relay (No. 1 in the state). “These girls see that they haven’t been running in vain. But I think there are bigger things ahead of them. They’re still young, and it’s exciting to see them keep excelling.”
Freeport got wins from three juniors at the Divisional: Alexandria Yarbrough, the only Lady Red Devil to qualify early individually for the upcoming State Championships June 7-8 at Middletown – with a Nassau-best 25.0 seconds in the 200-meter dash on April 13, and a Long Island-best 56.32 in the 400-meters May 4 – ran a first-place 56.79 in the 400-meters, while Efe Omokeni won the long jump at 16-10.50, and Quinci Easter took the triple jump with a season-best 36-10.00.
“Alexandria’s powerful, driven, and passionate,” Scott said. “She takes no prisoners. Efe’s kind of a sleeper; you don’t see her coming and then she has these moments of extreme brilliance. Quinci’s a spirited young lady. We call her ‘The Rabbit’ because she just jumps, as you can see.”