Southampton's Duggal Wins League Title in 600; Cerullo Ties Girls 55-Meter Dash School Record

Christian Duggal is a league champion.

The Southampton sophomore won the 600-meter run at the boys League V Championships at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood on Saturday, crossing the finish line in 1:27.19.

Duggal, who is the top sophomore runner in the county, according to his head coach Tony Dottin, was the big bright spot for the Mariners who came into the meet on Saturday shorthanded with a number of student-athletes having prior commitments. Duggal also helped the 4x400-meter relay team place third in 3:51.22. He was joined by sophomore Jacob Warden, senior Thayer Schwartz and junior Tanner Marro on that team. Dottin said Duggal has a really good shot at possibly winning a Small Schools title this season and could very well reach the state qualifier, which is in a couple of weeks.

Thomas Armandi, a junior, was the only other Mariner to score a point on Saturday. He did so by placing fifth in the shot put with a throw of 38 feet, 1 ½ inches.

There were a few athletes who finished just outside the top six scoring placements. Warden finished seventh in the 300-meter dash in 40.24 seconds and Schwartz finished seventh in the 600, the same race Duggal won, in 1:32.08. The 4x200-meter relay team also finished seventh in 1:52.41.

A 16-year-old record is holding on for dear life.

At the girls League V Championships at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood on Sunday, Southampton junior Kyla Cerullo tied Anyse Bonner’s 2007 school record in the 55-meter dash at 7.64 seconds, which placed her third in the league. Head coach Eddie Arnold, who has been at the helm of the girl’s team for both Bonner and Cerullo, said it’s been a tough record to take down over the years but Cerullo has had her sights set on it since the beginning of the season.

“All of her hard work, extra time staying late after practice, is paying off,” he said. “She’s staying true to the blueprint. She’s peaking at the right moment and when she wants something, it shows.”

Arnold said he wouldn’t be surprised if Cerullo breaks the record at any of the remaining three meets, the Art Mitchell Invitational, the Small Schools Championships or the state qualifier.

Cerullo also ran the final leg of the 4x200-meter relay that, for the second year in a row, won the league title. Freshman Emma D’Italia led off the race for the Mariners, followed by senior Emily Zukosky and junior Diamond Brown before Cerullo crossed the finish line in 1:58.10, which is a season’s best. It’s also faster than last year’s team, which won it in 1:58.47.

Brown also competed in and scored in the 55-meter dash with Cerullo, qualifying for the finals where she finished sixth in a personal best 7.95 seconds. Jeorgiana Gavalas, another junior, placed sixth in the 3,000-meter race in 11:43.90. Sophomore Emma Suhr finished the 1,000-meter race in a personal best 3:31.47.

Lili Telvi, a sophomore, and freshman Hayden Gilmartin both ran personal bests in the 1,500-meter race, crossing the finish line, respectively, in 5:56.37 and 6:03.61. Logan O’Neill finished the 300-meter dash in a personal best 58.98 seconds. Sophomore Xanthi Lazarakis placed fifth in the 1,500-meter race walk in a personal best 10:04.44.

Zukosky had a personal best leap in the triple jump at 30 feet and senior Lily Esposito also had a best in the same event at 27 feet. Freshman Jenifer Cruz (23 feet, 9 ¾ inches) and senior Vanessa Reyes (18 feet, 1 ¾ inches) each had personal bests in the shot put. Elizabeth Terry finished the 1,000-meter race in a personal best 4:03.11.