Westchester track Day 1: Somers' Donovan, White Plains' McCormick and Arbid, Crisp win gold

MONTROSE — Haylie Donovan and Logan McCormick were both right there.

Right on the cusp of doing something special.

It was just a matter of when.

And the when, as it turned out, was Friday at Hen Hud High during the first day of the two-day Westchester County Track and Field Championships, where both set personal-best marks.

Donovan, who's experienced a surge in confidence since running earlier this month in the Bahamas on her Sports Performance Club team's World Athletics Relays' silver medal-winning U20 4x100 relay, smashed her only week-old personal-best time in the girls 400 run.

The Somers junior finished in a 2024 state No. 7 55.9.

Donovan, who ran a 57.18 PB at the Loucks Games, ran at counties without the benefit of blocks, which were prohibited because of time concerns, since there were many 400 heats.

That left open the question of what could she have done with blocks?

Donovan went out fast at Loucks, then "tensed up" late in the race and "died" the last 100 meters, despite still finishing with a personal-best time.

The Loucks race, she said, showed her how far she has come, allaying some of her normal pre-race anxiety.

Still, unhappy with the way her race finished at Loucks, Donovan increased her training during the week between the Games and counties. That, and advice from her club coach, who told her simply to relax her jaw and face the last 100 meters, seemed to make all the difference at Hen Hud.

There, she ran the same quick opening pace (a 25-second 200 and 40 overall at the 300 mark) but didn't fade late.

The 17-year-old, who noted her relay's time in the Bahamas would have been No. 1 all-time in New York among girls teams were she and her teammates all from the same school, hit the finish at Hen Hud anxious to see what she can do next.

"I actually felt so strong at the end. I've never been happier,' said Donovan, who said the Bahamas, where she had the opporunity to mingle with athletes trying to qualify for the Olympics, left her a "new person."

Now, in the wake of her county performance, she's hoping to further cut her 400 time to 54 seconds and win the state championship.

Like Donovan, McCormick is clearly peaking at the right time of the season. But, unlike her, chances are good he won't be at the state championships, at least not in his best event.

That's the high jump.

The White Plains senior, who recently committed to play basketball for Morehouse College, only started competing in high jump last year.

But he met with almost immediate success.

Failing to come close to six feet at his first meet, he cleared 6-4 at his second. He went on to qualify for the state championships, but never got to that 6-4 mark again last year.

This year, McCormick cleared 6-4 but Friday finally did what he'd first envisioned doing last year and got over the bar at 6-5.

That has him tied for second in Section 1.

McCormick, who cleared 6-2 at last year's state championships, said, "I think I can get a lot higher."

But it won't be at states. The White Plains prom conflicts with the Section 1 high jump state qualifier.

And McCormick hasn't had to think twice about where he's going.

"You only get one prom," he explained.

Hen Hud freshman Perry Quaye tied his personal best with a 6-2 clear for second place behind McCormick. Pleasantville's Etai Nunberg secured third place by clearing 5-11 in fewer attempts than four other athletes who got that height.

Second place in the girls 400 went to Scarsdale's Shannon Kelly in 58.08. The third slot went to New Rochelle's Valentina Wallin (58.86).

Hammer time

One athlete was ecstatic and one disappointed after their final hammer throw landed.

But both were winners.

Horace Greeley junior Dan Ye won the boys competiton at 192 feet, 6 inches.

Aiden Kayizzi of Pleasantville was runner-up at 167-2.5 and Bronxville's Alex Napolitano was third (166-5).

The girls crown went to Lakeland/Panas's Hannah Arbid at a personal-best 125-3.

Mount Vernon's Charlotte Goncalves threw 120-0.5 for second and Somers' Sienna DeMarinis (113-11) edged Yorktown's Jane Hanson (112-3) for third.

Arbid noted she's just five inches off the distance she needs to qualify for New Balance Nationals.

But just a couple of years ago she couldn't even see herself throwing the hammer.

Arbid, who, at 5-4 looks more runner than thrower, noted a friend had her try to swing a barbell over her head to prepare for the indoor weight throw that year.

She was scared and said, "I don't think I can do it."

Now Arbid is not only comfortable with the weight but also with the hammer and is a disciple of the weight room, doing bench, military press and dead lifts, as well as squats to better her throws.

She said strength, technique and speed are all equally important and good technique is necessary to build speed.

While noting she'd be happier if friends also qualified, she plans to work hard to get the needed 130 to get to nationals.

"I'd love to go," she said.

Ye, whose personal best is 206, has already qualified for New Balance Outdoor Nationals and is talking to colleges about throwing the hammer for them.

Calling his results at counties an "underperformance," Ye made it clear he's expecting better as the season progresses, especially since he can focus more on track with his advanced placement exams now behind him.

He noted he has topped 210 in practice and is hoping for that or more.

Of the hammer, his favorite event of all the throws, he said the difficult part is it's technical and it takes a lot to add a foot or even inches. But there is an upside to all the work.

"The best part of this is when you get a nice throw. It's a good feeling," he said.

Thomas keeps running and winning

The Loucks Games were nothing short of a major success for Hastings junior Caitlin Thomas.

And that success continued Friday in another event.

Thomas, who ran a big personal-best time at Loucks to move into second place in the state and sixth in the country this season among high schoo girls in the 2,000 steeplechase, ran a season-best 10:19. 54 to capture the girls 3,000-meter run.

Rye Neck's Ainara Schube Barriola was second (season-best 10:32.56) was second and, clocking 10:45.13, Scarsdale's Lilly Streicher edged Somers' Julia Aquilino (10:46.39) for third.

Thomas noted she approaches the steeple and 3,000 in different ways.

In the 3,000, she tries to go out hard and maintain a good pace and in the steeple her early approach is more conservative but then tries to employ a hard kick.

Thomas noted she likes track more than she ever thought she would after she started competing for Hastings' varsity spring of her eighth grade year.

It's so much better than I thought it would be," Thomas said. "I think it's really taken a turn. I enjoy every part of it."

New Rochelle's Crisp, Greeley's Sykes with big futures

On the surface, they don't have much in common.

One's a sprinter, the other a long-distance runner.

But here's the common denominator for New Rochelle's Elisa Crisp and Horace Greeley's Ryan Sykes: Both should be around for a very long time and both may run out of room for all their medals and trophies.

Crisp is an eighth-grader and Sykes a ninth-grader.

Both are Westchester County champions.

Crisp clocked a personal-best 12.15 in winning the county girls 100-meter title and beating kids who've raced for much longer, including Ursuline senior Sarai Sealy, who ran a season-best 12.42 for second, and Ardsley sophomore Mioko Martin, who clocked a personal-best 12.54 for third.

The win was Crisp's fifth in the 100 in a major meet this season and her time was the eighth fastest clocked by a girl in the state this season.

Sykes didn't approach, nor did he need to approach,his personal best in the boys 3,200. He ran that a week earlier at the Loucks Games. That was 9:05.13 -- the fifth fastest time by a New York boy this season and second fastest in the country this spring by a freshman.

But his 9:27 Westchester win Friday was still impressive, in part because he was so dominant.

Iona Prep senior Tommy Flynn, who'll compete next year for Boston College, ran a season-best 9:34.24 for second and John Jay-Cross River junior Andy Condon clocked a personal-best 9:35.06 for third.

"Some of my races I haven't even processed yet," Sykes said, calling himself grateful for getting to race against "fast guys -- crazy people going to run D-I."

Other medalists

In a super close race, Iona Prep's Declan McCauley clocked 10.85 to win the boys 100 title. Teammate Justin Hargraves was second (10.86) and Horace Greeley's Niko Wright grabbed third in 10.87.

The senior Hargraves won gold in the boys triple jump at a personal-best 46-4, the fourth best triple by a boy in the state this season.

New Rochelle sophomore Isaac Evans had a huge, better-than-two-foot personal best to take silver at 45-7 and Iona Prep's Adande Nartey was third at 44-11.

Bronxville's Wyatt Gravier continued his domination of the boys 110 hurdles.

He won in 14.2.

Hen Hud's Alexander Wong clocked a personal-best 15.48 for second and Iona Prep's Chris Somersel posted a season-best 15.68 for third place.

The top three finishers in the girls 100 hurdles all posted personal-best times with the winner, Ursuline's Elena Olson, moving into the No. 3 spot in the state among high school girls with her 14.28 time.

Her teammate, Ivana Richards, was second in 15.27 and New Rochelle's Alivia Smith took third in 15.35.

Greeley's Seamus Finn captured gold in the boys 400 in 48.57.

Alexander Hamilton's Jair Oliva Jr. ran a personal-best 49.122 to edge Mamaroneck's Oliver Smeal (PB 49.129) at the finish for second.

New Rochelle's Sophia Ochoa went 38-9 for the girls triple jump crown with Ursuline's Sealy second (38-5) second and Ardsley's Niamh O'Donovan (36-9) third.

Ardsley's Gabrielle An took the girls high jump at 5-2. Rye Country Day's Cate Tucker was second (4-11) and White Plains' Sequoia Layne was third (4-8).

While not approaching the lead in the country, Westchester athletes now own the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 spots in the state in boys javelin, particularly impressive since, while not an event held at the majority of local meets, more than 600 boys have competed on the high school level in javelin in New York this season.

Iona Prep's Jake Gherardi, who entered the meet with the No. 1 spot in the state, threw 184-4 for the win.

Rya's Rocklan Boisseau threw a personal-best 174-3 for second and Lakeland/Panas's Alex Ryzy threw a personal-best 159-0 for third.

The girls javelin win went to North Salem's Freyja Smith, whose 94-2 throw placed her No. 20 among high school girls in New York.

Harrison's Stella O'Connell, at 91-9, won silver and Yorktown's Sadie Forde (88-3) was third.

At 9-6, Edgemont sophomore Sophia Kumar won the girls county pole vault title.

Bronxville's Eva Mihova and Fox Lane's Ashley Nappi finished second and third, respectively, at 9-0 with Mihova getting silver because she had fewer attempts.

Aidan Keating of Iona Prep captured the boys Westchester pole vault title at 12-6.

Somers' Ethan Steuber was second at 12-0.

A three-way tie for third saw Irvington's Ben Kasoff, Horace Greeley's Rylan Toner and Sleepy Hollow's Aaron Bell all clear 11-0.

The Westchester County track and field championships continue Saturday with all but the steeplechase contested. Competition in that event will be held Monday.

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: Westchester track Day 1: Somers' Donovan, White Plains' McCormick and Arbid, Crisp win gold