Tuesday, July 8, 2025
The Baldwin girls track and field team placed third in the Nassau Class AAA Championship on May 28 paced by some strong individual performances in the sprint events.
The Bruins finished with 78 points during the county championship meet held at Syoseet High School to finish five points ahead of fourth place Massapequa and just behind Oceanside’s 83.33. East Meadow won the AAA title with 90.33 points.
Second-year Baldwin coach Sandra Cole said she was proud of the performance given some tough circumstances with the championships pushed back a week due to weather which caused one of the field athletes to miss the event due to a previously-planned trip. Cole said the team, which won the division championships earlier in the month, displayed positive spirits throughout the county meet which propelled some strong finishes.
“I always encourage my kids no matter how many of us are competing and no matter the obstacles that we face to go out there, have fun and compete,” Cole said. “The girls worked hard and we competed as a team.”
Junior Breanne Barnett, who won a state indoor title in the 300 meters three months ago, shined once again on the outdoor stage capturing individual county championships in the 200 and 400 meter events.
Barnett took the 400 in 56.10 seconds with teammate Jahzara Emeli placing second at 57.01. In the 200, Barnett barely edged out Baldwin senior Sariah Doresca by .01 seconds with a time of 24.28 with teammate Kelys Walker taking third at 25.11.
Doresca, a Stanford commit, also took home a championship in the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.01 seconds. She finished just ahead of Walker, who took second with a time of 12.47.
Baldwin’s sprinters shined as a team in the 4x100 with Doresca, Walker, Savannah Stephenson and Skye Dubose taking home the county title with a time of 48.76.
The Bruins also had a strong showing at state qualifiers with the 4x100 relay team of Doresca, Barnett, Walker and Emeli and achieving the best time in New York State with a time of 46.42 Stephenson and Dubose qualified for states as alternates for the 4x100 relay event.
For the individual events, Emeli qualified for the 400 and 200 meter races at the state championships scheduled for June 13-14 in Middletown. Doresca, Walker and Barnett also qualified for states in the 200 meters. Doresca will also go in the 100.
When the state championships conclude, three of the graduating seniors will set their focus on competing on the collegiate level next season in Doresca at Stanford, Emeli at University of Delaware and Walker a Bowie State in Maryland. Cole said the trio has set a high bar for excelling on the track and in the classroom.
“They work hard and they are really dedicated student athletes,”Cole said. They perform at the highest level.”
