Southampton's Ferguson, Reed Both Earn All-County Honors In High Jump

Getting an athlete out of their comfort zone is tough to do, but sometimes it nets great results.

It worked for Southampton junior Bridget Ferguson.

Needing more speed to increase her height in the high jump, Southampton girls track head coach Eddie Arnold and assistant coach Kristen Rea implored Ferguson to move her steps back a few feet during practices leading up to the Section XI Track and Field Championships at Commack High School on Thursday, June 17. Moving her steps back just a bit from 7 to 9 feet was uncomfortable for Ferguson at first, but after trying it a few times she knew she could adapt, and the payoff was well worth it.

Ferguson tied for second place in the high jump with Half Hollow Hills West sophomore Dakota Wang after both cleared 5 feet 2 inches, a personal best for Ferguson by two inches. By placing in the top four, Ferguson earned All-County honors for the first time. Even though she was a Small Schools Champion and state qualifier in the event in 2019, Ferguson was not All-County since she placed fifth.

Ferguson said what made her accomplishment all the better was that she performed well on a big stage after not doing so at the state meet two years ago. Although she would have qualified for states this season, the state canceled all championship meets due to the pandemic.

“I’ve competed at this level before, but I’ve never really performed like I did today,” she said after her event was over. “The competition, the girls here are great — it’s the best of the best really — and it’s just great to compete and there’s such a good fighting spirit, you know? Everyone is super competitive and they love the sport. It’s just great to be here, really.”

Half Hollow Hills East senior Soledad Jean won the high jump county title by clearing 5 feet 7 inches. She was seeded as the top jumper in the county with a personal best of 5 feet 8 ½ inches, but even Jean was having a hard time clearing the bar at points last week. Had she not cleared 5 feet 3 inches on her last attempt, Ferguson would have been overall county champ.

But it was Jean’s ability to jump as high as she can that pushed both Arnold and Rea to get Ferguson out of her comfort zone and try and get her as high as they could. They both gave credit to Ferguson for not only going along with their plan but following through with it as well.

“I try not to reinvent things with her because she’s very calculated. When I say that, I mean she’s a student of the high jump,” Arnold explained. “One would say, why don’t you move this kid back? She needs more speed. But if she’s not ready for more speed, then she’ll think she’s off, it doesn’t feel right. She was so comfortable with the seven-step approach that moving her back to nine was a big deal.

“But look, we’re not geniuses, were coaches,” he continued. “We took a shot at something. Coaching is about decision making and we made the right decision for her — she’s All-County.”

Southampton’s jumpers were on full display at both county meets, as sophomore Derek Reed tied for fourth place in the high jump with Walt Whitman junior Chris Davis the boys Section XI Track and Field Championships which were at Comsewogue High School on Friday. Both Reed and Davis cleared 6 feet, tying personal bests.

By placing in the top four, Reed earned All-County honors and was the youngest in the high jump field to do so. Shoreham-Wading River senior Blake Wehr was expected to win the county title and did so by clearing 6 feet 6 inches.

It was the first time Reed competed at counties, and, in fact, this marked the first season that Reed competed in track and field, according to boys head coach Tony Dottin. Reed had a breakout year and showed off his athleticism this past winter on the varsity boys basketball team. Dottin called him “an exceptional athlete.”

Southampton junior Billy Malone finished ninth overall in the 800-meter run in 2:03.02. Malone had a strong race in what was the first of two heats for the 800. Only mere hundredths of a second separated the top three in the first heat, with West Islip junior John Boniberger (2:02.50) and William Floyd senior Matthew Mullen (2:02.59) finishing just ahead of Malone. But after the second heat, Malone’s time placed him ninth overall.

Dottin said it may not have been Malone’s All-County finish that he was hoping for, but that he has a bright future in track, especially now that he has totally committed to the sport after having played baseball the past few springs.