Five Sailors to state meet

Oceanside’s performance in the 4-x-800 relay at the Nassau track and field state qualifier meet on Feb. 24 at St. Anthony’s High School was nothing short of spectacular.

“Unbelievable,” Sailors coach Ken Hendler said.

The foursome of seniors Jeffrey Benesch, Eric Gold and David Mack and junior Ryan Rausch was fast and flawless. Oceanside turned the table on Nassau Class A champion Calhoun, finishing a full two seconds in front with a season-best time of 8-minutes, 21.97-seconds. It was almost a 10-second improvement from the county meet when the Sailors finished four seconds behind the Colts, who won in 8:27.81.

“Our handoffs were smooth, and one kid after another ran great,” said Hendler, whose son, David, is the coach at Calhoun. “They were so motivated. They knew we were an underdog, but psychologically, they were ready. Calhoun ran a solid race, but our guys did a super job.”

Oceanside, ranked sixth in the seven-team field in the event, will try to better its mark at the state meet on March 6 at Cornell University. Benesch, who anchors the relay, also qualified in the 1,000 meter distance after placing fourth in 2:39.28. “We put in a lot of hard work at practice,” said Benesch, a veteran member of the school’s cross-country and track programs. “The last thing I wanted to do was let the other guys down. I didn’t want us to be second.” 

Benesch was part of a blanket finish in the 1,000. The top four runners crossed the line within 1.3 seconds of each other, with North Shore’s Matt Wefer taking first in 2:37.90, followed by Ryan Healy of Syosset, Angelo Melendez of Elmont, and Benesch. “I went out a lot harder than I’m used to,” Benesch said of his strategy in the race.

The Sailors were a few strides behind in the relay when Benesch took the baton from Mack, who produced the top split with a 2:02. Rausch ledoff and Gold ran the second leg. “Jeff made an early move to get in front, and somehow he finished just as strong as he started,” Hendler said of Benesch. “I thought we had a chance to win as the race was unfolding, but I didn’t expect such an incredible time.”

Senior shot putter Greg Gromling, a captain along with Benesch, will join the relay at the state meet after winning the Class A title and placing second in the qualifier. Gromling threw 48-feet, 2-inches at St. Anthony’s two weeks after a toss of 48-4.75 at the county meet. “Greg has done a super job all season,” Hendler said. “He picked the right time to have his best performance. He works hard and improved his strength and technique over the years. His goal was to win a county championship.”

The Sailors placed second in the 4-x-400 relay at the state qualifier with seniors Danny Goldstein and Shawn Segelken and juniors Jordan Carelus and Justin Chaback, and Carelus was sixth in the 55-meter dash after earning All-County honors with a third-place finish in Class A.