More than 40 members of the William Floyd School District took part in the 24th annual Smith Point Bridge 5K Run for Literacy on September 6. The event raises funds to support local educational initiatives, including the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library’s Family Literacy Project, the Reach Out and Read program at Sun River Health Center, and the William Floyd High School Scholarship Fund.
Two teams represented William Floyd in the race. Fifteen boys’ and girls’ track athletes from both middle school and high school participated. William Floyd High School freshman Vidal Macchia finished first overall with a time of 16:22.81, more than a minute ahead of the next runner. Macchia also recently won a Junior National Championship Title in the 2,000-meter steeplechase at the USATF National Youth Outdoor Championships over the summer.
Three other student-athletes from William Floyd placed in the top ten overall: Tyler Onza, an eighth grader at William Floyd Middle School, finished fourth; Richard Gielarowski, a senior at WFHS, finished sixth; and Andrew Marino, also a senior at WFHS, finished eighth.
On the girls’ side, WFHS senior Allana Morgan had a time of 23:10.67 and ranked third among female runners. Other notable performances came from Brianna Smith (WFHS junior), Serenity Wenger (WFHS sophomore), Coral Macchia (William Paca Middle School eighth grader), and Anise Cobb (WFHS sophomore).
In addition to students, 28 teachers representing William Floyd United Teachers (WFUT) ran in the event. John S. Hobart Elementary School teacher Julia Mastrup led her team with a time of 21:56.21, ranking first among her WFUT teammates and all female runners in the race. Matthew Van Horne from WFHS posted a final time of 23:10.57.
The day began with members of William Floyd High School Acabella performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" under Donia Rivera’s direction.
Both varsity track teams started their seasons with wins against Brentwood on September 9 under head coaches John Ryan (girls) and Ed Noll (boys). Upcoming meets are scheduled against Longwood, Central Islip, Smithtown, and Middle Country.