West Hempstead's Elvis Lewis, Valley Stream North's Theresa Rush and East Meadow's Kinjal Parikh set meet bests at the Mitchel Complex, where Uniondale freshman Ashley Hendrix won two events.
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — West Hempstead senior Elvis Lewis won the boys 400 meters at the Section VIII spring State Qualifier at the Mitchel Complex in 47.6, a personal best and the fastest time on record at the meet. He beat defending champion Atiba Liverpool of Elmont by 1.1 seconds. Valley Stream North junior Theresa Rush won the girls 800 and 1500 meters, setting a meet best of 4:39.9 in the 1500.
Rush won the 1500 by 15.4 seconds over North Shore seventh-grader Brianna Welch, who ran a personal best of 4:55.3, and the 800 in a personal best of 2:17.5, 1.1 seconds ahead of defending champion Maegan Krifchin of JFK Bellmore. East Meadow senior Kinjal Parikh defended her title in the girls steeplechase in 6:55.5, a personal best and the best time on record at the meet, by 30 seconds over Mepham freshman Courtney Kelly.
Uniondale freshman Ashley Hendrix won the girls 100-meter hurdles in 14.6, a meet best, ahead of defending champion Charrelle Staton of Freeport, and the long jump with a personal best of 18-03.25. Baldwin senior Ritshell Verdier also won two events, the discus at 126-03.0, the best throw on record at the meet, and the shot put at 39-03.5, both personal bests. Farmingdale senior Thomas Laserna set a meet best in the boys pole vault at 11-06.0.
Garden City freshman Charles White won the boys 1600 meters in 4:24.3 by 6.3 seconds over Oyster Bay senior Vince Giambanco. Great Neck South senior Tony Kosta won the 3200 meters in 9:42.6, a personal best, and Wheatley senior Corey Squire repeated in the steeplechase in 10:07.3, with Kosta second. South Side senior Kieran Wallis won the 800 meters in 1:59.2.
Roosevelt senior Chaisen Pettus won the boys 100 meters in 10.7, a personal best, over Freeport senior Darrel Creary in the same time. Uniondale junior Damian Samuel won the 200 meters in 22.2, Farmingdale senior Mensah Ohene the 110-meter hurdles in 14.7 and Uniondale senior Michael Wright the 400-meter hurdles in 54.2. Hempstead junior Fallon Wilks won the girls 100 meters in 12.3, Hempstead senior Sabrina Budai the 200 in 25.4, Uniondale sophomore Ashlea Mclaughlin the 400 in 57.3, Uniondale sophomore Vanessa Thompson the 400-meter hurdles in 1:04.8 and Mepham junior Dawn Leavy the 3000 meters in 10:30.2.
In the field, Calhoun junior Keith McElwain won the boys high jump at 6-02.0, Westbury junior Deshaun Sutton the triple jump at 44-01.0, Island Trees' Christian Blauvelt the long jump at 22-00.0, Garden City senior Pete Kelly the discus at 137-09.0 and Mepham senior Russ Brenner the shot put at 47-02.5. Farmingdale senior Kara Grech repeated in the girls pole vault, Westbury senior Gillian Fortune repeated in the triple jump and Massapequa junior Shannon Rogers won the high jump.