Friday, March 28, 2025
East Meadow’s pre-meet mock results had shown a narrow path to victory: If team stalwarts could run the table at the Nassau Class A Track and Field Championships, East Meadow, for the first time in 21 years, would be the girls’ county indoor champion.
The Jets’ event modeling proved accurate.
With All-State speedster Zaria Hall sweeping three middle-distance races and fellow junior Katelyn Coffey posting personal bests in two field events, East Meadow fended off rival Massapequa’s push to win the county indoor title Feb. 4 at St. Anthony’s High School– marking the Jets’ first Nassau girls’ crown since 2004.
“We’d won the conference by 119 points, but for county we knew Massapequa would be right with us, so a few of our performances would have to be perfect,” said East Meadow coach Mike Ringhauser, whose team a week prior won its fourth consecutive conference crown at the Conference 2 Championships Jan. 28. “And that’s what happened. Zaria came through for us, and Katelyn had her best night ever.”
“The whole team had confidence and executed well to bring home both championships,” Ringhauser added. “But we knew, as a team, we’d need those first place finishes at county, and we got them.”
The reigning state outdoor champ in the 1500 meters, Hall took first at county in the 1000-, 1500-, and 3000-meter runs – besting Massapequa’s Sophia Vukelic by three and five seconds in the latter two events with winning times of 4 minutes, 52.63 seconds, and 10:20.11 in the 1500- and 3000-meters, respectively.
Hall – who last month set a school record finishing fourth in the 1000-meters in 2:49.00 at the Dr. Sander Invitational at Manhattan’s Armory – won the 1000-meters at county in 3:03.66.
“Zaria knew she needed to score a perfect 30 points in three events,” Ringhauser said. “She followed the game plan and came away with three awesome performances. She responds to pressure well.”
Rising to the occasion as well was Coffey, whose season-best effort came when the stakes were highest – the Conference 2 champ recording personal records of 33 feet, 10.25 inches in the shot put, and 47-4.25 in the weight throw to claim county titles in the events.
“Katelyncame away with lifetime records and two county championships,” Ringhauser said. “And we needed them.”
Manned by Anaya Hall, Kaitlynn Slobodin, Maritsa Paul and Marcheline Simbulan, East Meadow’s conference-best 4x800 relay provided pivotal points finishing runner-up to MacArthur, the Jets’ 10:02.95 just two seconds off the title-winning mark.
Senior Anaya joined her sister on the podium at county, placing third in the 1000-meters in 3:06.98. The All-County Halls will accompany one another at this week’s state qualifier at St. Anthony’s, both sisters competing in the 1000-meters, with Zaria also running the 1500.
Coffey will look to qualify for state in the shot put and weight throw, while the Jets’ 4x800 will sport a modified lineup at the qualifier, with Zaria Hall substituting Simbulan.
“This season, more than any other, we've had a really great mix of athletes,” Ringhauser said. “Like we expected, if everyone executed we’d win the county championship. Watching them come together and accomplish team goals has really been a lot of fun.”
