Yale-bound Nyack runner is the Rockland Boys Indoor Track Athlete of the Year

The dive.

Matt Schutzbank is 18.

Chances seem good that at 78, 88, 98, heck, maybe 108, he'll still remember it.

It wasn't scripted. Wasn't, if you ask just about any track coach anywhere, advised. But, yeah, it was effective.

Schutzbank, the Rockland Boys Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year, dove over the finish line at the winter state indoor rack and field championships in the boys 1,000-meter race.

After he got up, the Nyack senior and Xavier’s D'Angelo Brown, who crossed the line at the same time, huddled closely and looked at the scoreboard, neither knowing who'd won.

Then the names and numbers appeared. The diving, falling, sprawling Schutzbank had won − by a 100th of a second.

"Hundredth of a second. That will never happen again," Schutzbank said, looking back at a race that won him both the state public school and state Federation (all schools, public and private) 1,000-meter title.

Soon, Schutzbank will only be looking back at his high school career, which now has about two months to go.

Pursued by multiple collegiate track programs, he narrowed his list to Princeton, Penn, Duke and Yale before choosing Yale last fall.

"I just love the school, the community. ... It feels like the total college experience, along with running," he said, adding that Yale "totally stood out" the second he stepped on campus.

His first winter season, Schutzbank was the Section 1 Class B and overall Rockland boys indoor 1,600-meter champion. That spring, he qualified for the state championships at both 1,600 and 3,200 meters.

The following winter, he took bronze at the state championships at 1,600 meters and was fifth at that distance at the Millrose Games.

Then last spring, he won the large, public school state title at 1,600 meters. That, he noted, remains at this point his most meaningful race because he clocked a personal-best 4:12.09 and, unlike this winter, didn't go into the race as the favorite.

He expects the mile/1,600 to be his main event at Yale, where his major is still to be determined.

"I'm like a total perfectionist. With my homework, I want to make sure I get every question right. (And) I'm never going to miss a workout," he said, noting he's sure if he's not training, his opponents are doing so.

Coach of the Year

Orlando Rivera, North Rockland: Rivera led his Red Raiders boys team to yet another triple crown with league, county and section titles. North Rockland recorded a 59-point win in the 11-team Rockland championship before it had an even more dominating performance at the Section 1 Class AA championships. There, also with 11 teams scoring, it beat the runner-up by 140 points.

55

First team — Jaquan Johnson, Jr., North Rockland

Second team— Javon Lawrence, Jr., North Rockland

Honorable mention — Sam Alves, Jr., Tappan Zee

55 hurdles

First team — Darwin Almonte, Jr., North Rockland

Second team— Isaiah Theagene, Sr., North Rockland

Honorable mention — Jack Palumblo, Jr., Pearl River

300

First team — Javon Lawrence, Jr., North Rockland

Second team— Sam Alves, Jr., Tappan Zee

Honorable mention — Anthony Couch, Sr., Suffern

600

First team — Jarell Gibbs, Jr., Nanuet

Second team— Micheal Cromwell, Fr., Suffern

Honorable mention — Uriah Dieujuste, Jr., Suffern

1,000

Second team— JL McKenna, So., Pearl River

Honorable mention — Jack Bowman, Jr., Suffern

1,600

Second team— Claudel Chery, So., North Rockland; Shane Ethakkan, Jr., Nanuet

Honorable mention — Ryan Tuohy, So., North Rockland

3,200

First team — Ryan Tuohy, So., North Rockland

Second team— Harrison Caprara, Jr., Clarkstown South

Honorable mention — Sam Gunther, Jr, Nyack; Jake Harold, Jr., Albertus Magnus

High jump

First team — Ryan Cardichon, Sr., Nyack;

Second team— Collin Pringle, Jr., Suffern

Honorable mention — - Joe Fairweather, Sr., Pearl River; Christian Scott, Sr., Suffern

Long jump

First team — Yunior Sanchez, Jr. North Rockland

Second team— Dimitry Magloire< Sr. Nyack

Honorable mention — Christan Sejour, Jr. North Rockland

Triple jump

First team — Shamell Roberts, Sr. North Rockland

Second team— Kevin Dessalines, Sr., Spring Valley

Honorable mention — Theodore lodge, Jr. North Rockland; Mikkahel Toussaint, Sr., Albertus Magnus

Pole vault

First team — Todd Korman, Jr., Suffern

Second team— Vegas Peterson, Sr., Clarkstown South

Honorable mention — Aidan Gleeson, Jr., Pearl River

Shot put

First team — Shane O'Neil, Sr., Nanuet

Second team— Willaim Tomas, Jr., North Rockland

Honorable mention — Christian Morales, Sr., Suffern

Weight throw

First team — Joe D'Adamo, Sr., Nanuet

Second team— Bryan Dorvilier, Jr., Pearl River

Honorable mention — Noely Vargas, Sr., North Rockland

At Large

First team — Xavier Reyes, Sr., Albertus Magnus

Top girls winter athlete: Nanuet's Gabby Vizcarrondo is Rockland's top indoor track athlete

4x200 relay

First team — North Rockland (Darwin Almonte, Jr., Jaquon Johnson, Jr., Javon Lawrence, Jr., Naj Mosley, Jr.)

Second team— Tappan Zee (Caleb Alexandre, Sr., Sam Alves, Sr., Mormichi Kawaski, Sr., Adrian Kupi, Sr.)

Honorable mention — Ramapo (Stephane Desert, Sr., Gabriel Montfleury, Sr, Noah Antoine, Sr., Luigui Marin, Jr.); Suffern (Isaiah Sanon, Jr., Anthony Couch, Sr., Collin Pringle, Jr., Jamarih Cantave, So., Mohammed Rasul, Jr.)

4x400 relay

First team — Suffern (Anthony Couch, Sr., Micheal Cromwell, Fr., Mason Garagliano, So., Uriah Dieujuste, Jr., Billy Weber, So., Jack Bowman, Jr.)

Second team— Nanuet (Joel Shin, So., Bryan Santana, Jr., Blake Flowers, Jr., Jarrell Gibbs, Jr.)

Honorable mention — Pearl River (JL McKenna, So., Mickey Sullivan, Jr., Dylan Marzec, Jr., C.J. Ritchie, Sr., Aidan Lee, Jr.)

4x800 relay

First team — Pearl River (Max Prunty, Sr., Owen Burke, Jr., Tyler Walsh, Jr., JL McKenna, So., John Hannagan, Sr.)

Second team— North Rockland (Claudel Chery, So., Dan Affoumani, Jr., Devon Piccone, Jr., Ryan Tuohy, So.)

Honorable mention — Nanuet (Sebastian Figueroa, Sr., Derick Mendoza, Sr., Ryan Sung, Sr., Shane Ethakkan, Jr., Jarell Gibbs, Jr.); Suffern (Jack Bowman, Jr., Uriah Dieujuste, Jr., Ezra Koreen, Sr., Micheal Cromwell, Fr.)

Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, basketball, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at @HaggertyNancy .

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Yale-bound Nyack runner is the Rockland Boys Indoor Track Athlete of the Year