Wheatley’s Fieldman ends season on high

Richard Tedesco

Concluding a track season that included personal bests in high jumping and high hurdles, Wheatley School junior Ariel Fieldman took home all-state honors in the 100-meter hurdles two weeks ago.

Competing among the top 20 athletes in her events, Fieldman finished in the top six runners in the high hurdles, and finished second among Nassau County high school student athletes in the high jump.

It was the third straight year that Fieldman, Wheatley track captain. has competed in the state track competitions, which was held this year at Caledonia Mumford High School upstate in Caledonia, N.Y. But the lanky Wheatley athlete said she still gets a case of the jitters before she competes in either event.

“It’s always scary. You always get a little nervous. It’s a lot of pressure but it’s fun,” she said. “You get a chance to see if all your hard work has paid off.”

Fieldman said she also enjoyed the camaraderie of the competition, having made friends among other athletes she’s encountered upstate over the past three seasons.

The opportunity to strike up friendships always occurs during the high jump competition, when there are longer intervals between the young athletes taking their runs at the bar.

“You have to wait for your turn to go and you hang out with the other people. It’s nice to know the other people you’re competing against,” Fieldman said.

She finished her season at the Long Island Meet Champions on June 13 with two third-place finishes, equalling her personal best in the 100-meter high hurdles, coming in at 15.7 seconds.

Earlier this season, Fieldman high- jumped a personal best of 5-feet, 3 inches at the Wheatley Invitational Track Meet this year and first clocked her personal best in the 100-meter hurdles in the Valley Stream Invitational. Both finishes were also Wheatley records in those respective events.

She said she plans to compete in meets put on by various track and field associations over the summer. And thinking ahead to a track career in college, she’ll be visiting Lafayette College in response to an invitation she received from that school.

At home, she said, her family is taking her latest outstanding performance in the state competition in stride, but she noted that her father, Bruce, flew up to Caledonia to watch her compete.

When Fieldman is not doing track, Fieldman plays guard on the Wheatley girls basketball team. She’s also an accomplished pianist who performed in the Wheatley Jazz Band.

“She’s probably one of the best athletes ever to come out of Wheatley. She keeps breaking her own records,” said Wheatley Girls Track and Field Coach Joseph Kelly. “She’s great to coach. And she works with the younger girls.

Fieldman will be attending a track camp this summe and Kelly said she would likely be competing in the pentathlon, consisting of the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, long jump, half-mile and shot put.

The Wheatley captain had competed in the event during last year’s season and had excelled in the individual events at various meets this year.

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