SUMANDOR DeFREESE
Suffern High School
Class of 1968
The Rockland County record in the long jump had been on the books for 20 years in 1967, when Suffern's Sumandor DeFreese made his bid to capture a New York State title and take down the longest-standing County record in the process. He missed the first goal by a single inch, finishing second in the NYSPHSAA meet at Buffalo with a distance of 23 feet, 6 inches – just off the winning mark of 23-7 by Gil West of Hempstead, Long Island.
Sumandor did, however, attain his second goal, shattering the revered County record of 22-9 set in 1947 by Hall of Famer Robert White of Nyack. Sumandor's series of jumps at the State meet included three other outstanding marks – 23-3, 22-11 ½ and 22-11. West, a national-caliber athlete who later that season finished fifth in the triple jump at the Golden West Invitational, recorded only one jump farther than 23 feet.
The 1967 spring season was Sumandor's first taste of track & field. Then a junior, he was persuaded to try the jumps by Ralph Consiglio, his coach in football and track. His debut season proved highly successful as he went unbeaten in the long jump during the dual meet season and claimed the Rockland PSAL title as well as the championship in the Hudson Valley Relays, a talent-laden invitational meet hosted by New Paltz. His only losses in his flagship event came at the Section 9 State Qualifier, a runner-up finish behind Tappan Zee's Joe Rotella, and the State meet silver-medal performance. [He did not compete in the Section 9 Class B meet.] Sumandor's winning 22-5 ½ effort in the dual meet with Nyack showed he was capable of challenging the County record when the championship meets rolled around.
In the triple jump, Sumandor won six of seven dual meets and placed second in the RCPSAL, Section 9 State Qualifier and Hudson Valley Relays meets. It took a County record to defeat him at the RCPSAL meet, as Clarkstown's Jim Muise hop-step-and-jumped 45-9 ½ to set the standard and overshadow Sumandor's fine 45-1 ¼ runner-up showing. For his season-long excellence, Sumandor received first-team All-County honors in the long jump and second-team recognition in the triple jump.
Coming off a promising junior year, Sumandor set his sights on a State championship in the 1968 spring season. He began auspiciously by sweeping the long and triple jumps in the dual meet with Nyack, bounding out to 45-5 ½ for the second-longest triple jump in RCPSAL annals up to that point. Misfortune struck shortly thereafter, however, as Sumandor injured his back playing basketball the night before the Nanuet Relays, causing him to miss about a week and a half. In his first meet back, he aggravated the injury in a dual meet with Nanuet, in which he swept the horizontal jumps but with marks inferior to his customary standards – 20-5 ¼ and 42-5 ½. The back injury, coupled with a case of shin splints, ended his season prematurely and concluded his jumping career.
Sumandor was a three-sport athlete at Suffern, punting for the football team under Coach Ralph Consiglio and playing guard for the basketball team under Coach Ed Kolakowski. In track, he was joined by his younger brother, Aroz.
During his working days, Sumandor, who is 73, held jobs as a chemical plant worker and truck driver, both based in Paterson, N.J. He suffered a stroke five years ago that has impaired his speech and restricted his mobility. Sumandor was born and raised in Hillburn and is now retired and living in Charlotte, N.C. He has two adult daughters, Jenera and Nadja, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Sumandor did, however, attain his second goal, shattering the revered County record of 22-9 set in 1947 by Hall of Famer Robert White of Nyack. Sumandor's series of jumps at the State meet included three other outstanding marks – 23-3, 22-11 ½ and 22-11. West, a national-caliber athlete who later that season finished fifth in the triple jump at the Golden West Invitational, recorded only one jump farther than 23 feet.
The 1967 spring season was Sumandor's first taste of track & field. Then a junior, he was persuaded to try the jumps by Ralph Consiglio, his coach in football and track. His debut season proved highly successful as he went unbeaten in the long jump during the dual meet season and claimed the Rockland PSAL title as well as the championship in the Hudson Valley Relays, a talent-laden invitational meet hosted by New Paltz. His only losses in his flagship event came at the Section 9 State Qualifier, a runner-up finish behind Tappan Zee's Joe Rotella, and the State meet silver-medal performance. [He did not compete in the Section 9 Class B meet.] Sumandor's winning 22-5 ½ effort in the dual meet with Nyack showed he was capable of challenging the County record when the championship meets rolled around.
In the triple jump, Sumandor won six of seven dual meets and placed second in the RCPSAL, Section 9 State Qualifier and Hudson Valley Relays meets. It took a County record to defeat him at the RCPSAL meet, as Clarkstown's Jim Muise hop-step-and-jumped 45-9 ½ to set the standard and overshadow Sumandor's fine 45-1 ¼ runner-up showing. For his season-long excellence, Sumandor received first-team All-County honors in the long jump and second-team recognition in the triple jump.
Coming off a promising junior year, Sumandor set his sights on a State championship in the 1968 spring season. He began auspiciously by sweeping the long and triple jumps in the dual meet with Nyack, bounding out to 45-5 ½ for the second-longest triple jump in RCPSAL annals up to that point. Misfortune struck shortly thereafter, however, as Sumandor injured his back playing basketball the night before the Nanuet Relays, causing him to miss about a week and a half. In his first meet back, he aggravated the injury in a dual meet with Nanuet, in which he swept the horizontal jumps but with marks inferior to his customary standards – 20-5 ¼ and 42-5 ½. The back injury, coupled with a case of shin splints, ended his season prematurely and concluded his jumping career.
Sumandor was a three-sport athlete at Suffern, punting for the football team under Coach Ralph Consiglio and playing guard for the basketball team under Coach Ed Kolakowski. In track, he was joined by his younger brother, Aroz.
During his working days, Sumandor, who is 73, held jobs as a chemical plant worker and truck driver, both based in Paterson, N.J. He suffered a stroke five years ago that has impaired his speech and restricted his mobility. Sumandor was born and raised in Hillburn and is now retired and living in Charlotte, N.C. He has two adult daughters, Jenera and Nadja, six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.