Zariel Macchia, a ninth grader at William Floyd High School, is at it again – accomplishing great feats in the high school running world. This past weekend, against a talented field of nationally-ranked athletes including two Olympic Trial qualifiers, Macchia placed second in the Eastern States Championship Race at the Manhattan College High School Invitational with a time of 14:33.6 in the 2.5-mile finals held at the fabled Van Cortlandt Park, perhaps the most famous cross-country course in the world.

“Words cannot describe how incredible her performance was,” said head coach John Ryan. “She is truly one of a kind.” 

Macchia continues to rack up the accolades. As an eighth grader in the spring 2021 season, she won the Suffolk County Division I Girls’ Cross-Country Championship, the Suffolk County Class A Girls Cross Country Championship and earned the Suffolk County Female Runner of the Year honors. She was also named one of the “Top 25” cross country runners for the fall of 2021 by Newsday. In September, she won—for the second time—the annual Smith Point Bridge 5K Run for Literacy race. Macchia also continues to excel in her academics and is involved in various extracurricular activities involving math, science, art and photography.

Along with her teammates, Macchia is now gearing up for the division championship race on Oct. 26, the state qualifiers on Nov. 5 and the state championships on Nov. 13.