Leading off today: Tommy Gruenewald of Fayetteville-Manlius won the boys' 3,200 meters on Friday in a time of 9:03.09, highlighting the first day of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association track and field championships.
The girls' 3,000 meters was captured by Roslyn freshman Emily Lipari in 9:45.64, just ahead of Meaghan Gregory of Burnt Hills (9:47.38).
The meet wraps up Saturday with a heavy schedule at Dietz Stadium in Kingston. As always, there is plenty of more extensive information, including pictures from the meet, at TullyRunners.com.
Teen's April death an accidental overdose: A Staten Island track star who rubbed BenGay-like products on her aching legs died of a rare overdose after she applied too much of it, The New York Post reported.
Arielle Newman, 17, a standout senior distance runner at Notre Dame Academy, died April 3 after she used a combination of creams. They contained methyl salicylate, an anti-inflammatory found in products like BenGay, according to the city medical examiner's office.
The result was what amounted to an overdose of aspirin, said Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the medical examiner.
Newman died in her parents' Castleton Corners home after she had been to a party with friends. Alice Newman said her daughter had used Ultra Strength BenGay and possibly other topical analgesics on her legs to help recover between track meets.
"It goes to show that not everything you can buy over the counter is safe," Dr. Germaine Rowe, director of pain management at Staten Island's Healthcare Associates in Medicine, told The Advance.
Johnson & Johnson, the maker of BenGay, did not return calls for comment, the newspaper said.
Bad reviews for coach: Parents and students are describing Ward Melville soccer coach Matthew Foster as "volatile" in the aftermath of his arrest.
Foster, a gym teacher at Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School in Setauket, stands accused of duct-taping a freshman student's legs together, leading to a fall in which the student suffered a broken arm.
