
Suffern’s Kamryn McIntosh is congratulated by her coach Jeff Dempsey after she broke the national record for the 600 meters during the Section I class AA and C championships at the Armory in Manhattan on Feb. 17, 2015. (Photo: Ricky Flores/The Journal News)
NEW YORK – Remember this name. Patrick Watts will — at least until he washes the autograph from his arm.
Kamryn McIntosh: Sophomore, Suffern High School.
Kamryn McIntosh: National record holder.
The Mountie ran 600 meters in 1 minute, 28.78 seconds to break the girls’ 10-year-old national indoor mark by nearly half a second Tuesday at the Armory during the Section I Class AA and Class C championships .
“At first I thought I was a little tired and was hearing things,” McIntosh said of her name being announced over the PA as the new record-holder. “Then I saw the time on the board and just was very, very happy.”
McIntosh’s previous best was 1:34.
Suffern coach Joe Biddy, who initially thought McIntosh looked “too relaxed,” quickly realized she was running a fast pace.
“She got a gift from the gods,” he said, referring to the fact McIntosh’s mother was a quarter-miler and 600-meter runner.
Suffern senior Imani Solan broke her own Rockland record in the 300 meters, running 39.45 and, in the same race, broke the 300-yard record she shared.
Pleasantville’s Watts, who sported McIntosh’s autograph on his arm, won the boys Class C 600 (1:26.50) and 1,000-meter runs (2:40.10) and anchored the Panthers’ C-winning 4×800 team (8:53.96).
North Rockland’s Katelyn Tuohy broke her own state mark in the 1,000 for seventh-grade girls when winning the AA race in 2:56.36.
North Rockland’s Tarique Wilson took the boys Class AA 55-meter hurdles in 7.67.
Rai Benjamin had a better day than he did in the Millrose Games, where he was nipped at the tape by North Rockland’s Wyatt Brooks in the boys 4×400 relay.
The Mount Vernon senior won the Class AA 55-meter dash (6.50) with Brooks second (6.55); won the 300 (34.04) and ran the first leg of the 4×400 as his team, which also included Shaquille Dacres, Robert Romney and anchor Cody Housen, won in 3:22.86.
But the North Rockland boys and New Rochelle girls won the AA team titles, each completing a league/county/section sweep. Bronxville won the C girls title and Pleasantville won the boys title .
New Rochelle was outright dominant in the girls Class AA weight throw and shot put. In the weight throw, Monae Cooper won (50 feet, 9 1/2). Teammates Sochima Bishop, Jessica Jeffrey and Mijera Manuel finished second, third and fourth, respectively. Cooper also won the shot (37-07) with Manuel second and Bishop third.
The North Rockland boys went 1-2-3 in the AA shot put. Eric Favors won (61-11) and Stanley Johnson was second and Sean Smahaj third.
Bronxville swept the girls 600-meter run with Caroline Kirby first (1:40.56), Hilary Rizzo second and Kirsten Ircha third. Rizzo, a senior, passed Ircha on the first turn of the final lap and challenged Kirby before the sophomore found another gear.
“ It’s really challenging to be able to compete with such great friends,” Kirby said.
The three and Carlie Hoffer later teamed to win the C girls 4×400 relay in 4:23.69.
Bronxville’s Delia Hayes ran 3:04.40 to win the Class C girls 1,000-meter run. Teammates Olivia Scotti and Hoffer were second and third, respectively.
Hayes topped Scotti by more than six seconds.