Andrew Senf, Anthony Anatol rack up titles, lead Ward Melville to Suffolk Class A track and field crown
Ward Melville's Anthony Anatol, right, edges out teammate Andrew Senf to win the 3,200-meter run during the Suffolk Class A outdoor track and field championship on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Commack High School. Credit: Brittney Dietz
Anthony Anatol and Andrew Senf are not just among the best distance runners in Suffolk — they are the best. No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, to be exact. It has been that way all school year, from cross country season all the way through outdoor track and field.
And with Suffolk’s dynamic duo running for the same team, the Ward Melville boys track and field team decided to take full advantage of that embarrassment of riches on Tuesday. The duo placed top two in all three distance events in the Suffolk Class A championships in Commack, combining for 54 of Ward Melville’s 121 points en route to the team title.
Their day began with Anatol winning the 3,200 meters in 9 minutes, 39.3 seconds, edging out Senf by 0.18 seconds. Senf later won the 800 in 1:58.38, followed by Anatol with a 1:59.29. Senf then captured the 1,600 title in 4:26.93, ahead of Anatol’s 4:28.65.
“My main goal was to score as many points as possible, because we were going after that team title,” Senf said. “I think that really fueled me today. It’s also really cool to get some of that recognition, individually. It’s just awesome to have all of that dedication pay off.”
To secure the team’s first track county championship since spring 2021, Anatol ran the third leg and Senf anchored Ward Melville’s 4 x 800-meter relay to victory, winning it in 8:25.46. Junior Ty Buonomo and senior Luke Jantzen ran the first two respective legs.
“It feels great, and it is a testament to the amount of work we put in, not only this season, but over the past three years,” Anatol said. “I always joke that Andy and I are the best duo in New York, and I feel like today helped show that. It’s just awesome that him and I can play such a strong role in a goal that our team has had for years.”
Ward Melville also got 10 points from senior Joglanio Alcindor’s victorious 10.68 in the 100. Patchogue-Medford senior Evan Fraser bested Alcindor (second place) with a 21.54 in the 200 and also won the 400 in 48.13. Commack senior Anthony Pisciotta threw the discus 174 feet and the shot 55 feet, 4 ¾ inches to win both events.
Longwood's Aderinsola Adebajo competes in the discus throw during the Suffolk Class A outdoor track and field championship on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at Commack High School. Credit: Brittney Dietz
On the girls’ side of the meet, three familiar faces won a pair of championships: Bay Shore senior Maggie McCormick, Sachem East junior Bella Galeas and Commack freshman Leah Harris.
McCormick won the 1,500 in 4:33.2 and the 3,000 in 9:27.36. Galeas won the 400-meter hurdles in 1:03.63 and flew 18-3/4 to take the long jump. Harris won the 200 in 25.66 and the 400 in 57.76.
Longwood freshman Aderinsola Adebajo came out of nowhere to win the shot put. Her win helped Longwood win the team title with 151.5 points.
Adebajo entered the meet as the fifth seed with a career personal record of 33-4. She went into her final throw of the day in third place, trailing Commack junior Alexa Rosenbach by two feet and nine inches.
On her final attempt, she launched one 38 feet — the best mark all year by a Suffolk thrower, moving her to No. 2 on the Long Island leaderboard.
“I thought, ‘You know what? I have nothing to lose,’ ” Adebajo said. “I started crying after. I learned there to never give up, and that I have so much more in me. I’m never going to doubt myself ever again.”
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.
