Uniondale sets tone for county meet

Longtime Uniondale boys’ track and field coach Dennis Kornfield is excited to see what the Knights can do at the Nassau Class AAA championships May 21 after a strong showing at the Division 1A meet Monday afternoon despite the absence of a pair of standouts.
Five teams finished within 23 points of each other at the 1A championships held at Massapequa’s Berner Middle School. Oceanside took the title with 114 and Uniondale was fourth with 97. In between were Syosset and Massapequa, with Freeport fifth.
“We’re a young team and we did a lot of good things we can take into the county meet,” Kornfield said. “I think it’s going to be one of the most competitive county meets in many years.”
Kornfield expects juniors Romain Eccleston and Jnmary Molenson back for the county meet after both missed Monday’s even with injuries. Senior Christopher Jean-Simon (26 points) and junior Everton Bailey (20) rose to the occasion at the 1A meet to lead Uniondale’s success.
Jean-Simon won the 110-meter hurdles (15.75 seconds) and the triple jump (44-feet, 5-inches) and took third in the 400 hurdles. “He set a personal best in the triple jump by 3 feet, which is unheard of,” Kornfield said. “He’s a great kid and was our biggest surprise of the day.”

Bailey was also a key cog and will be again next week. He was runner-up in the 100 and 200 meter races in 11.71 and 23.35 seconds, respectively, and took third in the long jump. “He’s a force,” Kornfield said. “He’s an incredible all-around athlete who keeps improving.”
Senior Mark Roberts produced a personal best in the 400 hurdles to take the division crown and also ran the second leg of the 4x400 relay that placed second. Sophomore Saishun Lamour, who the coach said is “coming on unbelievably strong,” set the tone with a strong leadoff leg. He was also third in the 400. Junior Jason Sylvain ran a solid third leg and sophomore Danny Velva served as the anchor.
“All of those kids stepped up,” Kornfield said of the 4x400. “I don’t know what that relay is going to look like for the county meet, but everyone we’ve used has done the job.”
The Knights took second and fourth in the high jump with juniors AlShan Powell and Michael Toney. Senior and three-sport athlete Jadan Lewis-White, the team’s top thrower, took fourth in the shot put. Lewis-White is one of the school’s top football players and wrestlers.
“If we’re healthy for the county meet, and we have a great trainer and it looks like we’re going to be, I think we’re going to be right in the mix,” Kornfield said.