Westhampton Beach Boys, Girls Track Teams Will Be Strong This Season

If the Longwood Invitational is any indication, the season looks bright for the Westhampton Beach boys and girls track teams this spring.

Both teams found their fair share of success at the early-season meet on Saturday, particularly the girls who had a number of athletes take medals home. Lily Strebel won both the 800-meter run (2:32.54) and 1,500-meter race (5:08.22). Rose Hayes placed third in the 1,500 in 5:21.35 while Jamie Kelly placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in each race. Halle Geller placed third in both 
the 100- and 200-meter dashes in 13.19 seconds 
and 27.57 seconds, respectively.

It’s the girls’ stable of runners that should push the team to success this season. On top of Strebel, Hayes, Kelly and Geller, the last of whom is taking over the sprints from Oceane Ode, who won a pair of gold medals at the county meet last spring before graduating, the Hurricanes also have Val Finke returning, who will lead the team in the hurdles and triple jump, and Keira Falvey and Oona Murphy will join Strebel, Hayes and Kelly in the mid- to long-distance running events.

Madison Phillips reached the county pentathlon meet and will continue to compete in a number of events to sharpen her skills for postseason meets. Brynn Reilly has joined her in the high jump and should provide some depth in the event. Maya Cirincione appears to be the next 1,500-meter race walker for the ’Canes, who have been top competitors in the event for years. Emily Tully will compete in the long and triple jumps, Trinity and Mia Valenzuela will compete in the sprints and Annabelle Vellosa will run middistance races.

After dropping their first meet, 79-55, to East Islip on March 29, the ’Canes — despite missing a handful of athletes — bounced back with a strong 99-44 victory at home over Hauppauge on Monday. Westhampton Beach is competing in League V this season with Comsewogue, East Islip, East Hampton, Eastport-South Manor, Half Hollow Hills West and Hauppauge.

The girls have off the next few weeks before starting things back up with a dual meet at Comeseogue on April 26. The Westhampton Beach Invitational follows two days later.

The Westhampton Beach boys will likely follow a similar path to success this season since they have some of the top distance runners in the county in Gavin Ehlers, Max Haynia and Trevor Hayes. Head coach Joe Mensch said that Ehlers and Haynia have already started competing at some of the top invitationals in the country and Hayes placed third in the 1,600-meter race at the Longwood Invitational on Saturday, crossing the finish line in 4:38.87.

Nick Simonetta and Aidan McKeon will lead the boys in the sprinting events, while Cade Murphree will compete in the 400-meter run.

On top of having strong runners, Westhampton Beach also has one of the top pole vaulters in the county in Colbie Mason, who was All-Federation and All-State this past winter and will be in contention for a county title this spring. Mason won the pole vault at Longwood, reaching 11 feet 6 inches. His teammate, Christian Finke, placed fifth, reaching 9 feet.

Will Barry also returns for the ’Canes in the throws. He competed at a high level in the shot put during the winter and will also throw the discus.

What makes things a bit different this season in track is that the county has streamlined its postseason events. There will be separate county meets for each class (AA, A, B, C) — each athlete in the county used to compete at one big meet — and then a state qualifier on June 2 and 3. Westhampton Beach boys and girls compete in Class B.

The boys lost their first meet of the season, 73-68, at home to East Islip on March 29 in a meet that came down to the relays. Westhampton Beach was scheduled to compete at Hauppauge on Wednesday and will have off until April 27 when it hosts Comsewogue.