Boys and Girls Track Teams Capture League Championships

  • East Islip High School’s boys and girls indoor track and field teams both recently captured their respective league championships, the girls team for the first time in school history. The events were held on Jan. 20 and 21 at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood.

    Sophomore Kaylee Garatina started the girls meet off by placing fourth in the hurdles. Her twin sister Chloe Garatina won second place in the 55-meter race, with fellow sophomore Danika Tidridge taking sixth in the latter event. Junior Danielle Birner earned a hard-fought sixth place in the 300-meter race. Sophomore Grace Micali and freshman Kathryn Simonetti took fourth and fifth, respectively, in the high jump. Junior Brianna Tucci and senior Jaclyn Scandale earned fourth and fifth place in the race walk. Simonetti was stellar in the 1,500-meter contest, earning a second place finish. The 4x800 relay team of Micali, Kaylee O’Boyle, Simonetti and Tucci took fourth place. The 4x200 relay team of Carly Amato, Maya Brown and the Garatina twins captured first place with a time of 1:53.7, the first time in school history East Islip has won this event. Chloe Garatina saved her best performance for the long jump, setting a new school record of 17 feet, 3.75 inches on route to her gold medal-winning performance, and becoming the first girl to ever break 17 feet in East Islip history. The 4x400 relay team of Birner, Simonetti, Tidridge and Katelyn Trifaro came roaring back to finish first. Micali added to her impressive resume with a win in the triple jump. Her jump of 36 feet, 10 inches reset Micali’s own school record, and in the process broke the League 3 championship record. Lastly, Simonetti was the MVP of the meet for her outstanding performance in taking first place in both the 600-meter and 300-meter contests, breaking school records in both races and putting up some of the fastest times in the state.   

    “It was an epic day with some magical performances,” coach John Reynolds said. “History was made, and all the young ladies did an amazing job.”

    The EI girls team is now looking ahead to Feb. 4, when they hope to win their first county championship.  

    The boys team found equal success a day later, beginning with Jack Kalinowski, who placed fourth in the 55-meter dash. In the 55-meter hurdles, Jake Sambo captured fourth place. In the 600-meter dash, captain Joseph Norrby finished with an impressive time of 1:23.89 to finish second. Captain Matt McIntee won the 300-meter dash with a time of 35.66, while Jack Kalinowski took sixth. In triple jump, James Terhune finished in fifth place. Julani Ellis clinched first in long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 3 inches, with Terhune taking fourth. In shot put, Charlie Heffernen led the way with an impressive championship-winning throw of 47 feet, 7.5 inches, while McIntee took third and Drew Walendowski finished fifth. Norrby won the high jump event with an effort of 5 feet, 11 inches. Lastly, the 4x400 meter dash team of Kalinowski, Aidan McConnell, McIntee and Norrby dominated the field with a time of 3.33.75 to become league champions. 

    “Congratulations to all members of the team and good luck in the county championship on Feb. 3,” assistant coach Nicole O’Connor said. 

    Date Added: 1/26/2024

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