Thursday, October 1, 2026
In a legacy-cementing senior campaign, track and field star Zaria Hall continues to blaze a trail all her own at East Meadow. In the Nassau Class A indoor track and field championship Feb. 3, the year-round runner swept the 1000-, 1500- and 3000-meter runs, successfully defending her titles in all three events.
“I wasn't really sure how I was going to perform, because I haven't really trained for the 3000-meter this season,” Hall said. “But I felt confident. I just tried to think happy thoughts and have patience. I've done this before.”
On Feb. 12, Hall extended her indoor season when she won the 1000 and 1500 in state qualifiers, successfully earning berths in both events for the state championship next month. The University of Miami commit completed the 1000 in 3:02.51 and 1500 in 4:53.97.
“She’s absolutely the best runner we've had in school history,” East Meadow coach Michael Ringhauser said. “Her motivation is next-level. She’s always a perfectionist and she's always looking, even in amazing races, to see what she could have done a little bit differently. She's always looking to learn and improve upon herself.”
Taking winter and spring seasons into account, Hall has won all three distance races in her class at four consecutive Nassau championship meets. In indoor track, she has twice broken the county record in the 1000, which once stood for more than three decades. She is also the school record holder in the 600- and 1500 runs. In cross country, she has won three consecutive county championships.
“There's not really much more that I could accomplish that I haven’t already,” Hall said. “Just having fun and hitting a lot of the times to potentially be All-American is something I’ve wanted for a while.”
At the Nassau Class A championship meet, Hall’s 30-point haul was not enough for East Meadow to defend its title, as Massapequa exacted revenge in a gritty 92-88 victory. Nevertheless, the Jets enjoyed a successful meet with 12 points finishes.
Noelle McGarry came through with a massive result in the 55-meter hurdles, winning the event in 8.99 seconds. Relatively new to the technical event, the sophomore has gone to painstaking lengths to become one of the strongest hurdlers in the county.
“That is a product of unbelievable work ethic and striving to get better every day,” Ringhauser said. “Noelle started hurdling last spring and in our division championships, she finished 12th. Six months later, she's the Nassau County champion.”
Junior Abigail Joseph, who previously tied the school record for high jump, cleared five feet and one inch to win at the county championship. She was also the lead leg in the 4x200 relay, in which East Meadow finished fourth.
Joseph was one of two Jets to score in field events, along with junior Emily Zaradich, who finished fourth in the long jump. Zaradich was also runner-up in the 600 run, making her the only East Meadow athlete besides Hall to score points in multiple individual events.
Natalie Rivera and Emily Zheng have both taken exceptionally well to the 1500-meter race walk and finished a quarter-second apart at the championship meet for second and third. Both have qualified for the national championship in March.
