Mount Sinai's Nicholas Vaccaro wins four events, fuels 5th straight team title at Suffolk track championships

Now that Nicholas Vaccaro’s body is no longer stopping him, nobody is.

The Mount Sinai junior won all four events at the Suffolk Class D outdoor track and field championships on his own home field on Friday, helping his team score 187 points and win its fifth consecutive team county title. Vaccaro’s workload was slightly unusual, but he managed it perfectly to continue what has been a strong spring of ascent.

His day began with him clearing 12 feet, 6 inches to win the pole vault and then claimed the title in the 100 meters in 10.94 seconds. Later, he sprinted a 22.28 to win the 200, capping off his perfect individual day before running the second leg of the Mustangs’ victorious 4 x 100-meter relay, which won in 43.53.

Vaccaro, a football player in the fall, has dealt with many difficult injuries throughout his athletic career. He has missed lots of time during his brief track career, which began last spring during his sophomore year, with injuries to both of his hips and his back. In February, his indoor season ended early when he suffered an injury at the small schools county championships.

Now, simple stretching routines have helped turn Vaccaro into a star on the Suffolk track and field scene. He is tied for second in the county in the pole vault with a season best of 14-0, and now has four gold medals to prove his talent.

“This is awesome; I feel blessed,” Vaccaro said. “I’m super happy, and I’m happy to contribute to this Mount Sinai legacy. It just feels great to finally have a season where I can just train and compete all the time . . . I’m really proud, and I love having all of these different events because if one thing feels off, I’ve at least got some confidence elsewhere.”

Vaccaro’s classmate, Daniel Paolella, won the triple jump (45-1 ¾) and the long jump (21-7 ½). Port Jefferson senior Sviatoslav Zalizniak was another double champion, taking the 400 hurdles in 56.25 and the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 10:37.91. 

Alexa Jacobs led the charge for the Port Jefferson girls. The senior won all three sprints, taking the 100 in 12.08, the 200 in 24.64 and the 400 in 56.6.

She has only run the 400 one other time this year, but she took on all of those events just to try and give her team a chance at winning its first county title since 1998 — which is exactly what wound up happening. Port Jefferson finished with 139 team points.

“Even in our dual meets, I’ve never done the 100, 200 and 400, so it was definitely a new experience,” Jacobs said. “I was going to do any event to help my team get as far as we can, so I hopped in the 400 just to see how it went. I’m really proud of myself, but also of my team, because they push me in practice, so without them, I wouldn’t be able to do this.”