Cameron Stanton, left, and Olivia Misickevich hold Division 11 State Athletics shirts at the Suffolk County All-Division Dinner. (Source: Courtesy Photo)
The odds of an athlete from the same rural high school squad on the podium at the New York State Athletics Championships might be too long to even count.
But Southold/Greenport youngsters Olivia Mishuvic and Cameron Stanton did just that.
Mishukivic finished second in Division II (small school) in the high jump, while Stanton finished fourth in the long jump, and they earned All-State honors in early June.
Receiving an honor like this doesn’t happen every year. The last Southold/Greenport track athlete to qualify for the All-State was Emily Russell, who finished third in the pentathlon in 2019.
“It’s unbelievable that we both come from a small town like Southold,” said Stanton, using adjectives like “amazing” and “great” to describe the achievement.
It is difficult to argue with her.
Mishukivic, who played in the state final last year, helped him this time. She admits she was more nervous then.
“I was disturbed seeing everyone there,” she recalls. “I was nervous. But this year I just wanted to be in the top three. I really just wanted to be good. I didn’t really think about the competition. I thought about my jump and my game. I think it really helped me focus and put in the effort.”
She did it, jumping 5 feet 3 inches on her first attempt, enough to be runner-up in the secondary competition.
“I had to dance five-to-three the first time I tried,” she said. “If I hadn’t done it, it would have been very different. It was the most stressful moment I ever tried to jump for the first time. When I jumped, I was relieved. I was happy. It was just the greatest feeling. I just had my biggest smile.”
In addition to some quality competition, Stanton had another hurdle to overcome — rain, which delayed the start of the long jump by 2.5 hours.
“It was such a long day,” she said. “I was so tired. The conditions were terrible. It was pouring rain. It was cold. But just because of the adrenaline in there made me jump really well. I jumped 17 feet 5 1/2 inches, which is great for me Still a big jump.”
Considering Stanton was 10th in the state when he entered the race, finishing fourth was no easy feat.
“It was surreal,” she said. “I’m trying to get on the podium. But I figured if I didn’t make it, it wouldn’t be a big deal. I’m happy to be here. When I got there, I knew I deserved it. That’s me It should feel like that because I’ve put in the work.”
Both girls have similar work ethic and are both receptive to mentoring. They take their sport seriously, even though they have different personalities when it comes to playing.
“Cameron is so special as an athlete because of her passion,” head coach Tim McArdle said. “She wants to win at all costs. She’s not fit for third. She’s not fit for second. She wants number one and she’s going to do whatever it takes to get there next year.
“Olivia has a more upbeat personality when it comes to competition,” he added. “She wants to see the other girls she’s competing against do well. She keeps it a little more reserved. She competes more with herself than with anyone else. She just has this innate ability to jump very high.” ability. It’s really special and she wants to keep improving her skills.”
The two players will play another sport as adults this fall — Stanton in football and Mishukivic in tennis — before returning to play in the winter and spring.
Not surprisingly, McArdle anticipates continued success for the girls.
“The future is very bright for both sides,” he said. “Going into next season, both will be at the top of the state secondary. A lot of the girls they’re competing against are upperclassmen. There are some lowerclassmen. But they’ll definitely be highly sought after next winter and spring. Ranked high. So, the expectations are going to be very high from them.”
