Though strong on many fronts, the Skaneateles girls track and field team did not have enough – at least yet – to keep up with Cazenovia.
In last Monday’s OHSL Liberty National division first-place showdown at Buckley-Volo Field, it was Cazenovia emerging with an 83-58 victory, mainly because it kept earning key points in field events and swept the relays.
Still, Skaneateles had plenty of big moments, including eighth-grader Raenah Campbell going to the 100-meter hurdles and setting a school record with a time of 16.5 seconds, edging out Cazenovia’s Ashley Kent, who also finished at 16.5
In the 4×100 relay, Taylor Woodruff, Amanda Wetmore, Katelyn Ellison and Laurel Parker went 51.6 seconds, breaking the school record they just set three days earlier in the CBA Brother Basilian Invitational, but Cazenovia still overtook them late with Ashley Winn’s fast anchor leg to win in 51.2 seconds.
Aside from Woodruff going 15 feet 9 ¾ inches to edge teammate Nikki Cole (15’7 ¼”) in the long jump, Cazenovia won all of the other field events, including 1-2 efforts in the shot put and pole vault as Hannah Dain swept the shot put (26’8”) and discus (72’11 ¾”).
Two of the relay races proved close. Liz Dwyer, Morel Malcolm, Julia Willcox and Madeline Adams had a lead in the 4×800, but could not hold it, Cazenovia taking over in Jeanette Cudney’s anchor leg to prevail with 10:02.5 to the Skaneateles time of 10:03.9.
Yet Willcox did prevail in the 400 hurdles, getting 1:12.2 as Campbell finished second in 1:13.2, while Adams dropped a close 800-meter race to Cudney, 2:30.5 to Cudney’s 2:29.2. Kaitlyn Neal didn’t get caught as she won the 3,000-meter run in 11:07.9 and added a 1,500-meter victory in 5:28 flat.
Much later in the week, the Skaneateles boys track team emerged with a second-place finish in the annual Weedsport Invitational, earning 92 points, trailing only the host Weedsport Warriors, who won with 117 points.
Patrick Biver went to the top in the 400-meter dash, his time of 51.86 seconds more than three seconds better than the field as teammate Matt Clymer (55.43 seconds) took third place.
Dan Wolfanger, Jeff Kringer, Nick Smolenski and Max Dwyer went out in the 4×100 and, in 46.43 seconds, prevailed over Westmoreland (47.21 seconds) and the field. Wolfanger, Clymer, Biver and Ethan Johanns were second (3:32.30), right behind Jordan-Elbridge (3:31.87), in the 4×400 relay.
On his own, Johanns was second in the 200 in 25.05 seconds. Cooper Watt contended in the 3,200-meter run, finishing third in 10:46.02. Nick Hook, in 12.04 seconds, was fourth in the 100 sprint as Kringer was fifth in the 110 high hurdles.
In field events, Eli Goodell, by clearing 5’6”, won the high jump, with Hook (5’2”) sliding into third place. Dalton Carter was third in the pole vault, topping 9 feet. Nate Molnar took fifth (39’2”) in the shot put as Hook got fifth (35’ ¼”) in the triple jump. Ari Hristoduolou was seventh in the long jump.
Molnar, Walker Porter, Nick Kochan and Tommy Hagen were second (4:01.60), well behind J-E (3:41.02), in a special 4×100 relay for throwers.
