By:Chris Mammone
For most of the South High School track team, the state qualifier meet on May 31 was the last meet of the season. But there will be eight athletes who will have the chance to run at the State Championships June 8 and 9 at Mitchel Field in Uniondale. They are Nick Kroll, Andy Yun, Mike Apap, Chris Mammone, Marjan Safary-Goudarzy, Patty Izquierdo, Nicole Eastzer and Kristin Riveiro.
The boys 4 x 800-meter relay team was seeded second to the powerful Cougars of Bellmore Kennedy High School. After placing second to JFK at the county meet a week ago, South was out to avenge its defeat.
South decided to change the order on the relay team by having Kroll lead off. Although Kroll already ran the 800-meter race earlier in the day, he still managed to pass the baton in a close second place. In the 800-meter race earlier, he accomplished his goal of going below two minutes: his time was 1:59.
Senior Mike Apap received the baton and quickly caught up with JFK. His pure determination to win gave him a strong kick in the last 200 meters to put South ahead.
Andy Yun ran an amazing third leg as he kept the Falcons ahead of JFK. He ran his fastest 800-meter race of the season. By the time South's anchor leg, Chris Mammone, received the baton, there was a big lead over JFK and South was the sure winner.
"We all ran great and at States, we're going to run even faster," said an excited Mike Apap. Andy Yun was speechless as his smile stretched across his face.
Mammone was also the 3,200-meter state qualifier champion as he smashed his previous best time by almost 15 seconds. His time of 9:20 set a new school record and also qualified him for the National Championships in North Carolina. On Thursday, Mammone also won the 3,000-meter steeplechase in a time of 9:36, another huge personal best. That time also qualified him for the National Championships.
Girls relay
The girls 4 x 800-meter relay team was the favorite in the race and they proved it to all the other teams in Nassau County. Their time of 10:04 was the fastest they ran all season. Patty Izquierdo was the leadoff leg and, despite running without shoes, she ran a personal best. When she toed the starting line, the gun went off and her feet slipped out of her shoes.
Nicole Eastzer ran the second leg for South and increased the large lead gained from Izquierdo. Marjan Safary-Goudarzy ran an impressive third leg as she extended the lead. Kristin Riveiro brought it home as she coasted past the finish line.
Riveiro completed a tough double by running the open 800-meter race and the 4 x 800-meter relay race. She qualified in both races with a personal best in each. This is the first time that the 4 x 800-meter relay team has gone to States and is Riveiro's second trip.
The tentative race schedule: Riveiro in the 800-meter trials run at 3 p.m. June 8; Chris Mammone in the 3,200-meter run at 7:30 p.m. June 8; Mammone in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 10:45 a.m. June 9. The girls 4 x 800-meter relay will run at 2:45 p.m. June 9, and the boys 4 x 800-meter relay at 3:15 June 9.
