Back in 2009, the Cazenovia girls track and field team started a streak where no one in the Onondaga High School League’s Liberty could catch up to them.
It took five seasons and 32 meets, but the Lakers were finally caught in Wednesday afternoon’s chilly season opener at Buckley-Volo Field by Marcellus, who prevailed 79-64 in a dual meet where, by contrast, Cazenovia’s boys team managed to defeat the Mustangs by a score of 77-64.
That girls meet included several victories on Cazenovia’s side. Ashley Kent won a close 100-meter hurdles over Zoe Higgins, 17.5 seconds to 17.6, and moved on to earn first place in the triple jump by going 31 feet 7 ¾ inches.
Maria Stalder was victorious in the 400-meter dash in 1:06.5, also teaming with Colleen Stalder, Bailey Forrett and Katherine Gabor for first place in the 4×400 relay in 4:33.7. For her part, Colleen Stalder won the 800-meter run in 2:42.8.
Jeanette Cudney finished second in both the 1,500 and 3,000-meter runs to Marcellus standout Rachel Garn, but did pair with Maureen Milmoe and the Stalder sisters to take the 4×800 relay in 10:49.2.
Jessica Macheda went 15’2” to win the long jump and Victoria Fisher cleared 4’8” to finish first in the high jump, but the Mustangs’ double victories from Garn in the 1,500 (5:16.3) and 3,000 (11:26.3), combined with double wins from Suzanna Sylcox (shot put, discus) and Abby Fallon (100 meters, 200 meters), helped Marcellus finish on top.
As one win streak finally ended, Cazenovia’s boys team hoped to get one of its own underway, and with Walker Nichols, Ryan O’Herien and Sean Satchwell setting the pace, the Lakers earned a key early-season win over Marcellus.
Nichols started out by blazing through the 110 high hurdles in 15.6 seconds. In the high jump, he cleared 5’6” as part of a 1-2-3 sweep with Garrett Clabeaux (5’4”) and Brandon Fox (5’2”), and to cap it off, Nichols went 19’9” in the long jump, more than two feet clear of the field as Alec Boone (17’3 ¾”) was second.
Ryan O’Herien was victorious in the shot put, heaving it 38’2”, as Garret Hansen took third. Showing his versatility, O’Herien also ran the 100 sprint in 12 seconds flat, the same time as Marcellus’ Josh Finch as they finished on top.
Satchwell’s specialty is distance running, and in the mile he tore to victory in 4:56.22, beating the Mustangs’ Pat McGuane (4:59.80) by more than three seconds. Moving on to the 800-meter run, Satchwell, in 2:14.6, held off Marcellus’ Alex Stopen (2:15.4) for the top spot, and he also got second place (35’6”) in the triple jump as Clabeaux finished third.
Fox earned a victory of his own in the 400 hurdles, pulling away from the field to finish in 1:05.7, while Alex Dubin was second in the 400 sprint (57.9 seconds) and Zach Morris was second in the 110 hurdles to Nichols. Brendan Coffey and Connor Carroll were second and third, respectively, in the 3,200-meter run.
O’Herien, Nichols and Devine helped the Lakers edge the Mustangs, 48.4 seconds to 48.5, for crucial first-place points in the 4×100 relay. Boone took second in the long jump, going 17’3 ¾”.
Just two days later, both Cazenovia teams faced Westhill, and again the girls Lakers lost, by a 99-42 margin, while the boys also struggled in an 89-52 defeat to the Warriors.
For the boys side, Nichols again won three times, as he covered the 110 hurdles in 17.1 seconds, improved to 6 feet in the high jump and went 19’8 ½” in the long jump, with Fox going 1:06.2 in the 400 hurdles and Devine taking the 200 in 25.2 seconds. Devine, Fox, Nichols and O’Herien won the 4×100 in 47.4 seconds, the only relay where the Lakers would prevail.
Macheda gave the Cazenovia girls two wins, as she went 14’7” in the long jump and 13.9 seconds in the 100 sprint. Yates beat the field in the 100 hurdles in 18.6 seconds, but the Warriors swept the relays and saw Annibel Coolican, with wins in the 400 sprint and high jump, lead the charge.
