Commack's Alexa Rosenbach wins Suffolk shot put title with best throw on Long Island this season

Since the start of the track and field season, there has been lots of competition for the top spot in the girls shot put on Long Island. Entering the winter season, Deer Park’s Nadia Elsergany owned that distinction. Connetquot’s Luna Valencia, North Babylon’s Ciara Hunte and Sacred Heart’s Natalia Taylor all made bids for that ranking throughout the winter, but Malverne’s Makayla Boubert ultimately grabbed it.

Then came the outdoor season, where more competition came from lesser-known candidates. Roosevelt’s Nefertari Cameron overtook the whole island, and then Longwood’s Aderinsola Adebajo took the No. 2 spot on Long Island and topped Suffolk’s leaderboard in the Class A county championships.

Now Long Island again has a new best female shot putter. Commack junior Alexa Rosenbach threw the shot 38 feet, 9 ½ inches at Comsewogue High School in Port Jefferson Station on Day 1 of the Suffolk outdoor track and field state qualifier to win the overall and Class A sectional championships. The victory qualified her for the public school state and Federation championships at Webster-Schroeder High School in Webster on June 13-14.

That aforementioned competitiveness — and specifically, the Suffolk Class A championships — pushed Rosenbach to where she is now. She was all set to win the county title that night after throwing a then-personal-record 37-3: a two-foot, three-inch improvement. That momentarily moved her atop Suffolk and just behind Cameron on the Long Island leaderboards. However, on Adebajo’s last throw of the day, she threw the shot 38 feet to steal both rankings — and the county title — from Rosenbach.

“Obviously, it was so well deserved, but it did make me angry,” Rosenbach said. “I felt like I was able to use that anger into the throws today. Whenever someone gets a higher score than me, it just burns something in me.”

Making the state meet is a big accomplishment for Rosenbach, who also plays center for Commack’s basketball team. Last year, as a sophomore, she suffered a Jones fracture in her left foot, which sidelined her for the entire 2025 spring track season, stunting her development.

Knowing all of that, she is surprised to be here now.

“I never thought I would be going to states,” Rosenbach said. “I started track as a freshman thinking it was another season to keep me busy. This is a comeback season for me, and it feels so great, honestly.”

Fives stars for Harborfields

Only five girls championship events took place on Day 1. Most races were preliminaries to qualify for a championship race on Day 2. Still, Harborfields junior Sayla Fives found time to turn heads.

After trailing Connetquot senior Olivia DiGaetano for the first 6 ½ laps of the 3,000 meters, Fives emptied the tank on the final lap and overtook her to win it in 9 minutes, 43.53 seconds. She was also the top finisher from Class B, while DiGaetano took second overall and first in Class A in 9:46.4.

Fives is primarily a 1,500-meter runner, so her victory over the county’s best 3K runner was not expected. Her time on Thursday was a personal record by 13.15 seconds.

“Olivia has had such a great season, so before this, I was eyeing her and I knew she’d have a great race,” Fives said. “But I knew what kind of fitness I was in, so I just took a chance and it feels great. The confidence this gave me going into states is really great because I know how much more I can put out there.”

Brentwood's Asare: Double champ

There were many more sectional champions on Day 2 on Friday, but only one girl placed first overall in multiple events: Brentwood senior Gabriella Asare. She won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.29 and later pulled off a major personal record to win the 400 hurdles in 1:02.56. She also won Class A in both events.

Both wins were difficult for different reasons. In the 100 hurdles, Asare had to contend with Longwood senior Victoria Paris, who outranks her by nine hundredths of a second and defeated her in the Suffolk Class A meet last week. In the 400 hurdles, she entered as the top seed at 1:05.09, but five other girls were within one second of her.

Asare said she felt some pressure entering Friday, as it was her last chance to win a sectional title. Knowing that, she locked in for one last local meet and conquered it.

“My mindset was kind of low, but I realized that I should go all out — it’s my senior year,” Asare said. “I’m just so grateful and thankful for my coaches and parents for pushing me, and myself as well for always staying motivated and pushing myself, no matter how bad I lose or how bad my times are. I never stop believing in myself.”

Bay Shore's McCormick: No. 1 in 1,500

The 1,500 was a fast race, as Bay Shore senior Maggie McCormick ran a New York No. 1 to win it in 4:19.01, followed by Eastport-South Manor Maddie Laezza with a New York No. 2 of 4:21.66. McCormick was also the top Class A finisher, while Laezza — who won the overall 800 in 2:10.1 — paced Class B. Fives finished third overall in 4:34.77 and also qualified.

It was only McCormick’s second 1,500 of this spring — the first being in 4:33.2 at the Suffolk Class A meet.

“I knew that I had something bigger in me, but I definitely was not expecting such a big jump,” McCormick said. “My training has been really consistent and I think just building week after week has given me lots of both mental and physical strength. I wasn’t planning on running super hard today, but after the first 300 meters, I felt good and thought that I want to end my final race on Long Island on a memorable note.”