Leading off today: West Islip’s wildly successful run in boys lacrosse was interrupted Saturday with a
season-ending loss to Farmingdale -- 10-9 in overtime -- in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A quarterfinals.
Farmingdale won on senior midfielder Mike Perettine’s transition goal with 2:26 left in OT at Stony Brook University. Sal Tuttle fed Perettine the ball and the senior pushed up the left side before firing the winning shot.
The goal snapped the 40-game winning streak of West Islip, the two-time defending state champion and winner of four of the last five championships. West Islip rolled to a 13-1 victory over Farmingdale in last year's quarterfinals.
No hurdle too high: Ward Melville's Mary Kate Anselmini set the national girls high school record in the 2,000-meter steeplechase Saturday, clocking 6 minutes, 33.01 seconds at the Section 11 state qualifier at Port Jefferson. Suffern's Shelby Greany has set the mark of 6:33.70 in 2009.
"It's more (what happens) between the barriers that counts," she told Newsday. "You could be the most beautiful hurdler in the world, but if you're not fast between the hurdles, so what?"
Anselmini, a senior, lost most of the indoor season and the start of spring to a foot injury, and her Long Island record was broken by North Shore junior Brianna Nerud (6:40.80) last week.
"I'm over the moon," Anselmini said. "I didn't think this would happen today, but my coach told me [before] that amazing races happen when you least expect it. It was there for the taking."
Perfect season: Cold Spring Harbor's Josh Levine defeated defending champion Jeremy Court of New Rochelle 6-4, 6-2 to win the NYSPHSAA boys tennis championships at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
Levine was 28-0 this season.
"This is amazing," he told Newsday. "Every kid who plays high school tennis dreams of this. I'm lucky enough to have accomplished it, and right now, I feel on top of the world."
Said Seahawks coach Paul Poschmann: "I could cry right now. It's the best match I've ever seen him play. This is well-deserved."
