Bonac girls cross-country team made history last week.
In its 29-28 win over Kings Park at home on Sept. 15, 11-year-old Zoey Falkenhan became the first seventh grader ever to participate in a varsity sport at East Hampton High School. Todd Gulluscio, the district’s new athletic director, introduced a new process this year that allows seventh graders who are exceptional athletes to play at the varsity level. Falkenhan finished the 2.5-mile race third overall and second for Bonac, with a time of 16:55, leaving no doubt that she’s running where she belongs. “And running so tough,” Diane O’Donnell, the coach, said after the meet.
“She’s been running well and I’ve been trying to keep her back, but I said to her, ‘Do what you feel today.’ And she did! She started a little farther back. She was cautious, but she pulled it out in the end. She had a great race. She’s a great kid.”
Nearly a full head shorter than her teammates, Falkenhan stood out at the starting line, but she wasn’t the least bit intimidated about joining the varsity team or being the youngest athlete at her first meet. She was all smiles afterward, especially with her entire family waiting for her at the finish.
“It was really special. I love how they come and support me,” said Falkenhan, who’s also a big fan of her new teammates and her coach. “Captain Laura [Martinez] has been really supportive and telling me good tricks about how to be a better runner. And all the girls are just super positive and are really supportive. Coach is really great. She’s super competitive and is really nice and a great coach. I really like her.”
“It’s so cool. I’m so proud of her,” said her mom, Amy Falkenhan. “She puts in work after school and works hard, so it’s just nice to see her having fun and smiling.”
Zoey says she uses positive self-talk and tries to control her breathing during the longer and more competitive high school races.
“I felt strong and I felt good,” she said. “I’m still getting used to it, but I’m setting goals for how I want to race and what times I want to be at. I probably want to break 20 minutes for a 5K. I think I did good. I think I was almost there and I ran strong.”
Her dad, Neil Falkenhan, is excited to see how she does at the Suffolk Coaches Invitational at Sunken Meadow State Park on Saturday.
“She hasn’t run at Sunken Meadow yet. That’ll be a different experience for her. It’s a really hard course. So we’re looking forward to that,” he said.
Coach O’Donnell is also excited to see what Zoey can do with the Bonackers this season. She was a crucial part of the team’s one-point win over Kings Park, its first victory in two years. Last season, the girls forfeited every one of their meets because they only had four runners on their roster.
“We have a team. We have a good team,” Coach O’Donnell said. “If we had one more kid, we’d have a great team. But this is what we have this year and I’m happy with it. They’re in it. They’re not just running, they’re in it.”
The girls’ next home meet is Oct. 6 at 4:30 p.m. against Rocky Point.
