by Kurt Wheeler
In their final tune-up before the post-season, the Cazenovia girls indoor track team competed at the “Higher, Farther, Faster Invitational” hosted by Utica College at the Hutton Dome last Friday night.
This massive meet, featuring 50 schools and hundreds of athletes from multiple sections across upstate New York, was an ideal opportunity to achieve season-best times and distances – which the Lakers did.
Cazenovia’s sprinters led the team with a series of strong performances, highlighted by Savannah Johnson’s 7.74-second time in the 55-meter dash, her best of the winter. Chloe Smith was 1/100 back at 7.75, while Katie Whitney also earned her best time of the season at 7.95.
Johnson also turned in a strong time of 44.88 seconds in the 300-meter dash, just off her personal best, and led the 4×200 meter relay with a personal best time of 27.0 seconds for her anchor leg. Riley Knapp also ran a personal record time of 28.8 as Smith and Molly Dolan contributed to 1:54.60 total.
Grace Dolan (1:49.55) and Julia Reff (1:53.88) each achieved personal best times in the 600-meter dash with Dolan also contributing strong 400 meter legs to two relays.
First, Dolan paced Knapp, Molly Dolan and Carley Lounsbury (personal best 800 meter time of 2:40.5) to a 4:47.21 time in the 1,600 spring medley relay. She also led off the 4×400 meter relay of Ainsley Schug, Melanie Michael and Peyton Basic (season best of 1:06.5) that finished in 4:34.14.
Claire Braaten led the distance runners as she achieved a huge personal best, sectional qualifying time of 5:20.92 in the 1,500-meter run.
Molly Hart led in the 3,000 at 11:45.66, while Ava Hartley was just off her season best in the 1,000 with a time of 3:24.66. Hart also led the 4×800 with a 2:40.7 leg as she teamed with Lounsbury, Hartley and Anna Reger to run a 10:59.54.
The Lakers’ 55-meter hurdlers were also strong as Melanie Michael clocked an 8.74 seconds, Lili Gavitt ran a season best 9.94 second effort and Katie Whitney added a 10.86.
Chloe Smith led Cazenovia in the field events with a 16 feet, 3/4 inch performance in the long jump. Lili Gavitt (4’8″ and Katie Pavelchak (4’6″) each equaled their season best while Kiara Dolan achieved a new personal best of 4’4″ in the high jump. Lounsbury matched her season best of 7’6″ in the pole vault while Ava Gavitt led the way in the triple jump.
Claire Edwards topped the Laker throwers with a 28’11 3/4″ effort in the shot put while Lili Sorbello contributed a 23’10” distance in the weight throw.
The Lakers will return to SRC Arena this Wednesday for the Onondaga High School League championships, where it will pursue its eighth league title in the past 10 years.
