Locci surprised self
Stillwater sprinter overcame injuries for state meet finish
Gianna Locci does not lack confidence competing in track and field. The senior star from Stillwater, however, was lacking prime form entering Friday’s first day at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships at Cicero-north Syracuse.
Locci, who is headed next to compete at Duke University, has been dealing with a myriad of injuries that began during the winter indoor season and festered through the spring campaign. By the time Locci completed competition Saturday afternoon, she had astonished even her most positive expectations entering the weekend.
Friday, Locci teamed with Kelly Moran, Kara Moran and Skylar Rich to secure the Division II state title in the 400 relay. She also won the Division
II long jump championship with a Section Ii-record leap of 20 feet, 6 inches. That mark was the second best wind-legal jump in the United States this spring.
Saturday, Locci stunned herself by taking home the Division II 200-meter title and added the Federation long jump crown to her spectacular scholastic resume.
“The 200 is my weakest event,” Locci said after winning it in 25.08 seconds. “Honestly, I didn’t know how I was running, but I knew it was (really) close. This really is not how I expected my weekend to go.”
For her efforts, Locci has been selected as the Times Union’s Girls’ Athlete of the Week for June 6-11.
After completing her stunning 200-meter triumph, Locci had less than 15 minutes to decide whether to let her series of long jumps from Friday stand for the Federation championships or choose to jump still with the 200 and 400 relay Federations events still to come. She opted to jump and stopped after popping a 20-3 leap on her second attempt, which was good enough to claim the championship.
“I am definitely thrilled with that,” Locci said. “I think it shows that my speed is not where it is supposed to be. Going into college, once I get my speed up, I think it is going to be different.”