Pearl River Runners Looking To Build Off Indoor Season

Last year, when Pearl River High School’s Kieran Brennan and Tom Bonaro made it to indoor track and field nationals, they found it a bit overwhelming.

“This year, though, we were able to focus,” Brennan said. “We had more experience and felt less pressure.”

While there last year as part of a relay team, this year they competed in individual races at the New Balance Indoor Nationals, held at the New Balance Armory in New York City in March.

Brennan finished sixth in the national 800-meter race, earning him All-American status. ABonaro also ran the 800, in which he finished 17th.

“It was fun and exhilarating,” Bonaro said. “There were people from all over the country there. Usually you tend to see the same people at all the meets during the season.”

Earlier in the month, Bonaro finished fourth in the 600-meter race at the New York State Indoor Track & Field Championships.

“I’ve been here nine years, and I don’t think we’ve ever had guys finish that high before,” said Coach Gilbert Hawkins.

In their events, both Brennan and Bonaro won their respective league, county and section races before qualifying for nationals.

“They’re both very talented,” Hawkins said. “But beyond that, they both are very tough. They know how to push themselves as far as they can go and build confidence to be at the level they feel they should be at.”

Now the two are preparing for the outdoor track season, the last of their high school careers as both are seniors. Pearl River hosted the Pirate Relays Saturday and will take on Nyack at home at 4:30 p.m. today.

“We’re ready to go,” Bonaro said. “We’re looking forward to all the big time meets we’ve got coming up.”

During the spring season, they’ll travel to meets in California, South Carolina, North Carolina and the Penn Relays. Brennan said last year they were stronger as a relay team than individually during the spring season. This year he said he thinks they’ll still be a strong relay team, but should manage to improve individually as well.

They’ve also got their eyes set on the school record for the 4x800-meter relay race, which they set last year at 7:54. The relay team -- which consists of Bonaro, Brennan, Brenden Bateman and Stephen McNiff -- set the school record for the indoor race during the season, . The indoor record is 7:51.13.

“They can definitely beat it, they’ve been crushing school records all year,” Hawkins said. “Right now they have the week off, and I know they’re just chomping at the bit to get back out on the track.”