NYACK — Consider Wednesday the appetizer.
And if that was the appetizer, there will be a lot of anticipation about Thursday — the main course.
Only a handful of events were held as the Rockland County outdoor track and field championships opened at Nyack High School.
But, boy, did they deliver.
Competition in most events was super close.
Three girls, for instance, went more than 37 feet in the triple jump with another just three inches shy of 37 and another eight shy.
All, in unique track fashion, cheered for and were cheered by their competition.
Tappan Zee junior Tosia Bednarz got the win at 37-10, a big season best and just 1.5 inches off her personal, all-time best from last year’s Section 1 state qualifier.
She noted jumpers were fueling other jumpers. Fourteen jumpers hit personal-best marks and five, including Bednarz, had season bests.
“It was so cool to see. …Usually, I feel like we don’t see that many girls jumping over 37 feet but today everybody was hitting such massive PBs and it was really cool to see everybody just cheering each other on and we were really all just having a good time, all just trying to jump our best … so it was really fun,” Bednarz said.
Counties is just the beginning of a long championship season in track.
But Bednarz, who said she could tell while in the air that she’d hit a good jump on her 37-10 leap, let herself look ahead. She wants to return to the state championships, where, last year, she was hampered by being badly spiked by another competitor after her first jump and finished almost two-and-a-half feet short of what she’d jumped in the state qualifier.
This year, she’s looking for better and healthier results.
“It was definitely a bit rough at states last year, since I got spiked after my first jump. But I really want to come back into states this year just feeling a lot better and not getting spiked and doing a lot better than I did last year,” she said with a smile.
She thinks she can.
Also exiting the triple jump sand happy was another junior, North Rockland’s Carlos Eliezer.
He tied his indoor personal-best distance and set a new outdoor PB in his first tiple competition of the season with his 45-7 effort.
With that, he vaulted into second place for the season in Section 1, trailing only John Jay-East Fishkill’s Purdue-bound senior Nate Johnson by just four-and-a-half inches.
“Definitely I’m really inspired …,” Eliezer said.
He noted he competed in long jump at states last year but now wants to qualify in both events. He said he believes he can hit 47 or 48 feet.
Villan and Dunn steeple champs
Nanuet’s Juaquin Villan hadn’t done a 3,000-meter steeplechase race this season But that didn’t stop him from running a big personal-best time of 9:58.32, which is No. 5 for the season in Section 1 and No. 1 in Rockland County.
Clarkstown North’s Nick Catina was right on his heels, also in a personal best, clocking 9:59.11.
The girls steeple, which is 2,000 meters long, was also a close race.
Tappan Zee senior Bridget Dunn, who’ll run for Furman University next year, recorded a season-best 7:03.68 to edge longtime rival and fellow senior Gaby Castro of North Rockland. The Florida Atlantic University commit also had a season-best time, crossing in 7:04.31.
Dunn, who conceivably could do the steeplechase, girls 1,500 and the 4×800 relay at states, noted she and Castro took turns leading and were essentially right together until the last 50 or so meters when she was able to outkick her.
“Gaby pushed me. We were side by side. I think it helps a lot (to be pushed),” said Dunn, who noted she likes steeplechase because it’s “tough” to do and it’s different from typical races.
Other results
Suffern took the first four spots in the girls pole vault. Junior Eliza Power captured the win, equaling her personal best by clearing 11-0.
Note: This file will be updated with more results and video and a photo gallery from Wednesday’s meet later tonight.
Nancy Haggerty covers sports for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: First day of Rockland track championships whet appetite for Day 2
Reporting by Nancy Haggerty, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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