Indoor track and field: Boys to watch this season

Nancy Haggerty, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
·3 min read

The most recent indoor track and field season was unusual.

To put it mildly.

Many races weren't indoors at all but were, instead, run outside, often on plowed blacktop, due to the COVID-related suspension of athletic activities at the area's primary local indoor track venues, The Armory in Manhattan and the fieldhouse at Rockland Community College.

Of course, there were some quasi indoor meets — most in the underground parking garage at the Palisades Center shopping mall in Rockland.

Max Goodman from John Jay Cross River, shown here running in the boys Section 1 Class B cross-country championship at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, Nov. 6, 2021, is expected to be among the area's top runners at as many as three distances this winter.
Max Goodman from John Jay Cross River, shown here running in the boys Section 1 Class B cross-country championship at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, Nov. 6, 2021, is expected to be among the area's top runners at as many as three distances this winter.

That was an imperfect but creative and very welcome alternative to running outdoors or not running at all.

But, with few exceptions, athletes in field events were sidelined.

So, this winter track season is filled with question marks about what to expect from those who'll run (on real indoor tracks), jump, pole vault and throw.

Indoor track and field: Girls to watch

Below, by event, are the boys from Westchester, Putnam and Rockland who The Journal News/lohud predict, based on earlier indoor/winter outdoor performances and/or spring outdoor track and field results, will excel this winter. In some longer running distances, cross-country results were also factored in.

55 meters — Colin Coppola, Jr, Clarkstown South; Justin Hargraves, So., Iona Prep; Stephen Hotchkin, Sr., Horace Greeley; David Joseph, Sr., North Rockland; Andrew Lucassen, Sr., John Jay-Cross River; Marcus Nahim, Jr., Iona Prep; Jaime Padilla, Sr., Stepinac; Derek Touba, Sr., Yonkers; Eloha-Karmiel Yitzchak, Jr., Stepinac

55 hurdles — David Joseph, Sr., North Rcckland;; Alexander Olener, Sr., Yorktown; Eloha-Karmiel Yitzchak, Jr., Stepinac

300 — Stephen Hotchkin, Sr., Horace Greeley; Marcus Nahim, Jr., Iona Prep; Eloha-Karmiel Yitzchak, Jr., Stepinac

600 — Antonio Bravo, Jr., Iona Prep; Jordan Hargraves, Sr., Iona Prep

1,000 — Antonio Bravo, Jr., Iona Prep; David Davitt, So., Stepinac; Matthew Doherty, Jr., Mamaroneck: Max Goodman, Sr., John Jay-Cross River; Bruce Lenes, Sr., Fox Lane; Jason Markopoulos, Sr., Mamaroneck; Jamie Masterson, Sr., Dobbs Ferry; Hugh McGuire, Sr., Horace Greeley; Thomas Pequegnot, Sr., Eastchester; Ian Rutledge, Sr., Stepinac

1,600 — Matt Doherty, Jr, Mamaroneck; Ryan Doherty, Sr., Carmel; Kieran Dudek, Sr., Clarkstown South; John Fontanez, Sr., Nanuet; Max Goodman, Sr., John Jay-Cross River; Harry Griff, Sr., Fox Lane; Bruce Lenes, Jr., Fox Lane; Marc Lucasey, Sr., Dobbs Ferry; Liam Lyons, Sr., Irvington; Jason Markopoulos, Sr., Mamaroneck; Kyle Phillips, Jr., Briarcliff; Sam Young, Jr., Mamaroneck; Robert Royston, Sr., Nyack

Relays, like this 4x1,600 during the May 15, 2021 Nanuet Relays, will probably be part of Nanuet senior John Fontanez's winter. But he's also expected to post top finishes in the individual 1,600 and 3,200 after a fall that included a repeat win as Rockland boys cross-country champion and a trip to the state championships.
Relays, like this 4x1,600 during the May 15, 2021 Nanuet Relays, will probably be part of Nanuet senior John Fontanez's winter. But he's also expected to post top finishes in the individual 1,600 and 3,200 after a fall that included a repeat win as Rockland boys cross-country champion and a trip to the state championships.

3,200 — John Fontanez, Sr., Nanuet; Max Goodman, Sr., John Jay-Cross River; Harry Griff, Jr., Fox Lane; Jason Markopoulos, Sr., Mamaroneck; Gabriel Maurad, Sr., Iona Prep

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High jump — Glen Ahern, Sr., Westlake

Long jump — Glen Ahern, Sr., Westlake; Nick Bauco, Sr., Westlake; Alexander Bilello, Sr., Clarkstown North; Justin Boamah, Jr., Pearl River; Andrew Lucassen, Sr., John Jay-Cross River, Leelan Maxwell, Sr., Woodlands;; Victor Oduwegwu, Jr., Clarkstown North; Michael Ryan, Jr., Iona Prep; Oscar Salvaggio, Jr., Ardsley; Aidan Savitt, Sr., Eastchester

Triple jump — Alexander Bilello, Sr., Clarkstown North; Zack Ceasar, Jr., North Rockland

Pole vault — Nick Bauco, Sr., Westlake; Trey Feirman, Jr., Hen Hud; Harrison Hayward, Sr., Hackley; Alex McKenney, Sr., Horace Greeley; Alexander Pederson, Sr., Somers; Luke Stinga, Sr., Iona Prep

Shot put — Nicholas Chykhun, Sr., Clarkstown North; Brian Luciano, Sr., Somers; Tom Shelton, Sr., Pelham; Detton St. Paul, Jr., North Rockland

Weight — Brian Luciano, Sr., Somers; Christopher Milillo, Sr., Iona Prep; Jose Ruiz, Sr., Iona Prep

Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at both @HaggertyNancy and at @LoHudHockey.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Indoor track and field: Westchester, Putnam and Rockland boys to watch

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