Calhoun Girls Track Team Wins School’s First Conference Championship

Sanford H. Calhoun High School’s girls track and field have never captured the conference title before. That was until May 1, when they clinched a perfect 13-0 season, earning the school its first such title.

The day started off strong for the ladies as junior captain Paige Sfiroudis captured second place in the 400m hurdles along with the 100m hurdles. She also won the long jump and is currently ranked No. 2 on Long Island and No. 7 in New York State.

“In true leader form, senior captain Cristin Rodriquez would take three first-place finishes on the day: the 100m hurdles, 100m dash and triple jump,” said coach Joseph Migliano.

This was Rodriguez's last chance to compete for a conference title.

"I just wanted to help the team where I could, and earn something special that our school has never achieved,” said Rodriguez, who is currently ranked No. 2 in New York State for the 100m hurdles.

The throwers for Calhoun took first, second and fourth in discus and first, second and fourth in shotput, adding some serious points for the team. Those ladies include Julianne Losquadro, Julissa McCloud, Jamie Campanelli, Madison Padro, Victoria Unz and Jamie Campanelli.

“Not to be outdone by the upperclassmen the freshmen had a stand-out day as well,” said Migliano.

Lisa Jose dropped more than a full second to run a 12.9 and take third on the 100m dash along with a 27.7 in the 200m dash to take third.

“She is a very special athlete, the sky is truly the limit with her and I know she's going to have a very bright future in track and field,” Migliano said. “She is without question one of the fastest freshmen in all of Nassau County.”

Jose also anchored the 4x100m relay to victory. Along with Jose, Calhoun has a freshman middle distance runner that gets faster each time she steps on the track — Elizabeth Tuzzolo ran another personal best in the 400m dash in a time of 63.6 seconds, grabbing her team a well-needed finish in that event. Tuzzolo has dropped more than five seconds on her time since the beginning of the season and is one of the fastest 400m freshmen in Nassau County.

The Calhoun sprinters didn’t stop there. The 4x100m team of Mia Advocate, Dana Brown, eighth-grader Kristina Losquadro and Lisa Jose dominated the relay and put the meet well out of reach for any other team.

“This was a very special day for Calhoun,” Migliano said. “The ladies set a goal at the beginning of the season and they went out each week to meet it.”

Photo: Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District