Stuyvesant’s varsity indoor track team ended their season at the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) City Championships on Friday, February 22. The team placed 22nd overall with 7 points, 35 behind first place Midwood High School. Still, some individual Stuyvesant athletes posted strong performances. Senior and captain Sam Frizell finished eighth in the 1,000 meter run, with a personal best time of 2:38.4. Sophomore Daniel Hyman-Cohen finished third set a school record in the 3,200-meter run, setting a school and personal record with a time of 9:44.5.
Senior and captain Ted Westling finished eighth in the 3,200-meter run, with a time of 10:18.03, only a few seconds off his personal best. Senior Mark Chiusano matched a personal record in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:39.45. “We could have done a little bit better,” said coach Mark Mendes, of the close races.
The 4 x 800-meter relay, in which Stuyvesant placed sixth with a time of 8:18.86, was marred by sickness. Frizell, a member of the four man team, had a heavy cold at the time. “Some of the kids were sick,” said Hyman-Cohen, who is also on the relay team. “Because of it, it was a little disappointing.”
Stuyvesant had much better success at the Manhattan Borough Championships, which were held on Sunday, February 17. The team scored in 14 of the 15 events and won the meet with 209.5 total points, more than twice the 103.5 points scored by second place Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School. Coach Mendes said the margin of victory was the widest he had experienced in thirty-five years of coaching. The victory earned Stuyvesant the title of Manhattan Borough Champion.
The 2008 Indoor Track season was marked by strong performances in distance races. At the Borough Championships, however, the team received strong performances from both sprinters and distance runners. “It was satisfying,” Hyman-Cohen said.
Coach Mendes thought the meet highlighted a successful season and a good all around performance from the team. “That was obviously answered in our overwhelmingly dominant performance at boroughs,” he said.