Ward Melville Track Stars Headed to State, LI Championships

Ward Melville junior Alex Fitzgerald is headed to the New York State indoor track championships, set for March 3, and several of his teammates will join him at the Long Island championships Saturday at St. Anthony's High School.

Fitzgerald, seeded last in his heat, qualified for the state championships after finishing second in the 1,600m race in the state qualifier at Suffolk Community College with a time of 4:30. He finished in first place in the league championship race and second place in the county championships, though he won't run in the 1,600m race on Saturday to rest up for the state meet.

Track coach Jerry Vessichio said Fitzgerald, though a bit of an underdog, has a tremendous work ethic that helped him run past his competition.

"It's not easy to get to the state tournament," Vessichio said. "One of his strengths is his work ethic ... and he puts in the miles."

A pair of Ward Melville shot putters, seniors Kenny Troy and Mathias Burner, will compete for Long Island titles.

The 4x800 relay squad, consisting of Fitzgerald, senior Alex Michaels, junior Christian Welch and junior Lloyd Webb, will also compete in the Long Island championship, as will the 4x400 relay squad, consisting of Troy, senior Jonathan Bogia, junior Connor Christian and sophomore Austin Pierce.

Fitzgerald and Troy also earned All-County track honors this season.

The team will run without one of its top performers, sprinter Vincenzo Battaglia, who suffered a pulled groin in the league championships. Battaglia, a senior who will run for UConn next year, is expected to be healthy for the spring track season.

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to cite Alex Fitzgerald's correct standing in school as a junior rather than a senior.