Emma Gallagher leads the way through the air, and into the water, during the 2000 meter steeplechase. Following close behind are Katie Reilly and Jen Gerland. See this photo at www.Newsphoto.com After a very successful regular season Garden City’s girls varsity track team entered the two day Nassau County Championships at Mitchel Field with hopes of coming away with a fourth consecutive Class AA county title.

The Trojans had dominated the 800 meter race all season long and Day 1 was no different as Emily Menges took the county title in a time of 2:13.9. Coming in 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, were Emma Gallagher( 2:14.7) and Katie O’Neil (2:17.3) giving them All-County honors. The 4x400 relay team of Taylor Hennig, Jenna DeAngelo, Alexis Yeboah-Kodie and Catherine Cafaro ended the day with a victory time of 3:55.5. Michelle Rotondo and Taryn Schmelzinger brought home All-County honors with second and third place finishes in the 400 hurdles. Seventh grader Jen Gerland took All-County honors with a third place finish and a time of 11:05.0 in the 3000 meter race. After Day 1 the Trojans held a strong lead over second place Hewlett.

Katie Reilly takes a breather. See this photo at www.Newsphoto.com It seemed like the biggest obstacle of Day 2 might not be any of the opposing teams but Mother Nature herself as temperatures on the track hovered in the high 90’s making it challenging for even the most seasoned athletes.

If that heat was a factor, it didn’t seem to slow down the GC girls as Michelle Rotondo started off by winning the 100 meter hurdles with a 15:50 time. In the 1500m distance race, Emily Menges and Katie O’Neill took 2nd and 3rd place with 4:45.3 and 4:46.8 respectively. Next up was the 200m sprint finals. Alexis Yeboah-Kodie took fourth with a 26.2 time. Emily Menges, Catherine Cafaro and Taylor Hennig ran first, third and fourth with times of 56.1, 57.8 and 58.8, respectively in the 400 meter race. Winning the 2000 meter steeplechase, which includes a run through the water, Emma Gallagher came in with a time of 7:44.2. Second place went to Jen Gerland (7:56:0) and Katie Reilly (7:58:9) took fourth.

Emily Menges during one of her races. See this photo at www.Newsphoto.com By the end of the day the team earned that fourth consecutive Nassau Class AA title that they were hoping for. On top of that were four individual county championships, two relay county championships and 21 All-County performances.

You can see more photos from Day 2 at www.Newsphoto.com

Michelle Rotondo clearing a hurdle. See this photo at www.Newsphoto.com

Alexis Yeboah-Kodie in action for GC. See this photo at www.Newsphoto.com
Katie O’Neill runs for GC. See this photo at www.Newsphoto.com
Running in the 400 meters L-R Catherine Cafaro, Taylor Hennig and Emily Menges. See this photo at www.Newsphoto.com
As the sun begins to set, Jen Gerland, baton in hand, runs for GC. See this photo at www.Newsphoto.com