Half Hollow Hills West girls track and field's Abigail Oyeleye wins Suffolk triple jump title
Half Hollow Hills West’s Abigail Oyeleye competes in the triple jump during the Suffolk girls indoor track and field small school championships on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 at Suffolk Federal Credit Union Arena in Brentwood. Credit: Kathy M Helgeson
It is easier to succeed in a comfortable environment, and nobody quite brings comfort like a close friend. Half Hollow Hills West sophomore Abigail Oyeleye can attest to that.
Oyeleye won the Suffolk small schools indoor track and field triple jump championship by flying a personal-best 38 feet, 2 ¼ inches at Suffolk Federal Credit Union Arena on the campus of Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood Saturday. Oyeleye’s career day can be attributed to several things (hard work, athleticism, etc.), but perhaps the biggest thing that played into the victory was second-place finisher Jasmin Joseph.
Joseph, a junior at Hills West, is Long Island’s top-ranked triple jumper, as she entered Saturday’s meet with a season-best jump of 38-3 — tied for fourth in the state. She placed second with a 37-2 ½ jump on Saturday. Joseph and Oyeleye have been friends since the fall of 2022, when the two were running middle school cross country together. They have spent a lot of time together since - spring seasons side by side doing the triple jump, and then summers and falls training together.
The only break they would take from each other was the during the winter, when Oyeleye would play basketball. After Joseph spent last spring and summer lobbying her to give up basketball for indoor track, Oyeleye finally gave in.
“I’m really grateful I made the decision,” Oyeleye said. “It was really hard. I played basketball growing up, and I still love it and had so many good friends, but I knew I was going to have to pick between the two. Over the summer, Jasmin and I were training a lot and I just realized that track is what I want to do throughout high school. I love track so much because nobody dictates your results quite like you do.”
Jumping one after the other at their meets has brought out the best in each of them, as they spend their competitive days together in a constant cycle of cheering for each other while also trying to outdo one another. That perfect mixture of comfort and competition has elevated the two to become Long Island’s premier triple jumpers.
“We both push each other, and we’re both each other’s moral support,” Joseph said. “It’s nice to know that we have someone who we’re close with in the same event.”
“It’s nice to have someone who understands you, too,” Oyeleye added. “People will watch a jump and tell me, ‘You didn’t jump bad,’ but they don’t know because they’re runners. I can always talk to Jasmin because she’ll always know where I’m coming from.”
Hills West may have taken the top two in one event, but Eastport-South Manor junior Maddie Laezza was the top one in two events. She was the only double individual champion, starting with a victory in the 3,000 meters in 9 minutes, 51.5 seconds. Later, she defeated Harborfields junior Sayla Fives in the 1,500 in 4:45.62. Earlier in the day, Fives won the 1,000 in 3:02.29.
Laezza’s 3K time immediately became the new No. 5 mark in the state. It was only the second 3K of her high-school career, and 20.17 seconds faster than her previous try. She was a sprinter before this season, but found her niche as a distance runner during her historic first cross country season that saw her break the county record at Sunken Meadow State Park twice.
“I could never have seen this coming,” Laezza said. “It’s so cool to be a county champion. This was always my goal as a sprinter, but last year, I wasn’t even All-County, and this year, I’m the double county champion. That’s just so cool and so rewarding.”
After winning its first team outdoor track and field county championship last spring, Hauppauge won its first indoor county title in program history with 88 points. Its biggest source of points was the 1,500-meter walk, where it placed the top three finishers, headlined by senior Katherine Dituro in 7:28.55. The Eagles’ 4 x 200 relay team of junior Cecelia Moccia and seniors Alexandra Wetterhahn, Ava Dellicurti and Rachel Budke won in 1:49.42.
Port Jefferson made the most of what it has on its roster. Within minutes of one another, senior Mehana Levy won the shot put with a throw of 33-4, junior Salome Maginier took the 55 hurdles in 8.9 seconds and senior Alexa Jacobs claimed the 55 in 7.16 seconds.
After Jacobs completed the Port Jefferson trifecta, the three shared a celebration. The moment was especially meaningful for Maginier, who transferred to Port Jefferson this year after finding her high-school career was not progressing at Comsewogue. That move is working out, as Saturday’s race was the first time she had ever broken nine seconds. It also marked her first county title.
“There was a lot of jumping and smiles; I was about to cry a little,” Maginier said. “It’s the best feeling. You don’t get this feeling that much. I know I have work to do, but it’s great to know that all those hours I put in weren’t for nothing.”
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
