Top girls track athletes from Fayetteville-Manlius and Christian Brothers Academy both cleaned up with a series of wins during Thursday’s Section III state qualifier at Cicero-North Syracuse’s Bragman Stadium.
On the Hornets’ side, Molly Malone and Courtney Chapman both took over in distance races. After breaking the Section III record at 800 meters a week earlier, Malone took off in the 1,500-meter run from the gun and didn’t let up until she finished in 4:34.64, the best sectional time of the season.
Meanwhile, Chapman ran the first half of the 3,000-meter run in a similar time before easing up and winning in 10:07.47, more than half a minute ahead of any Division I (large school) runner. Also, Jess Marini held off Utica Proctor’s Shykiera Heyward, 57.44 seconds to 57.22, in the 400-meter dash.
In the 4×400 relay, Marini, Malone, Natalie Alibrandi and Heather Martin broke the four-minute mark, winning in 3:59.25 and setting a school record in the process.
Chapman also contributed to F-M’s win in the 4×800 relay as she, along with Kathryn Fanning, Mackenzie Carter and Katie Sischo, finished in 9:27.30.
For CBA, Melissa Zajdel won twice in Division II (small school) sprints. The Princeton University-bound senior took the 400-meter dash in 57.79 seconds and, in the 200-meter dash, roared to victory in 25.01 seconds, the best of any Section III sprinter this spring.
Together, Zajdel, Nicole SanGiacomo, Edie Douglas and Nadine Dosa won the Division II 4×100 relay in 50.64 seconds. And in the 4×800, Katie Brislin, Carol Giblin, Rachel Zajdel and Michaela Gildemeyer pulled away from rival Skaneateles and won in 9:38.86.
CBA’s Natalie Sportelli was third in the pentathlon with 2,100 points, while East Syracuse-Minoa’s Meghan Visser got third in the Division I 2,000-meter steeplechase in 7:48.25.
Jamesville-DeWitt had its best effort in the Division I 4×400 relay as Linsay Royer, Natalile Mannion, Katy Pieri and Liz Pieri finished third in 4:08.67. In the 4×100, Royer, Mannion, Amanda Tan and Marae Tearney got fourth place in 51.80 seconds.
Maggie Fuller got fifth place in the high jump as she cleared 4 feet 10 inches. Ameena Dye ran to fifth in the Division I 3,000 (11:27.33). Brianna Young was sixth in the shot put and Marissa Colavecchio sixth in the pole vault, where Linda Hadfield (New York Mills) broke her own sectional record by clearing 12 feet 6 inches.
