Owls conclude successful spring

Senior John Chiulli finished second in the shot put and discus and senior Ankush Mohile was runner-up in the 110 high hurdles to lead Lynbrook in the Nassau Class AA boys’ track and field championships this spring.

The Owls totaled 37.5 points to finish sixth in the 17-team field after solid regular-season and division meet performances.

“We had some really good performances,” Lynbrook coach Fred Deruvo said. “There were some events where the county was loaded with talent, otherwise we would’ve scored a little better.”

Chiulli, who is headed to Bentley College and wants to continue his throwing career at the next level, had a shot throw of 48-feet, 9½-inches at the county meet May 24 at Cold Spring Harbor and followed with a third-place finish in the event a week later at the state qualifier at Westbury. “John had three different coaches here at Lynbrook and each had a different philosophy,” Deruvo said. “I tweaked his style a little bit, but it wasn’t a huge transition for John. He leaves ranked right up there with some of the better throwers the program has had.

“He’s disappointed with not making the state meet, but he made a nice run,” Deruvo added. “He’s an intense competitor and I’m thrilled he’s looking to compete in college.”

Chiulli won the discus at Nassau’s Last Chance meet June 6 at Massapequa with a heave of 161-10. “It was quite a finish for him,” Deruvo said.

The Yale-bound Mohile also finished on top in the Last Chance meet, winning the 110 HH. He set a school record in the event of 15.0 seconds in the process. His time of 15.6 finished him a stride behind Division’s Ryan Billian in Class AA. “Ankush hit a hurdle, otherwise he could’ve won the county title,” Deruvo said. “He’s been one of the better hurdlers in our conference for a few years. He’s a tremendous student and a good team leader.” Mohile was also part of the Owls’ 4 x 100 relay along with seniors Rich Bellusci and Andrew Christian and junior Hector Medrano. The foursome finished tied for fifth.