One day filled with monster performances Friday certainly pleased Taconic Hills junior standout Neil Howard, yet it was hardly enough to quench his competitive appetite. Saturday, Howard backed up three championships captured Friday by adding one state and one Federation championship to his impressive haul at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association meet at Middletown High School.
The 110-meter hurdles is an event Howard was not sure he would attempt to compete in prior to winning it at the state qualifier held at Shenendehowa. Saturday, the junior finished first in the Division II final with a time of 14.86 seconds. He stated prior to the state championships that earning a state championship in the 110 hurdles would be by far his most difficult task when compared to his favorite event — the 400 hurdles — and the pole vault.
“It felt even better than I thought it would. I came in after Day 1 seeded first going into the final but (Hornell’s Brennan Delany) had a better time than me this year,” Howard said. “He got a better start and chasing him down throughout the race felt awesome.”
Howard competed in another 110 hurdles final Saturday, this time in the Federation race, in which he finished fifth. Albany Academy senior standout Bashir Praileau also competed in that race and came in second.
Howard completed his successful weekend excursion to Middletown by capturing the Federation championship in the 400 hurdles with a time of 52.41, a personal record and a new Section II standard in the event.
In all, Howard collected Division II state titles in the 110 and 400 hurdles, earned state and Federation championships in the pole vault, claimed the Federation crown in the 400 hurdles and added the fifth in the 110 Federation hurdles.
“That’s a good weekend,” Howard said.
Up next for Howard is a trip to Oregon for the Nike Nationals,…
Read the full article here