Smithtown High Schools (both East and West) have a deep history of successful distance runners. Brendan Martin, Kevin Cawley, Michael Danzi, and even yours truly had performed when the lights were brightest and the meets got more and more competitive.
This Thursday, Junior Doug Antaky was able to etch his name into the history books forever as he had the race of his life, running 9:13 for the 3200m run while placing second and barely dipping under the New York State Super Standard, allowing him to qualify for the state championship meet next weekend.
Up until this point, Antaky was having a story book junior campaign that some kids would hope to have as seniors. He was All-State in Cross Country and has been one of Long Island’s best distance runners this school year.
“Going to the State Qual meet this season was awesome”, said Antaky, “I was looking forward to doing what I was capable of at State Quals and seeing how far I could go with my Outdoor season.” Antaky has faced some stiff competition from Bay Shore's Jake Gogarty all year and he knew he had to make a move early on if he wanted to give himself a chance. He knew he had to at worst hit the state super standard of 9:14.6 for 3200m in order to make it out of Suffolk county and onto the state meet.
“My meet preparation was so much more mental than ever before,” said Antaky, “less mileage and more thought about how I was going to go into this race and the attitude I was going to have. I knew that I would have to have a strong and tough mentality to push through for that top 2 position and if possible that Super Standard of 9:14.6 so I gave it everything I had to make it!”
“I decided to just take the race after about 5 laps,” said Antaky, “I definitely knew that making States was going to be a challenge and I also remember indoor how it felt losing and not (setting a new) pr, so I took that outdoor and went to just make it. I was very on edge about how the race was going to go whether I'd make it or not, but with all the training and hard work I did I was able to qualify.”
Along with good training and gutsy efforts, Antaky seemed to have the gut feeling that he would make it to the state championship meet. “I knew I was having a great day and that I could make it to the States, so I took off and I pushed myself to that finish line and it felt so rewarding to finish the race and know that I made States.” Antaky’s gut decision paid off for him as he was able to place second in the race and set a new personal record and hit the state super standard, guaranteeing himself a spot on the line next weekend at the state championships.
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Doug Antaky (Center) Running in a
Cross Country Meet in 2016 Peter Schieck
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“Getting the 3200 record was something my coach wanted to see me get all year long,” said Antaky, “He knew I was capable of it and wanted me to get it. At first I thought I missed the record by .03 but instead I actually beat it by .03 which was an amazing surprise!”
Antaky now has the advantage of racing against a stacked field and a full year of competition in the 2023-24 track seasons to lower his new record. “Knowing that I am capable of more, maybe that I can break 9, maybe it's possible now that I think I can break 9:10. It's possible but we will see.”
Antaky will compete for the state title in Middletown, New York on June 9th as he attempts to become Smithtown’s first state champion since Michael Danzi won the 1000m race at the 2020 indoor championships before the COVID-19 Shutdown. “I am just really excited to go to States and Nationals,” added Antaky. “I can't wait for this upcoming summer training to start and hopefully we can have one last amazing Cross Country season with my awesome team!”