Not even half a second separated Baldwinsville senior Alec Peinkofer from gaining one of the biggest victories of his high school career during Saturday’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association indoor track and field championship meet at Cornell University’s Barton Hall.
Peinkofer was entered in the boys 1,000-meter run with Marcellus senior Ryan Manahan, though they ran in separate heats.
In the second heat, Peinkofer pulled away and posted a time of two minutes, 30.39 seconds, beating the field by more than two seconds.
Then Peinkofer watched as Elmira’s Cory McCarty took the lead in the final heat and rushed across the line in 2:29.90, edging Peinkofer by 0.49 seconds. Manahan, with 2:31.06, would take fourth place overall.
This came just after Peinkofer signed his national letter of intent for the University at Buffalo, where he is slated to run both track and cross country.
Four other B’ville runners would reach the awards podium in the boys 4×400 relay. The quartet of Nate Wicks, Andy Fleming, Jeff Mahar and Dan Walker qualified seventh in 3:30.98, but improved their time to 3:29.95 in the finals as Elmont won in 3:26.66, barely three seconds ahead of the Bees.
Josh Perez got to run in the mile, finishing his heat in 4:31.11 (35th overall), but watched in the next heat as Fayetteville-Manlius senior Nick Ryan won in 4:14.02.
In the preliminary portion of the girls 4×400 relay, Cierra Allen, Angelica Tomasello, Mackenzie Ross and Sarah Klaben finished second in qualifying in 4:02.49 behind Suffern (4:01.64), winning their heat and reaching the finals.
But B’ville could not do as well in the championship round, dipping to 4:02.90 and claiming sixth place overall. Garden City, using two different runners than it did in the heats, won in 3:54.95, edging Suffern (3:55.16) at the wire.
Allen, Tomasello, Ross and Klaben are on their way to New York City’s Armory to compete this Sunday in the annual National High School Indoor Track Meet.