Sports
Boys Indoor Track: 2011 Syosset Preview
Braves look to replace top talent from a year ago with fresh faces.
Head Coach: Chris Myers (12th Season)
Last Season: 10th in County Championship
Key Returnees: Michael Wilkins, Alex Bertrand.
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Key Newcomers: Ryan Depinto, Adam Struhl, Eamon Sheerin, Tommy Vittucci.
Key Losses: Max Segal, John Locke, Brandon Locke, Ryan Healy, Josh Halpern.
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Outlook: The story of the 2010 – 2011 Syosset Braves Boys Indoor Track team is one of a revolving door. Out the door leaves some outstanding talent, as four New York State Meet competitors are gone.
John and Brandon Locke were the two best pole vaulters in Nassau County. Healy ran in the 1000 meter. Halpern ran in the mile medley.
"Obviously, not having them return is a big loss," coach Chris Myers said. "But we're trying to take a lot of these younger kids and get to the next level."
Those "younger kids" have already shown promise. Some of the programs top freshmen from the fall Cross Country season are entering their first season on the indoor track.
"With their abilities, coming off a really high level Cross Country season, they have some expectation levels for themselves," Myers said of the newcomers. "But they're only freshman, so we don't raise the bar for them. We just progress them along, try to have them improve as we go along from step to step."
Although youth may be the overriding theme, the Braves are not without senior leadership. Tyler Moritz and Zach Corbett are expected to help the younger members improve.
Clearly, the Braves know where they stand. While youth is nice, it might be difficult to compete with some of the top schools in a deep Conference I. Myers thinks his team is a year away from competing with schools like Farmingdale,Uniondale, Oceanside and Freeport.
In years like this one, winning isn't everything. It can't be.
"We don't have a huge expectation as far as scoring is concerned at the conference or county meet," Myers said. "We'd like to get as many individuals into the county championships as possible because that means they had a successful season themselves."
Big Meets to Watch:
Saturday 1/15/2010- Stanner Games @ Armory, Time TBA
Tuesday 2/1/2010 – Conference Championship @ St. Anthony's High School, 6:30pm
Tuesday 2/8/2010 – County Championships @ St. Anthony's High School, Time TBA
Saturday 3/5/2010 – State Championships @ Cornell University, Time TBA
