When the New York State outdoor track and field championships returned for the first time in three years last week (the event was canceled the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic), two North Fork athletes were among the competitors.
Mattituck freshman Casey Szczotka and Southold sophomore Olivia Misiukiewicz competed in the Division II pentathlon and high jump, respectively, in the meet that was held Friday and Saturday at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.
Szczotka placed fifth with 2,471 points in the pentathlon behind Red Jacket’s Madalenn Fee (3,088), Tully’s Emma Byrne (2,783), Waterloo’s Chance Rice Porter (2,745) and Johnson City’s Emery Guzyk (2,480). Those top four are all seniors except for Guzyk, a freshman.
In the pentathlon’s five events, Szczotka came in fifth in the 800 meters (2 minutes, 35.40 seconds), fourth in the 100 hurdles (17.02), fifth in the high jump (4 feet, 7 3/4 inches), seventh in the long jump (14-8) and 11th in the shot put (20-11 1/4).
Meanwhile, Misiukiewicz cleared 5-0 to finish in a tie for seventh with four other Division II high jumpers. She cleared her first attempts at 4-6, 4-9 and 5-0 before failing on three tries at 5-3.