CICERO – All spring long, the East Syracuse Minoa track and field teams have altered all of its record books – and would do so again, in a big way, during Thursday’s Section III state qualifying meet.
On the same Cicero-North Syracuse Bragman Stadium venue where the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships take place next weekend, the boys and girls Spartans had sensational efforts.
There was Michael Parks, in the boys 110 high hurdles, shattering the sectional record to win the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.06 seconds, establishing himself as the favorite for the state title.
This followed a 4×100 relay where Parks, paired with Rocky El, Dan Tovar and Aidan Hirt, went 42.96 seconds to knock off favored Baldwinsvile (43.15) and set another school mark. And in the 4×400, Hirt, Tovar, LeShaun Benjamin and Caleb Byrd ran to victory in 3:27.35.
El qualified for the state meet in the 100-meter dash with his preliminary-round time of 10.94 seconds before finishing fourth in the final and finished fifth in the 110 hurdles.
Over in the girls Division I meet, ESM’s 4×100 relay team of Evani McDuffie, Sophia Jackson, Rylie King and Kaleigh Maloof won in a school-record 50.42 seconds, nearly a full second ahead of Rome Free Academy’s 51.34.
In the girls high jump, Rhiannon Butchko set her own school record and cleared 5 feet 6 inches to win that event as no one else did better than 5’3″.
Akuot Kuany, who tied for third in the high jump, broke her own school mark to win the 100 hurdles in 15.56 seconds, while Aryanna Finkelstein was second in the shot put, heaving it 33’7 3/4”, while Margaret Mading had a second-place triple jump of 35’8 1/2”
Jackson was third in the discus with 100’3”. McDuffie was third in the 100 in 12.94 as King (13.13) was fourth. Amber Hayes was fourth in the 400 hurdles.
Elsewhere for ESM, Kevin Hasty was third in the boys shot put, heaving it 42’7”, while Luke Mancini tied for seventh in the boys pole vault and Arianna Brennen was sixth in the girls long jump.
Fayetteville-Manlius saw its 4×800 relay team of Hannah Kaercher, Isaablle Adrian, Izzy Sullivan and Amelia Amack win in 9:16.47, nearly half a minute ahead of runner-up Liverpool (9:44.45).
Then, in the 3,000-meter run, Kaercher went 9:55.47 to beat out Sullivan’s second-place 9:58.12 as Kaercherwas second in the 1,500-meter run in 4:34.23, while Natalee Barber was second in the 100 hurdles in 15.65 seconds behind Kuany.
Wren Usiatynski cleared 11’2 1/2” in the pole vault, just behind the 11’6” from Central Square’s Ella Dolce. Debbie Lucchetti was third in the Division I 2,000 steeplechase in 7:55.80, with ESM’s Rachael Ladd fourth in 7:59.51.
Jamesville-DeWitt had Caleb Smith victorious in the boys long jump, his leap of 22’3” beating out, among others, El, who was third with 21’10” as Parks went 21’1 1/2” for fifth place.
Nick Dekaney went 14.61 seconds in the 110 hurdles to finish second to Parks, while Sam Smith’s 1:59.67 put him second in the Division I 800-meter run and Alex Martinez was second in the 3,200-meter run in 9:53.11.
Ashton Corona took second among Division I runners in the 3,000 steeplechase in 10:35.34, just ahead of F-M’s Daniel Patrick (10:38.97) in third.
J-D’s Sean Rigdon scored 2,392 points in the pentathlon, fourth in Division I, while on the girls side J-D’s Brooke Hulbert was fourth with 2,301 points and F-M’s Brigid Teaken (2,242) sixth.
The girls Red Rams also had Madeline Carter, Jaden Clemons-Butenko, Victoria Payne and Norah Kirch finish third in the 4×400 relay in 4:18.09. Maeve Murphy was fourth in the long jump and Payne took fifth in the 400 sprint.
For the F-M boys, Denim Hall got an impressive win in the high jump, clearing 6’3 1/4” as teammate Trevor Krukin was fourth with 6′ feet.
Krukin, Anthony Otis, Will Seamans and Nolan McGinn took second in the 4×800 in 8:03.25 and J-D was third in 8:30.82. McGinn, in 4:27.65, and Otis, in 4:27.73, were just behind Baldwinsville’s Solomon Holden-Betts (4:27.04) in the Division I 1,600-meter run. Connor Ball was third in the 400 hurdles in 58.98 seconds.
In Division II (small schools), Christian Brothers Academy had a sensational effort, the boys winning the 4×400 by having Aiden Duggan, Cooper Groat, Bruce Broadwell and Chris Zajdel prevail in 3:29.70.
Groat was second in Division II in the 800 in a state-qualifying time of 1:57.83. Williams was third in the 200 and fourth in the 100 as Zajdel was fourth in the 400 and Michael McMahon second in the 3,200 in 9:59.58.
CBA’s girls team won the 4×800 as Grace Fletcher, Claire Krueger, Mia Ludington and Bella Cannizzo went 9:47.78 as no one else went under 10 minutes. Fletcher was sixth in the 400 sprint in 59.81 seconds. Bishop Grimes had Rosalie Vincent finish third in the Division II 200 in 25.81.
