Bohemia - When Southampton's Imani Richardson pulled away from a talented group of runners in the Division 3 100-meter dash, those on hand for the Girls Outdoor Track Division Championships couldn't believe what they were seeing. When Richardson wheeled back to see her time upon completing the sprint, she too couldn't believe her eyes.

"I did not expect to run that fast today," she said. "My goal was just to win, and beat the competition I had to beat."

Sarah Reed took on a tough field in the 1500 and posted a personal best time.

The senior did more than that. She ran a 12.26, the fastest time regardless of division and more than one-tenth faster than her own school record set at April's Westhampton Beach Invitational. Later at divisions, she broke a 27-year-old school record in the 200-meter dash, giving her a world of momentum heading into next weekend's state qualifier, to be held June 6 and June 7 at Port Jefferson.

"I cannot tell you how thrilled I am," Mariners Head Coach Eddie Arnold said. "She's a superstar, she really is."

Richardson was lined up in lane three, directly to the left of her closest competition, Mount Sinai's Janet Mellor. The favorite to win the race, Richardson did more than just win – she won handily, and in turn broke the mark of 12.42 set at the Westhampton meet. Prior to this season, Connie Seymore had held the standard at Southampton, having run a 12.64 in 1977.

Since about that time, the Lady Mariners have taken aim at Kim Davis' 200-meter record at Southampton. It wasn't until Richardson came along that the record finally fell. Ironically, it was Mellar, whom she out-dueled in the 100-meter race, setting the pace in the 200. Richardson flew around the bend and hit the back straightaway in fourth place. She bore down for the final 50 meters and passed two competitors to finish second. Her time of 25.97 unseated Davis, who ran a 26.10 in 1981, as the fastest female 200 runner in school history.

Lady Mariners junior Leah Eleazer soars into the sand with a leap of nearly 16 feet.

"It makes me feel really good," said Richardson, who is looking into attending SUNY-Old Westbury or Buffalo in the fall. "I wanted to step up and beat [the record] and have someone else try to beat mine."

Another Lady Mariner finished in the top six in a pair of events. Junior Leah Eleazer flew 15-11¾ to place sixth in the long jump, this after leaping 33-4 in the triple jump, good for fifth. Both she and Richardson are looking forward to competing in the 4x100 meter relay at the state qualifier. On Wednesday, the first day of the division meet, Richardson built a substantial lead on the opening leg only to fail to transfer the baton successfully, disqualifying the Lady Mariners' four, one of the county's quicker quartets, from Friday's finals.

Hren Soars In High Jump
East Hampton's Emily Hren expected nothing less than first place in the Division 3 high jump, and she didn't disappoint. The junior cleared 5-3 to capture her first division title, and now sets her sights on the state qualifier.

At this time last year, Hren took third by posting a best of 5-2, and then went on to tie for fifth at the state qualifier. She was in a class by herself at Connetquot. While Hren cleared 4-8, 4-10 and 5 feet with ease, the field dissipated substantially. Soon, the Bonac star was jumping by herself. She was unable to duplicate her school record mark of 5-5, yet she'll have at least one more chance to accomplish that feat this season.

"What we're having her work on now, other than her usual routine, is all the mental preparation she needs going into the big meet," East Hampton Head Coach Diane O'Donnell said. "Emily likes to be perfect, and we're working on her mental recovery so she can recover when things aren't perfect. She showed that today."

The Lady Bonackers also scored points in the discus with the Gholson sisters. Vicky Gholson threw the discus 93 feet, 11 inches, to finish third in the event, while Brittney posted a 93-4½ to take fifth.

Bonac junior Emily Hren rises and clears the bar with relative ease in the Division 3 high jump.

Buletti In Front
Westhampton Beach junior Leah Buletti was the prohibitive favorite in her event – the 1,500 meter race walk. That showed as Buletti cruised to victory in a time of 7:41.54, more than 16 seconds faster than the second place finisher, Jenn Mercouris of Bayport-Blue Point.

The victory punctuated a solid showing by the Lady Hurricanes over the two days. Ninth grader Molly Bennett finished third in the 3,000 meter run, posting a time of 11:03.35. In the intermediate hurdles, Morgan Wilcox ran a 1:10.30 to take fourth, and Lila Miller rose to the occasion and grabbed fifth in the shot put with a toss of 30 feet, 8 inches. On Wednesday, the 'Canes had another fifth-place finisher as Talia Chornoma tied for fifth in the pole vault by clearing 7-6.

Youth Movement
The young Lady Baymen from Hampton Bays look like they'll be a force both at the state qualifier and especially in the future. The 4x800 meter relay team of Sarah Reed, Sarah Greene, Samantha Carey and Melissa Gregory, all of whom will return next year, raced to a fourth-place finish in the Division 3 flight. In posting a time of 10:33.72, the foursome shattered its own school record, set earlier this season.

"Each one of them is a competitor," Head Coach Dave Oakley said. "They have guts. You could see in the straightaway coming in to pass the baton how they were passing people and working hard. I'm very happy with the result, and I know they are, too."

On Wednesday, Carey tied for sixth in the pole vault, clearing 7 feet, 6 inches, while teammate Alyssya Bowen topped seven feet for the first time to grab ninth. Several personal records also fell in the two-day event. Another pole vaulter, Meagan Gunther, topped 7 feet for the first time. Gregory and Reed also beat their previous bests in the 800 and 1,500.

Running the first leg for Westhampton, Karlyn Sabo moves forward alongside a wave of Division 3 entrants.