They were caught flat-footed.
A Long Island track prodigy and her family were shocked to learn she was banned from racing in an upcoming New York state championship over a razor-thin technicality.
William Floyd High School senior Zariel Macchia, a prospective Olympic hopeful , was deemed ineligible after competing in the recent Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational with collegiate athletes.
The loophole, according to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association handbook, is that the athletes Macchia raced against were “representing a college.” Had the same runners entered independently, Macchia would have had no violations, according to her father, Peter Macchia, who is investigating legal action and appeals ahead of the March 8 competition on Staten Island…