Bronxville Track and Field Teams Bring Home State Gold in the Girls’ 4x800 relay and Silver Medals in the Steeplechase and Hurdles
The girls’ 4x800m State Championship relay team. Photo submitted by C.Winiecki.
By S. Quinn DeJoy and J. Murrer
June 17, 2026: The track and field teams traveled to Webster Schroeder High School in upstate New York this past weekend to compete against some of the best athletes in the state. After enduring long travel hours and weather delays, the Broncos returned home with 27 NYSPHSAA and Federation medals in nine different events, highlighted by a state championship in the girls’ Class C 4x800m relay.
“We are so proud of the athletes,” said Coach Alex Barraco. “It was a challenging weekend with strong competition, weather delays, thunderstorms, and long drives, but they stepped up and performed when they needed to.”
The Bronxville girls’ 4x800m relay arrived at states ready to compete, but before they could line up at the start, they had to wait out a three-hour lightning delay.
“We made sure to stay positive and remember what we were there for,” said junior Carina Winiecki. “We were seeded 2nd going into the competition but felt confident in winning based on our individual performances throughout the year.”
The relay delivered a standout performance, winning the Class C state championship and placing 8th in the Federation in a season-best time of 9:18.52.
“After winning New York relays back in April with a time of 9:32, we came back at states to take the win with almost a 15-second difference overall running a 9:18,” said Winiecki. “We were not only able to celebrate a first-place podium finish and All-State Federation title, but also a massive improvement across all four legs.”
The 4x800m relay on the podium at the state championships. Photo submitted by C. Winiecki.
Senior Finlay Rowan, who will run at Washington University in the fall, led off with a personal-best 2:18 split. Emerson Dennis and Ella McCalla followed with 2:21 splits on the second and third legs before Winiecki anchored the relay with a 2:16 split.
Winiecki also competed the 800m, placing 2nd in Class C and 20th in the Federation in 2:16.37. 
Carina Winiecki on the podium for her 2nd place finish in the 800m. Photo submitted by C. Winiecki.
The girls’ 4x400m relay of Bea Hogue, Kara Kochansky, Siena Angelani, and Drake Benton placed 5th in Class C in 4:02.03, less than three seconds behind champion Marcellus (3:59.81). Kochansky also ran the 200m race placing 12th in 26.73.
Also competing at states were Jane Ircha who placed 14th in Class C in the pentathlon; Elizabeth Conlon, who placed 15th in Class C in the steeplechase; and Eva Mihova, who tied for 5th place in Class C in the pole vault.
John Sekula on the podium for his 2nd place finish in the 400m hurdles. Photo by Raymond Sekula.
For Bronxville hurdler John Sekula, this meet marked the third time he qualified for the New York State Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Sekula, the Section 1 Class C champion in the 400m hurdles, entered the meet as the No. 2 seed in the state.
His race plan for the day was straightforward: maintain control of his form, avoid stuttering between hurdles, and clear each hurdle cleanly.
“I wanted to keep my pace over the first seven hurdles and was able to do that,” said Sekula. “I had to slow at the eighth hurdle so I didn’t hit it, but I went over the ninth and 10th smoothly.”
As the race entered the final stretch, Sekula found himself in 2nd place and focused on chasing down the leader, Noah Erickson of Frewsburg.
“My coach and my dad were yelling and cheering me on,” said Sekula. “Typical of my race, I was not in the best place at 300m, but I usually catch the person in front of me in the last 20. I gave it my all. I caught the guy in front of me but was then worried the guy behind me was going to dive and beat me. I had never dove before, but I tried to dive and do the best I could.”
The dramatic finish was nearly a photo finish. Sekula crossed the line in a personal-record time of 54.25 seconds, while Colin Rea of Byron-Bergen edged him out for the title in 54.14.
“I was upset I didn’t win, but it’s hard to be angry with such a big PR.”
Sekula also placed 5th in the 110m hurdles with a time of 15.21.
The finish line in the 400m hurdles at the NYS Championships. Photo by Raymond Sekula.
Competing against some of the best hurdlers from schools of all sizes the Federation championship the following day, Sekula placed 6th to earn All-State recognition. He has had incredible success this spring winning the Section and County Champion and was recently named Westchester County Track Athlete of the Year. Sekula will continue his track career at Williams College in the fall.
The boys’ team has had tremendous success over the last four years winning every league and sectional title in both indoor and outdoor track and field. The Broncos also won the Westchester County Indoor Championship in both 2025 and 2026.
Eight athletes from the boys’ team competed at the state championships last weekend including Matthew Jensen who placed 2nd in Class C in the 3000m steeplechase and 5th in the Federation in a time of 9:29.46. Jensen won the Section 1 Class C Championship in late May, setting a new school record with a time of 9:27.56.
The boys’ 4x400m relay team, Javier Tomala Reidel, Spencer Martin, Teo Valdes, Grant Patterson, placed 4th in Class C in a season-best time of 3:26.45. The 4x800m relay, Will Hogue, Julian Gonzalez, Matthew Jensen and Grant Patterson, placed 4th in Class C in 8:02.29, also a season-best time.
The 4x400m relay (Top row l to r): Javier Tomala-Reidel, Spencer Martin. (Bottom row l to r): Teo Valdes, Grant Patterson.
"Our relays all ran their best times of the season,” noted Coach Brian Halling. “To have all four groups of distinctly different athletes, with only one individual competing on multiple relays (Grant Patterson), come together and run their best times of the year when it mattered the most is just such a testament to their grit and hard work throughout the season.”
Bronxville athletes also competed in several field events. Among Class C competitors, Zijun Xu placed 11th in the discus, and Henry Scholes placed 12th in the shot put, and Will Bringle finished 9th in the pentathlon.
Boys’ Results
John Sekula — 110m hurdles (5th in Class C), 400m hurdles (2nd in Class C, 6th in Federation)
Zijun Xu — Discus (11th in Class C)
Will Bringle — Pentathlon (9th in Class C)
Henry Scholes — Shot Put (12th in Class C)
Javier Tomala-Reidel — 4x400m relay (4th in Class C)
Spencer Martin — 4x400m relay (4th in Class C)
Teo Valdes — 4x400m relay (4th in Class C)
Grant Patterson — 4x400m relay (4th in Class C), 4x800m relay (4th in Class C)
Will Hogue — 4x800m relay (4th in Class C)
Julian Gonzalez — 4x800m relay (4th in Class C)
Matthew Jensen — 3000m steeplechase (2nd in Class C, 5th in Federation), 4x800m relay (4th in Class C)
Girls’ Results
Eva Mihova — Pole Vault (Tied 5th in Class C)
Jane Ircha — Pentathlon (14th in Class C)
Carina Winiecki — 800m (2nd in Class C), 4x800m relay (Class C Champion, 8th in Federation)
Elizabeth Conlon — Steeplechase (15th in Class C)
Kara Kochansky — 200m (12th in Class C), 4x400m relay (5th in Class C)
Drake Benton — 4x400m relay (5th in Class C)
Beatrice Hogue — 4x400m relay (5th in Class C)
Siena Angelani — 4x400m relay (5th in Class C)
Finlay Rowan — 4x800m relay (Class C Champion, 8th in Federation)
Emerson Dennis — 4x800m relay (Class C Champion, 8th in Federation)
Ella McCalla — 4x800m relay (Class C Champion, 8th in Federation)
Go Broncos.
