Haynia, Strebel Reach Podium of Respective Events at New York State Indoor Track and Field Championships

Two of the three Westhampton Beach athletes who competed at the New York State Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Saturday reached the podium for their events.

Max Haynia placed sixth overall, third among public school finishers, in the boys 3,200-meter race in 9:05.16, which is a new Long Island and school record. The senior’s time surpassed Mikey Brannigan’s previous Long Island record of 9:05.5 and is also now a new school record, beating now former teammate’s Gavin Ehlers’s record of 9:05.7 set last year. Haynia’s time was a 19-second improvement from his previous best and a seven-second improvement on his outdoor time.

Lily Strebel not only qualified for both the girls 1,000- and 1,500-meter races at states, but she reached the podium in both as well. The sophomore finished fifth overall, fourth among public school runners, in the 1,000, crossing the finish line in 2:53.65, a personal best by two seconds. She then finished sixth among both federation and public school runners in the 1,500-meter race in 4:38.86, a three-second improvement.

Trevor Hayes, a junior, also competed in the boys 1,600-meter race. He finished 20th overall in 4:26.66.

Haynia said that his 2-mile race went out a bit quicker than expected and he was very much in the middle of the pack at the start of the race. He continued to close gaps throughout the race and found himself as high as third overall in the race with about two and a half laps to go, but eventually slipped down to as far as sixth in the final seven seconds, which is where he finished.

Haynia, who was seeded 12th going into the race, was looking to break the nine-minute mark. While he was unable to do so — only champion Monroe-Woodbury senior Collin Gilstrap completed that feat — Haynia was still happy with his race overall.

“I thought I could break the 9-minute mark, but this is the first time I’ve raced anybody really since the regional meet of cross country,” he said. “That was the last time I really had a race where I had other runners to push me, that and cross country nationals. So I was happy to take the Long Island record and school record.”

Strebel said she was admittedly nervous going into the 1,000 knowing that the second through eighth girls seeded in the race were all within a second of one another. While it was not her first time at Ocean Breeze, it was her first time competing at the state level. After the 1,000, her nerves settled down and she was able to shift her focus to the 1,500.

“I’m really happy with how I placed and my times,” she said.

Both Haynia and Strebel are moving on to Nike Indoor Nationals, which are this weekend at the Armory Track and Field Center in New York City. Haynia said that since he competed at both regionals and nationals during the cross country fall season, he was basically asked which race he wanted to compete in at indoor nationals and he chose the 5K, so he’ll be taking part in that race, in which he’s seeded second. Strebel will be competing in the championship mile.