East Meadow's Zaria Hall has eventful couple of days on and off track, wins two races at state qualifier

Zaria Hall was trying to escape from a “Senior Assassin” Wednesday. One of the state’s best runners didn’t exactly come out of it unscathed.

“It’s like when people run around shooting people with water guns,” the East Meadow senior said of playing the “Senior Assassin” competition. “It’s like a game and you win a prize if you win. The school doesn’t run it. It’s run by students. But a lot of the senior class participates, and I’m still [one] of the few kids that are left.

“I was outside my house and someone was running toward me, and I jumped in my friend’s car and I slammed the car door on my leg. It was like bruised and swollen [above the right ankle].”

“But he didn’t get me,” she added proudly. “I’m still in. They have your location and they can get you anywhere except school. School’s a safe zone.”

The track is usually a winning zone for the girl who will be taking her considerable talents to the University of Miami. But she had some things to overcome to get to that zone in the Nassau qualifier at Syosset for the state track and field championships.

After the mishap, and after suffering what was believed to be a bone bruise in her left foot that kept her out the first month and a half, and after thinking she possibly didn’t drink enough water, Hall didn’t have a peak performance Thursday. Yet she still easily ruled the 800 meters in Class A, crossing at 2 minutes, 11.70 seconds.

“My legs felt a little tight,” Hall said. “I didn’t feel my best. I was hoping for a little more. It was about the time, not really the place for me. I’ve had some obstacles this season . . . I’m just trying to work through it and perform to my best.”

She felt the new injury “definitely” held her back, saying, “I could feel it. I tried to put Biofreeze all over it, but I could only do so much.”

Then came Friday. And wouldn’t you know she banged that leg again on another friend’s car door?

But she wasn’t feeling right overall in the heat for her 1,500 race — tight and tired, and her stomach was cramping. And yet she easily won that one, too, in 4:34.68.

“I felt tighter than [Thursday],” Hall said. “I just wasn’t feeling it. Definitely hydration. I have asthma. I felt like I couldn’t really breathe a little bit. I was feeling fine the first lap, but then my legs start to feel really tight. I just started to feel tight all over. And, honestly, I get bored in the 1,500.”

Hall — a four-time county champ in the 800 and a three-time champ in the 1,500 and 3,000 — was the state Class A runner-up in the 1,500 and placed third in the 800 last spring.

Asked if she thinks she can win either event this time at the state meet next weekend at Webster Schroeder, she responded with a forthright, “No.”

“I feel like if I was where I needed to be and my training was where I needed it to be, I definitely think I would be the biggest contender in the 1,500,” Hall said. “But with everything going on, I think I could place somewhere definitely in the top five.”

Hewlett's Phillips chasing state's 400 crown

Nylah Phillips didn’t compete for Hewlett as a junior last spring, running instead for dad Sean Phillips’ Awesome Power Track Club. But she was back racing around the track for the Bulldogs this spring.

“It was my last year being at my high school,” Phillips said. “I just wanted to be on the team, experience that love again from my teammates.”

There was a lot to love about her performance Thursday. The Georgia Tech commit won the Class B 400, turning in the best time regardless of class at 55.64.

“I’m really excited for state champs,” Phillips said. "I think I have a pretty high chance. My main goal for this season is to be Federation champ.”

Phillips took Nassau AA titles in the 400 and the 200 last month, but she won’t be running the 200 at the state meet after being scratched in the event for the qualifier.

“I know that I have a pretty good chance to be state champ, Federation champ, in the 2, but I really want focus on the 400 at states,” Phillips said. “I don’t want to have anything else tiring me out.”

Roosevelt's Cameron heading upstate

Her distance of 36 feet, 9 3/4 inches in the shot put didn’t thrill Nefertari Cameron. The Roosevelt junior expected to set a personal record for herself, to beat 38-9. But her placement in the standings worked out just fine.

Cameron posted the farthest throw overall and won Class B, clinching her trip to the state meet.

“Obviously, states is a big deal,” said Cameron, who moved from Queens to Roosevelt around the fifth grade. “Honestly, it means a lot to me [that] I get to go because in the town that I grew up in, not everybody gets to go to big meets like this and go to states. So it’s truly a blessing.”

Impressive efforts

Valeria Paez set a Hewlett girls record in claiming the Class B 800. The junior crossed at 2:15.26 . . . Baldwin’s Savannah Stephenson won the Class A 100 (12.39) and 200 (24.78) . . . Sewanhaka’s Zoe Amadike took the Class B long jump (18-0) and triple jump (40-2 1/4).