Though it could not quite reach the top of the podium, the Fayetteville-Manlius indoor track and field team still managed a strong performance during last Saturday’s state championship meet at Cornell University’s Barton Hall.
In the girls 4×800 relay, the Hornets battled Warwick Valley to the finish line. Mackenzie Carter, Molly Malone, Hannah Luber and Kathryn Fanning, all sophomores, produced a time of nine minutes, 17.66 seconds that set a new Section III record. Warwick prevailed in 9:16.95, a margin of just 0.71 seconds after two miles on the oval.
Meanwhile, in the boys mile, Alex Hatz had his own brush with a state title, as the sophomore earned second place in a clocking of 4:22.62. Only Kyle Merber (Half Hollow Hills West), in a time of 4:20.84, fared better.
Jamal Johnson raced in both sprints, reaching the finals of the 55-meter dash and taking fifth place in 6.53 seconds as Kevin Malivert (Ramapo) won in 6.42 seconds. Johnson ran to 24th in the 300-meter dash in 37.82 seconds.
Malone matched Johnson’s high finish, getting fifth in the girls 1,000-meter run in 2:57.19, not far from Kristin Reese (Carmel), who won in 2:52.86.
Courtney Chapman and Jocelyn Richards appeared in both of the girls distance races. They both fared better in the 3,000-meter run, as Chapman gained eighth place in 10:22.37 and Ricahrds was 10th in 10:30.57. In the 1,500-meter run, Chapman (5:02.30) and Richards (5:03.91) were 19th and 20th, respectively.
CBA’s Melissa Zajdel nearly claimed her own state title, teaming with Caitlin McMahon (Tully), Laura Zimmerman (Westhill) and Heather Vroman (Utica Proctor) for a second in the distance medley relay in 10:32.81. Section II won in 10:28.13. On her own, Zajdel finished 12th in the 600-meter run in 1:39.35.
