AUBURN – Once more, the ‘Laker Cup’ is staying in Cazenovia, thanks to the work of the girls track and field team.
Cazenovia opened its 2024 season season Wednesday by rolling past Skaneateles 122-19 and also getting past Auburn 93-48 in a meet the Maroons hosted at Holland Stadium.
In doing so, Cazenovia retained the Laker Cup, a treavling trophy that resides with the winner of the most recent dual meet in spring track and cross country. The current win was the 10th in a row for the “Eastern Lakers” dating back to the fall of 2018.
What made it more impressive for Cazenovia was that it does not have a home track this spring. The Lakers spent the preseason practicing in the gym, in local parks and on streets near their school.
Many of the girls were competing in their events on an actual track for the first time during the meet, but it hardly mattered.
Susie Pittman led the team with four first-place finishes, including State Qualifier eligible performances in the pole vault (9 feet 6 inches) and triple jump (34’9”. She also won the 400-meter dash in 1:02.50 and the high jump by clearing 4’8”.
Claire Marris was a double winner on the track, capturing the 100 meter hurdles in a State Qualifier time of 16.98 seconds and the 200 meter dash in 27.91.
Elsewhere, Marris also took second in the 400 hurdles (1:17.38) and helped the 4×100 meter relay of Audie Spring, Izzie Stromer-Galley and Meghan Mehlbaum to first place in 52.47 seconds.
Mehlbaum earned a victory of her own in the 400 hurdles in an exceptional early season time of 1:12.18 and led off the Lakers’ winning 4×400 meter relay. Reid McMurtrie, Alyssa Wardell and Ava Eno rounded out the relay, which posted 4:24.25.
McMurtrie also anchored the 4×800 meter relay of Lily Kogut, Olivia Ruddy and Lauren McLean that prevailed over Skaneateles in a time of 10:35.83. Auburn was the overall winner in the event in an exceptional time of 9:51.55. McMurtrie was less than half a second behind Pittman in the 400, taking second in 1:02.90.
Stromer-Galley also had a major impact, taking second to Marris in the 200 in 28.60 seconds and second in the 100 behind Auburn’s Tiera Ly in 13.51.
Dinah Gifford and Abbie Comeau led the Lakers in the distance events, scoring in both the 1,500 and 3,000-meter runs in sectional qualifying times as they were paced by Auburn’s Kyleen Brady and Skaneateles’ Lucy Fleckenstein. Lily Kogut was Cazenovia’s top finisher in the 800, scoring against both teams in sectional time of 2:36.47.
Maddy Rothfeld picked up right where she left off from her outstanding indoor track season, winning the shot put in 31’1” and the discus in 87’5”. Karly Vaas (25’10”) and Alayna Berson (24’6 1/2”) were close behind in the shot as Cazenovia claimed the first six places in the event.
Olivia Morse threw a career best of 80’7” in the discus and Becca Brooks added a 72’10” effort as the team took the first nine spots.
Audie Spring was outstanding in the jumps, taking second in the long jump at 14’5”(four inches ahead of Wardell’s 14’1”) and second behind Pittman in the triple jump at 29’9 1/2” with Eleanor Mongeau close behind for third at 29’4″.
Sophie Reger backed up Pittman in the pole vault with an 8-foot effort while Anna Reksc cleared 6’6” for third in her first competition. Reger also scored in the high jump at 4’4” behind Pittman and Mehlbaum (4’6”) as the Lakers opened its season at 2-0 in pursuit of another sectional title.
