Though quite successful on many different fronts, neither of Baldwinsville’s track and field teams could catch up to Cicero-North Syracuse or Liverpool during Thursday’s CNY Counties League National division championship meet.
Held at C-NS’s Bragman Stadium, the meet saw the Bees earn 137 points on the boys side, just behind the Northstars (178 points) and Warriors (159 points) in the final standings.
Alec Peinkofer gave B’ville a particular thrill in the 800-meter run, as his time of one minute, 55.31 seconds was the only one under two minutes as he beat West Genesee’s Jack Erhard (2:03.55) by more than eight seconds. Conner Ross was fifth in 2:05.88.
B’ville also claimed the 4×400 relay, where Dan Walker, Nate Wicks, Jeff Mahar and Brennan LaQue pulled away in 3:30.38, with C-NS (3:38.58) more than eight seconds behind. Brian Mahar, Chad McCardell, Logan Maar and Dante Giannino were second (46.48 seconds) to the Northstars (45.17 seconds) in the 4×100 relay.
Shawn Calnan won the long jump, the only athlete to clear 6 feet 2 inches, as Noah Meyers (5’8”) finished third. Calnan went on to get second place (19’8 ½”) to Liverpool’s Mark Vanmarter (21 feet) in the long jump, where Giannino (18’8”) was fourth.
Pat McNamara added his own title in the discus, throwing it 130’2” to beat Liverpool’s Chris Granell (126’5”) and the field.
Andy Fleming finished second in a close mile race to Liverpool’s Alex Christensen, finishing in 4:38.29 to Christensen’s 4:38.11, while Jack Martin was second (10:18.14) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Nate Wicks took second in the 400-meter dash, his 52.13 seconds inches behind C-NS’s Avery Yarn (51.97 seconds), while Brennan LaQue was third in 54.23 seconds.
Maar, who was third in the pole vault (11 feet), needed 11.36 seconds for third place in the 100-meter dash, where Brian Mahar (11.49 seconds) was fifth. Mahar added a third in the 200-meter dash (23.61 seconds) as Josh Perez got fourth place in the 3,200-meter run in 10:18.41.
Yet Peinkofer, Ross, Fleming and Steve Keegan only finished fourth (9:46.63) in the 4×800 relay. McArdell was fourth in the 110 high hurdles (17.19 seconds), with Sam Smith (17.64 seconds) in fifth place, matching his finish in the triple jump. Cody Young was fifth in the shot put (41’ ½”) and Greg Lefancheck was sixth in the 400 hurdles.
As that went on, the B’ville girls finished with 113 points, as Liverpool got the league title with 175 points, edging out C-NS (165 points) in a close battle at the top.
Emily Soeder topped herself in the high jump. With a clearance of 5’5”, she beat C-NS’s Nicole Herringshaw by four inches in the most lopsided field event. Carlie McNamara joined in by winning the discus with a throw of 93’2”, with Jesse Wilhelm sixth as McNamara also was fifth in the shot put.
Mackenzie Ross again ruled in the 800, her time of 2:21.89 beating the field by nearly five second as Nicole Piontkowski (2:33.78) slid into fifth place. Rachael Miller was victorious in the 1,500-meter run as she hit the line in 4:57.93, with Mia Bolton (5:18.19) in fifth place.
Gabby Jordan, in 12.74 seconds, and Stephanie Vasteno, in 12.93 seconds, were second and third, respectively, in the 100 sprint, teaming with Cierra Allen and Angelica Tomasello as the Bees were second (50.01 seconds) behind Liverpool (49.58 seconds) in the 4×100.
Allen, on her own, did the 400 hurdles in 1:08.66, putting her second to Liverpool’s Ore Akinpelu (1:06.47). Marissa Lathrop was third in the 400 sprint in 1:01.73, while Katie Wicks (1:02.71) got fourth place, and Annie Peterson was fourth (11:04.22) in the 3,000-meter run, with Emily Thompson sixth.
Piontkowski, Peterson, Kim Cushman and Kelley Hull were third (10:30.73) in the 4×800. Meghan Hull ran to third in the 2,000-meter steeplechase (8:05.18) as Hannah Wood took fifth (17.40 seconds) in the 100 hurdles. Elise Seifritz was fifth in the 200 as Melissa Voyer took sixth in the long jump.
B’ville’s boys return to Bragman Stadium next Wednesday for the Section III Class AA championship meet, a day after the girls Bees have its sectional AA meet at Fulton.
