At the Class A Section 1 Championship on Saturday, February 10th, the excitement among the members of Scarsdale girls track and field was palpable as the girls broke two school records and claimed a section championship.

The night began with a stellar 1000m performance by Aliza Mehlman ’19, who not only placed 4th in the section with a time of 3:00.98, but shattered the 26-year-old school record by four seconds. She used a pacing strategy designed by Coach Vincent Modafferi, along with the pacing of other runners in her heat, to improve her time by six seconds. Mehlman recalled the final moments of her race: “As I came down the final straightaway, I glanced at the clock and saw that it was a very real possibility that I could break the record. I looked up at the Armory’s big screen to see my final time and was ecstatic.” Coach Modafferi attributed her success to “her work ethic, coupled with her competitive nature.”

Mehlman could not linger on the victory for long, though, because she was to compete in the girls 4x400m relay a few hours later. The relay members, including Mehlman, captain Sierra Donovan ’19, Elizabeth Elcik ’19, and Sophia Franco ’20, also broke a school record. Their final time was 4:08.75, including Donovan’s relay-leading split time of 59.72. Outside of their fast and competitive practices, the athletes utilize a more unconventional method to get ready for the relay: “To specially prepare, we have a dance that we all made up at practice together to the song ‘Barbie Girl.’ We all smile and laugh together as we jokingly do the awkward dance in unison. It really made us feel bonded right before we stepped onto the track,” said Donovan. The relay will make sure to repeat this ritual before State Qualifiers this weekend.

The night ended strong as Brooke Bensche ’19 won a sectional championship by finishing first in the high jump event, with a final jump of 5’3”. “I feel pretty confident going into State Quals, because it is pretty similar competition, and I feel like I have a good sense of my competitors and what to expect,” said Bensche. She plans to rest and work on technique this week to prepare for this weekend.

Despite an incredible meet, including personal bests from several other teammates, Scarsdale girls track and field will not rest on its laurels. “We are going to continue with our normal training and stick to our plan,” said Modafferi. Hopefully the momentum gained this weekend will carry them through State Qualifiers!