When all is said and done William Floyd High School senior track & field star Zariel Macchia will be remembered as one of the greatest athletes to ever compete in Suffolk County and Long Island, and she made sure to make us all know that right until the end of her high school career.
Macchia had a great showing at her final NYSPHSAA New York State Championship meet as she won the Class A and Federation championships in the 3,000-meter run. She finished with a final time of 9:26.55. She wasn't done there as she also finished second place overall in a tightly contested 1,500-meter run, coming just milliseconds short of winning the state championship. However, her final time of 4:22.76 secured her the Class A championship for the event.
Head coach John Ryan said “Zariel has many State Championship titles to be proud of, but this past weekend was her most impressive performance of her storied high school career as she raced with an ankle injury that would have sidelined most competitors.”
Macchia has been on top of the mountain for most of her career and it's fitting that her high school career ends with her once again standing above her competitors. She has broken numerous school and state records, won countless local and state championships and has earned some of the highest forms of recognition a student-athlete could hope to achieve. William Floyd's website said that "She has cemented her place as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, student-athletes William Floyd has ever seen."
That is high praise but it's hard not to be extremely impressed with everything she has accomplished. Macchia will now continue her career on the Division I collegiate level as a member of the Brigham Young University Cougars this fall.