STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.— Winning both the boys’ and girls’ team titles at the Staten Island Championships last month just wasn’t enough for Susan Wagner.
On Saturday, the Falcons soared to even greater heights at the PSAL City Championships at The Armory, capturing both crowns once again and accomplishing the double feat for the first time since 2022.
A few other Islanders dropped historic marks at the meet as well, marking a great day of competition for the borough’s public school track and field athletes.
Boys’ Recap
With 70.5 points as a team, the Falcon boys held off strong challenges from Thomas Jefferson (62 points) and bronze medalist Bronx Science (43) to capture their eighth indoor title since 2016.
Wagner’s individual champions included Kaeden Herbert in the 55-meter dash (6.39 seconds) and Alexander Acosta in the 55-meter hurdles (7.33 seconds), performances that proved pivotal in the Falcons’ championship run.
Padula’s crew also earned key points from Herbert again in the 300m (3rd place, 34.86), Jeremy Walters (2nd place, 7.37) and Chase Nazon (5th place, 8.48) in the 55m hurdles, the 4×400 (2nd place, 3:29.38) and 4×800 (3rd place, 8:30.40) relay squads, pole vaulters Tharidu Hewabajgamage (2nd place, 12-0), Sanith Jinasena (4th place, 11-0), and Dihan Ekanayake (tied 5th, 10-6), and Philip Dalgin in the shot put (5th place, 40-1.75).
Susan Wagner’s Alex Acosta made it back to back years with a win in the 55m hurdles at PSAL Cities.Michael O’Brien for the Staten Island Advance
Last but certainly not least, the Falcons enjoyed a historic double point-getting effort from freshman Tristan Acevedo, finishing 6th in the 1600m (4:28.05) and 4th in the 3200m (9:24.37), with his 1600m mark setting a PSAL freshman class record.
Looking at other borough teams, the Island’s top individual performance from a school outside Wagner came from MSIT’s Simon Saffayeh, whose scorching 1600m run of 4:19.40 earned him third place and the distinction of the third-fastest indoor time at that distance in borough history.
In addition to Saffayeh’s performance, MSIT joined Wagner as the only island school to produce a first-place result in any event, thanks to their winning 4×800-meter relay (8:13.53).
They also scored points from Adam Zarrilli (3rd in the 1000m, 2:35.37) and Jay Chen in the pole vault (3rd, 11-6), helping the Seagulls finish sixth as a team and post the second-highest island point total behind Wagner.
Other Islanders scoring points at the prestigious meet included CSIM’s Aiden Daniel Feliciano (4th in the 55m, 6.48; 4th in the 300m, 35.06) and Port Richmond’s Eddy Mike Pierre Louis (3rd in the 600m, 1:22.74).
Girls’ Recap
Not to be outdone by their boys’ teammates, the Falcon girls scored 68.5 points, holding off Bronx rivals DeWitt Clinton (57) and bronze medalists Benjamin Banneker Academy (38) to leave Wagner’s mark on the meet.
Also like the boys, Wagner’s girls produced two individual champions thanks to the efforts of Sarafina Yeboah in the triple jump (35-6) and their 4×800 meter relay (10:05.43), proving critical in securing the team crown.
Susan Wagner’s 4×800 meter relay played a role part in their team title.Michael O’Brien for the Staten Island Advance
They also scored huge points thanks to Malina Rodriguez King in the 1000m (2nd place, 3:05.57), Melisa Davila in the 3000m (4th place, 11:11.92), the 4x400m relay squad (4th place, 4:13.12), Kyla Shimonov in the high jump (3rd place, 5-0), Talajah Banks in the triple jump (2nd place, 33-4.5), and Nicole Fernando in the pole vault (t-6th place, 7-0).
Additionally, while they may not have won their events, two Falcons who posted points in two events included Amira Washington in the shot put (5th place, 29-7.25) and weight throw (5th place, 36-1), and Alana Burton in the 55m hurdles (3rd place, 8.84) and long jump (2nd place, 17-0), rounding out a fantastic day of competition for Padula’s squad.
The boys’ and girls’ Island results also saw symmetry as, like Acevedo, Tottenville freshman Maeve Heck continued her outstanding first season of high school track in a big way.
With a double third-place finish in the 1500m (4:58.54) and 3000m (10:21.60), Heck cracked the Island’s all-time top 10 in the 3k, meaning the Pirates’ first-year phenom will certainly be hunting the all-time record as she progresses.
In addition to Heck’s monster day, the other non-Wagner Island athletes to score points for their teams included MSIT’s Maeve Redmond in the high jump (4th place, 5-0) and New Dorp’s Bidenam Abouzi in the triple jump (5th place, 31-9).
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For a full list of results, visit ny.milesplit.com.