Sports
Track and Field Team Ready to Get Back on Track
Schreiber Vikings track and field team places third in lone home meet of the season; looks ahead to 92nd annual Port Washington Invitational.
The Schreiber boys track and field team only had one opportunity to run, jump and hurdle on its new track thus far this season, when the Vikings took on the Baldwin Bruins, East Meadow Jets and Plainview-JFK Hawks earlier this month in its first and only home conference meet.
"We picked up 35 medals at the Bob Baratta Classic and another 10 at the Paul Limmer Invitational, so we should do fairly well heading into this meet," said first-year coach Christopher Baker prior to the April 13 meet.
The Vikings came in third, behind Baldwin and East Meadow, respectively, but Baker said the third-place finish wasn't a bad outcome when the two teams in front of you are of the caliber of the Bruins and Jets.
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"East Meadow usually takes all of the field events and Baldwin wins all of the relays, but we had a lot of personal records," said senior Andrew Minicucci, who came in first in the 200 meters, running it in 23 seconds.
Like Minicucci, most of the Vikings had a positive outlook despite the results, and have continued to hone their skills as the season has progressed.
"We're very strong at distance events but with coach Baker being a former sprinter himself, I think we'll end up with a good sprinting team," junior Harry Mann said. "Baker's been helping me improve my own techniques."
Newcomer Shawn McKoy had a great meet, placing third in the 100, and second in the 200, behind Minicucci, with a new personal best of 23.5 seconds. While McKoy works hard to break past the 23-second mark, team leader and star runner Marco Bertolotti praised McKoy and his other new teammates' efforts.
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"Our opponents were really strong in the places where we were weak," Bertolotti said. "But with these young guys, our future is looking bright."
The Vikings, however, will have one more chance to strut their stuff on the new track at Schreiber High School when the team hosts the 92nd annual Port Washington Invitational this Thursday and Friday. According to Baker, at 90-plus years running, it is the oldest invitational in Nassau County.
Check out Port Washington Patch following the 92nd annual Port Washington Invitational for complete coverage and meet results.
