Malone Carves His Own Path, Which Leads To All-Federation Honors

A simple day at the beach in the summer before his eighth-grade year changed Billy Malone’s life.

He was at Coopers Beach in Southampton Village when he came across Southampton varsity boys and girls cross country coach Eddie Arnold and his son Saintino Arnold, Malone’s classmate.

They started chatting, and Malone revealed that he was having trouble deciding what sport to play in the fall, wondering if he should follow in the footsteps of his two older brothers, Tommy and James, and play soccer, or switch it up and join the cross country team. Saintino Arnold convinced Malone to join the squad, knowing that while Malone was a talented all-around athlete at several team sports, he would be successful as a long and middle distance runner.

Two years later, Malone made another transition, trading in his baseball uniform after his freshman season for a spot on the outdoor track and field team. While his sophomore season was quickly cut short because of the pandemic, Malone made the most of his final two years as a Mariner athlete, culminating in a trip to the New York State Track and Field Championships on Friday and Saturday, June 10-11. At Cicero North Syracuse High School, Malone competed in three events — the 800-meter race, the 1,600-meter race, and the 4x400-meter relay — earning All-State and All-Federation honors in his signature event, the 800.

Malone finished third in Division II (Small Schools) in the 800 with a time of 1:56.17, just a second off his personal-best and school-record time of 1:55. The third-place finish among Division II runners not only secured Malone All-State honors (the top six in each division earn a medal and are named All-State), but it was also good enough for him to grab All-Federation honors, by finishing eighth in the federation, which encompasses not only all runners from Division I (large schools) and Division II (small schools), but also from all the parochial and private schools in the state. It essentially means he is the eighth-fastest runner in the 800 among all male high school athletes in the state.

According to Malone, finishing in the top six to “medal” was his main goal going into states. Earning All-Federation honors was a completely unexpected bonus, he said.

“I didn’t even know that was a thing,” he said on Monday, just a few days after returning from the trip upstate. “I don’t think that was on anyone’s radar, so I was really pleased with that.”

Later that day, Malone ran the anchor leg for the 4x400-meter relay team, which was led by senior Harrison Gavalas, who handed off to junior Evan Simioni, followed by Saintino Arnold, before Malone brought it home. The quartet, which won the county title a week earlier, did not have its best time of the year, finishing ninth in 3:32.64, but Malone said it did not diminish what was a strong season for the relay team.

“It was a goal to make it to states, and obviously we wanted a bit more, but it just didn’t happen,” he said. “We got the county championship, so I think we’re pretty happy.”

Malone also competed on Saturday, running in the mile race, finishing just one spot out of a medal by taking seventh in 4:24, a personal best time.

Another Mariner senior, Ryan Smith, had a successful outing at states. He took fifth and earned a medal in the high jump, clearing 6 feet, matching his personal best height for the year. Smith had been seeded several spots lower, so his fifth-place finish was a pleasant surprise, head coach Tony Dottin said.

Of the six Mariner athletes who attended states — Malone, Arnold, Simioni, Gavalas, Smith and 4x4 alternate Max Murch — all but Simioni are seniors, meaning it was the final competition of their high school careers.

Malone will continue running cross country at Loyola College in Maryland, where he will join his two older brothers, who are also students there. Malone said that if someone had told him several years ago that he would take a different path than his brothers, foregoing soccer and baseball — two sports, along with basketball, he said he always assumed he’d play throughout high school — he wouldn’t have believed it, but he said he’s glad he took the chance.

“I have to thank all the coaches I’ve had over the years in any sport,” he said. “They all really helped me, and saw my potential and helped me uncover it.”