Syosset High Boys Track Preview

Syosset Boys Track

Head Coach: Bart Sessa (17th season)

Last Year: Fifth in county

Key Returnees: Sr. Ryan Healy (800m-1500m), Sr. Max Segall (1600m, 3200m), Sr. Josh Halpern (1600m), Srs. Jon and Brandon Locke (pole vault),  Soph. Evan Kappatos (shot put, discuss).

Key Newcomers: Jr. Gary Go (110m and 400m hurdles), Jr. Yaro Macchai (110m and 400m hurdles).

Key Losses: None (No seniors scored in county championships last season.)

Outlook: Sessa's tenure has had some historic moments, including a 2005 4x800m team that set a national record. (It was broken last year). But he admits that the trend of high schoolers specializing in fewer sports means fewer athletes coming out for track. As for those who are here, Segall is coming back from a stress fracture that forced him to miss the winter indoor season. Healy was an All-County selection last year, and Halpern was a state qualifier in the mile. The Locke twins are the top pole vaulters in the county, and Kappatos finished second in the county in shot put as a freshman. This year Sessa has a group of freshman distance runners who he thinks could someday make that 2005 4x800m team proud. 

Note: The way the schedule ended up, the state championships fall on the same day as the prom, which may force some athletes to make a tough decision. 

Quote: "They're just as good as [the 2005 team] was when they were freshman," Sessa says of his young distance runners. "It's just a question of how they develop, and can I not screw them up."