Tigers Claim Suffolk's Big School Track Championship

The Northport boys took the county title at Monday’s large school track and field championships. Photo by Jason Storm

By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com

The Northport boys winter track and field team had an exciting run at Monday’s Suffolk County large school track and field championships, taking first place in the championship with 69 points.

Coach Jason Strom said this was the first time the team won the title since 2014.

“It was a really exciting meet all around and overall performances were outstanding,” Strom said. “Each event that came up, the Northport boys placed very high and made it very competitive and at the end we were thrilled to gain a victory.”

The championship took place at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood.

Tigers’ athletes were instrumental in the team victory, taking first place in several events.

Senior twins Isaiah and Elijah Claiborne took the charge, with several event victories under their belt.

Isaiah won the boys 3,200-meter run with a time of 9:37.84; the boys 600-meter run, with a time of 1:23.03; and took second place in the boys 4x400-meter relay. The relay team came in at 3:37.27 and included Elijah, seniors Chris Cirruzzo, Aaron Mesco, and Eric Sthelik, and sophomore Dan Borghard.

Elijah took first place in the boys 1,000 meter run, with a 2:35.85 time; and second place in the boys 1,600-meter run, with a time of 4:26.67. He also took third place on the boys 4x800-meter relay team with a time of 8:33.91. The relay team consisted of Sthelik, sophomores James Senior and Thomas Fodor, and juniors Will Grillo and Julian Corbeaux.

Other top performers in the championship were Fodor, who came in fourth place of the boys 3,200-meter run, with a 9:41.94 time; senior Dan O’Connor who took second place in the boys 1,000-meter run, with a time of 2:36.36, and fourth place in the boys 1,600-meter run, with a time of 4:28.78; and junior Sean Ryan, who took sixth place in the boys 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:32.59.

Now the team will be preparing for Monday’s state qualifier for individual events at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood.

There, the boys will compete to move on to the state championships.

Strom said he hopes to have five athletes advance to the state meet. He added, “We’re hoping to have guys run their best times of the season and hopefully place in top two places in order to make it to the New York State Championships.”