Valley Stream North senior Theresa Rush set the best 1500-meter time on record at the meet, Uniondale's Damian Samuel won the 100 and 200, and Garden City's Charles White won the 1600.
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — Valley Stream North senior Theresa Rush won the girls 1500 meters at the Section VIII spring State Qualifier at Farmingdale in 4:32.64, a personal best and the fastest time on record at the meet. Rush, the defending champion, improved on the 4:39.9 she ran to win in 2005 and beat North Shore eighth-grader Brianna Welch by 6.7 seconds. Welch ran a personal best of 4:39.34, and Roslyn eighth-grader Emily Lipari was third in 5:00.27.
Uniondale senior Damian Samuel won both boys sprints. He took the 100 meters in 11.10 by 0.06 seconds over Valley Stream Central junior Terrence Shaw, after finishing fifth in the event a year earlier, and defended his 200-meter title in 22.36, ahead of H. Frank Carey sophomore Joe Scher in 23.09 and South Side junior Samuel Cuffey in 23.20.
Garden City sophomore Charles White repeated in the boys 1600 meters, winning in 4:23.08 by 4.91 seconds over Port Washington junior Richard Schmitz. Carle Place senior Travis Reardon was third in 4:34.32, a personal best.
The boys 110-meter hurdles was the closest race of the day. Valley Stream Central junior Thomas Valerius won in 14.95, one-hundredth of a second ahead of Mepham sophomore Chris Parker in 14.96, with Uniondale senior Conte Cuttino third in 14.98.
Uniondale sophomore Ashley Hendrix defended her girls 100-meter hurdles title in 14.56, the fastest time on record at the meet, winning by 0.7 seconds over Baldwin senior Sierra Helberg. Uniondale junior Heidi Paul won the girls 100 meters in 12.36, 0.03 seconds ahead of defending champion Fallon Wilks of Hempstead. Baldwin sophomore Christie Verdier won the 200 meters in 24.86, the best time on record at the meet, with Paul second in 25.50.