JUSTIN ALBANESE

Eastport-South Manor, NYSPHSAA Class B 1,600 meters

It was the most pleasant surprise of the senior’s life.

Albanese finished eighth in the 1,600 meters at the state championships in Middletown in a personal-record 4 minutes, 13.6 seconds. However, he was the top finisher from NYSPHSAA Class B, which made him a state champion.

That was news to him. The distance races were all integrated by class and doubled as both NYSPHSAA and Federation competitions, so many of the runners were unaware of their exact standings in each class. After the new top time, Albanese was rather pleased. Then, coach Brian Methven swooped in excitedly to congratulate him.

“My coach came up running and told me that I won Class B,” Albanese said. “I didn’t believe it at first. I told him, ‘No way.’ I had to double-check that. Coach had it on his phone, so he showed me. It was awesome.”

TRISTAN BLAKE

Harborfields, NYSPHSAA Class B triple jump

Blake went from inactive with a torn hamstring to school legend within three months. He suffered the injury the day before indoor track started and missed the entire season. He was not cleared for a return until the day before the outdoor season began.

Usually mild mannered, Blake was very excited after he flew 46 feet, 5  1⁄4 inches to win his class. After all the plyometric workouts he did during the winter to get to that point, he felt he had earned himself some gluttony and relaxation.

“I have to celebrate now because I have a tendency not to celebrate,” Blake said. “I’m going to take tomorrow off, not hit weights and just live life a little bit.”

JAMES CIACCIO

St. Anthony’s, NYSPHSAA Class A 800, Federation 800

The senior’s redemption story was an epic one, for sure.

He had a moment to forget at the CHSAA Intersectional Championships on May 24 when he lost the 800 at the finish line with a premature celebration that slowed him down. The tension at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island was palpable, and coach Tim Dearie’s disappointment was audible.

Then came Day 1 of the state championships, and Ciaccio proved he had learned his lesson. He came from behind on the final lap to overtake his future Northeastern teammate — Newburgh Free Academy’s Brady Danyluk — and win it all in 1:49.64.

“Obviously, this is a huge difference from three weeks ago,” Ciaccio said. “I just didn’t get ahead of myself and finished before letting anything else take over. While I’m still in that race, I’m still competing. I just took the race as it was going; not being too reactive. Once I saw it was go-time, I took the opportunity and went.”

MATTHEW DeCICCO

Hewlett, Class B pentathlon

In his last act before joining Albany’s men’s track team, DeCicco scored 3,244 points to finish atop Class B in the pentathlon. He ran 15-flat in the 110 hurdles, 4:44.02 in the 1,500, cleared 5-5 in the high jump, flew 20-5   3⁄4 in the long jump and threw the shot 38-9  3⁄4.

It was his resilience that allowed him to win, taking the title by a relatively small 32 points. In his weakest event, the high jump, he had not yet cleared 5-1 and was down to his last attempt. He managed to clear it and move to 5-3 where, once again, he failed on the first two tries. He got the job done again to move up to 5-5, where history repeated: two failures and a clearance.

By toughing it out through 5-5, the former quarterback salvaged 504 points, which was 210 fewer than Jamesville-Dewitt’s Terrell Willis, who was ultimately his runner-up.

“I was about to quit,” DeCicco said. “It was a very stressful day. It was fourth down. I just remembered that I’ve done this a million times in practice, and I got it done.”

ELMONT 4 X 400 METERS

(Caleb Harris, Dominic Collins, R’Len Richards, Aidan Peterkin), Class B, Federation

Elmont’s deep squad of sprinters thrived as a collective all year, spending most of the outdoor season as the state’s top-ranked 4 x 400 relay team. The boys, led by three seniors and anchored by a junior, had a busy Saturday at the state championship meet, as they practically bookended the day with victorious performances.

At around 9:30 a.m., Elmont logged a 3:17.19 to win Class B and qualify for the Federation race, which was the last scheduled event of the day. Eight hours later, they got into a tight battle with Minisink Valley, but Peterkin took the baton, made a move into first place and narrowly held on through the finish line. Their 3:14.91 secured not only the ‘undisputed champions’ label, but also cemented them as the top 4 x 400 squad in the state on time.

DAVIN LI

Glenn, Class B 100, Class B 200

Li’s high school career ended a year early. The multi-talent is graduating ahead of schedule to pursue a degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he will also be sprinting for its men’s track team.

Before moving on to MIT, he had one more mark to leave on Glenn . . . as if being an All-State violinist, a valedictorian, and a four-year starter on defense for a county champion boys soccer team wasn’t enough. He sprinted 10.89 to win his class’ 100 championship and 21.46 to take his class’ 200 title.

“It’s pretty special, to be honest,” Li said. “I just came out here to run my best. I’m happy to have gotten some [personal records], and of course, I had to get some wins, as well.”

DJ McDONOUGH

Garden City, Class B 800

In his final high school race, the Washington & Lee commit finished third among all runners, and atop Class B, in the Federation 800 — registering 1:51.86 to capture the title.

It was a year of constant growth for McDonough, who had always been a solid runner. However, this year McDonough blew up and broke out. His meteoric rise ended fittingly: with a gold medal at the state meet.

“I think it’s mostly due to the fact that after having a pretty good [prior] season, I knew that I could be much better if I really put the work in, and I knew I had a lot of untapped potential that I really wanted to reach,” McDonough said. “I really fell in love with the sport and all the things that it brought me last year and that just pushed me harder and made me really want to be the best there is.”

MANHASSET 4 X 800

(John Hogan, Blake Sealy, Nic Katsoulis, Ryan Boldi), Class B, Federation

After winning the same two titles in the winter, Manhasset’s 4 x 800 relay defended them by running 7:46.04 in Middletown. It was a nice sendoff for Hogan and Boldi, who are both graduating. Boldi ran a strong anchor leg to bring home the title and fend off Xavier, securing the Federation win by just 0.78 seconds.

Sealy was not a member of the indoor championship team, as he dealt with injuries to his foot. He was replaced by senior Cole Thalheimer, who more than sufficed in the role. However, Thalheimer went down with an injury this spring, allowing Sealy to return the favor and step in for him to help deliver the championship. The boys were all part of the team that won the Class B championship in cross country.

“I still can’t believe we won three state titles this year,” coach Steve Steiner said. “Unbelievable.”

JORDAN PECK

North Babylon, Federation 110 hurdles, Class A 400 hurdles, Federation 400 hurdles

Peck was the best hurdler on Long Island all year, and began his two-day state championship journey with a win in Class A’s 400s in 52.99. The junior also finished second in the 110s in 14.04. Both times qualified him to run in the Federation races, giving himself a shot at instant redemption in the 110s.

With the extra chance, he thrived. Peck narrowly won the Federation 110s in 14.32 before taking the Federation 400s with ease in 52.89.

He ran in honor of his teammates who had missed the state meet qualifications.

“I can’t even tell you how it feels,” Peck said. “I think my team, and especially the seniors, can finally rest their heads knowing that somebody got the revenge for them.”

AIDAN PETERKIN

Elmont, Class B 400

Though he shines running the anchor leg of Elmont’s 4 x 400 relay, Peterkin is also strong on his own. The day before he played the hero on Elmont’s 4 x 400, he ran a 47.77 in the Class B 400 to become an individual state champion.

The solo title packed a different thrill.

“I’m beyond blessed,” Peterkin said. “I had great competition to push me and I was able to prevail, so I’m really happy with my performance.” 

KENNETH RAMDAYAL

Herricks, Class A shot put

Ramdayal almost got the job done on Day 1, but he fell just short in the Class A discus, finishing second at 168-9. The next afternoon, in a crowded field, the junior threw the shot 59-6  3⁄4 to win by over 2  1⁄2 feet.

Though he finished the season ranked behind Chaminade junior Jonathan Szymanski in the shot put, Ramdayal was able to beat him head-to-head at the state meet and ended the season with 13 wins in 14 meets.