GIBSON, MUNIZ CAPTURE GOLD AT ECC CHAMPIONSHIPS

Freshmen Jeanette Gibson and Chris Muniz won individual titles to spearhead STAC’s performances at the East Coast Conference Track & Field Championships, held May 5 at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point.

Buoyed by Muniz’s triumphant effort in the 400-meter dash and his runner-up finish in the 200, the Spartans chalked up 39 points to place fourth in the men’s team standings. Gibson was a point-scoring machine for St. Thomas, winning the shot put, placing second in the discus, and earning a third-place bronze medal in the javelin. The STAC women compiled 24 points to place fifth in the ECC.

The STAC thinclads enjoyed their finest outing of the season en route to setting five school records. Every Spartan who competed in the meet scored, a first for St. Thomas. Gibson (North Rockland H.S./Pearl River, N.Y.) led the way for the women, breaking her own school records in the shot put (38 feet, 6 ¼ inches) and discus (106-7) and just missing her mark in the javelin (80-3 ¾). Gibson also won the shot put at the indoor ECC’s in February, thus giving her a clean sweep of the shot put gold medals this year.

Muniz (Suffern H.S./Suffern, N.Y.) outlegged a stellar field of sprinters to clinch the 400-meter championship in 50.24 seconds, an outdoor school record. He returned later to place second in the 200 meters in 22.62 seconds, crushing his former school standard of 23.01. Fellow freshman Mike Valentine (Walter Panas H.S./Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) also had a productive day, running a personal-best 50.94 for third place in the 400 and 23.39 for fifth place in the 200.

Sophomore James Strysko (Suffern H.S./Hillburn, N.Y.) continues to make great strides in a new event for him, the javelin. He finished second with a school-record toss of 131 feet, 9 inches, bettering his previous mark by more than 13 feet. Sophomore Andrew Spanos (Burke Catholic H.S./Campbell Hall, N.Y.) turned in his best showing in his two-year track career at STAC, placing fifth in both the mile (personal-best 4:40.52) and 800 meters (2:04.18). Fellow soph Rafael Ortiz (Spring Valley H.S./New City, N.Y.) also scored in the mile, taking sixth place in 4:46.35.

The Spartans will wrap up their season on May 12-13 at the IC4A/ECAC Championships at Princeton University.