Area track standouts heading to state finals

Cameron Stanton and Olivia Misiukiewicz were back in familiar territory last Monday.

The Southold/Greenport senior standouts, who enjoyed podium finishes at the 2023 state championships, won their respective disciplines at the Suffolk County 4B championship on a sunny, breezy day at Mount Sinai High School.

Mattituck’s Haley Lake also continued her excellence, capturing the pole vault.

Stanton, who finished fourth in the small schools division at the states, won the long jump quite handily. Her leap of 18 feet, 2 inches, bested that of her nearest rival, Mount Sinai’s Kelly Hughes (17-2.25), by almost a foot.

In fact, Stanton was consistent on her first three attempts, with leaps of 18-1.75 and 17-11.

“I’m really excited, because this means I am going automatically to the states because I jumped 18-2, but it’s also a really great feeling,” she said. “I haven’t been able to jump my [personal record] in months since indoor … I was kind of in a little bit of a slump from indoors through the beginning of the spring season. It feels really good to be back.”

Stanton overcame an earlier disappointment. In the first event of the afternoon, she won her heat in the 55-meter hurdles with a personal best of 16.53. But the senior was disqualified after she hit one of her hurdles, which officials claimed impeded another runner.

Misiukiewicz, who was runner-up at the state competition, captured the high jump crown when no other girl could equal her leap of 4 feet, 10 inches. She went on to compete against herself, finishing at 5-1. She had three attempts at 5-3 but could not clear that height.

Still, Misiukiewicz was quite happy as she secured another medal to add to her collection.

“It feels great,” she said. “This is my third win. I’m so excited. I just came out here wanting to win.”

Misiukiewicz will compete at the state qualifiers at Comsewogue High School (May 30-31) to reach the New York championships at Cicero-North Syracuse High School (June 7-8).

Lake, who already qualified for the states, won the pole vault with a leap of eight feet. After securing the county crown, she failed to clear 8-6 on three occasions. Hampton Bays senior Allie O’Brien also recorded a jump of eight feet, but the Tuckers junior was awarded the title because she needed only one try while her rival used two attempts.

“It wasn’t my best,” she said.

But it was good enough to win.

“I’ve been working for a long time for this,” Lake said. “I’m really just shocked and speechless. I’ve been doing this for the past year and a half. It’s crazy how much I have excelled within the past year.”

The Tuckers girls (36 points) finished seventh and their Southold counterparts (26) ninth. Bayport-Blue Point (142) won the title. The Settlers boys (18) took ninth place, followed by the Tuckers (16) in 10th. Mount Sinai (131.5) took first.

Finishing in the top six meant points for an athlete’s school. Ten points were awarded for a first-place finish, eight for second, six for third, four for fourth, two for fifth and one for sixth.