Bronxville wins state title in 4x800 relay, lacrosse sectional crown to cap decorated spring

Bronxville athletics just wrapped up one of the most stacked springs in program history — a state championship, back-to-back sectional crowns, a lacrosse run to the state final four, and enough hardware to fill a trophy case twice over.

The Headliner: A state title on the tracks

The moment everyone will remember came in June at Webster Schroeder High School, where Bronxville's girls' 4x800m relay team blazed to the Class C state championship. Senior Finlay Rowan, Emerson Dennis, Ella McCalla and junior Carina Winiecki crossed the line in a season-best 9:18.52 — nearly 15 seconds faster than their winning time at the New York Relays back in April.

"We made sure to stay positive and remember what we were there for," Winiecki said. "We were seeded 2nd going into the competition but felt confident in winning based on our individual performances throughout the year."

Winiecki brought it home with a blistering 2:16 anchor leg. Rowan, headed to Washington University this fall, set the tone with a personal-best 2:18 to open the race.

More track stars shine

The boys had their own breakout star in John Sekula, named Westchester County Track Athlete of the Year. He came within a hundredth of a second — well, 0.11 seconds — of a state title in the Class C 400m hurdles, clocking a personal-record 54.25 to finish second behind Byron-Bergen's Colin Rea. Sekula earned All-State honors and will run at Williams College next year.

Teammate Matthew Jensen wasn't far behind in the spotlight, setting a new Bronxville school record in the steeplechase (9:27.56) at the Section 1 Class C Championship before taking silver at states.

Girls' head coach Alex Barraco said the team showed real grit at states, pushing through a three-hour lightning delay before the relay even got underway.

Both the boys' and girls' track programs swept their Class C League and Section 1 championships this spring. The boys' squad, under coach Brian Halling, has now won every single league and sectional title — indoor and outdoor — for four straight years, on top of back-to-back Westchester County Indoor Championships in 2025 and 2026.

Lacrosse makes a deep run

On the field, the boys' lacrosse team gave rival Pleasantville no chance in the Section 1 final, then rolled through regionals before finally meeting their match against top-ranked Cold Spring Harbor in the state final four. Under head coach Patrick Henderson, the Broncos finished the season ranked No. 4 in New York, according to laxnumbers.com.

Leading the charge were captains Thomas Freeman (Team MVP), Nick Martinelli (Offensive MVP) and Brady Dolan (Defensive MVP), all of whom earned All-Section honors. Four Broncos — Freeman, Martinelli, Dolan and girls' lacrosse captain Charlotte Murray — were named USA Lacrosse Academic All-Americans. Murray also earned USA Lacrosse All-American honors, with All-State selections still to be announced in July.