Article by PhoenixOnline Staff
Under a full moon, the Lady Firebird track and field team made a statement at the May 1 Herricks Twilight Invitational, capturing attention from Nassau County competitors, coaches, and spectators alike with both their competitive dominance and standout sportsmanship.
The meet opened with a commanding performance in the 400-meter hurdles, where Maya Hadpawat and Harper Lollo delivered a dominant 1–2 finish. Hadpawat set the tone early, breaking the meet record with a blazing 63.1-second run, while Lollo followed with a massive four-second personal best to secure second place.
The momentum continued across the track. Freshman Chrissy Cyrus captured first place in the 400 meters, while sophomore Marley Dyasi added another gold for the Firebirds in the discus throw. In the 1500 meters, Hayden Nolan produced an eight-second personal best to finish second, also helping lift teammates Brooke Corbett and Maddy Forquignon to personal best performances in the same race.
Forquignon later reasserted herself in distance competition, earning second place in the 3000 meters and helping revive the program’s “Iron Woman” tradition of multi-event endurance success.
In the field events, Zuri Louis claimed silver in the shot put, while Molly Freeman added a third-place finish in the discus. The freshman-sophomore 4×100 relay team of Amelise Cearc, Merci Andino, Brianna Mascia, and Kaira Springer also secured a silver medal, continuing a strong showing in the sprints. Mascia added an individual bronze in the freshman long jump, while Andino contributed points in the freshman-sophomore 100 meters.
Charlize Marmol rounded out the sprint podium finishes with a bronze in the 400 meters, and additional medals came courtesy of Gabby Perrotta, Olivia Hosty, and Abby Woodruff, further padding the Firebirds’ growing collection on the night.
According to Coach Brown, “The night served as an encouraging early indicator heading into the championship stretch of May.”
All told, it was a strong and balanced team performance, which showcased the program’s depth across events.
