In the midst of all the post-season events that take place for the area’s indoor track and field teams in February, West Genesee senior Laura Leff will pay a visit to New York City to face even more serious competition.
Leff is going to run in the Millrose Games Feb. 15 at the New Balance Track and Field Center at the Armory in New York City, made possible by her victory in the mile at the Jan. 25 New Balance Games, also held at the Armory.
Though 13 runners were in the field at New Balance, only the winner would advance to Millrose. As such, WG head coach Jim Vermeulen said that Leff chose to run a tactical race, sacrificing a faster time in order to have a better chance to win.
Through the first 1,200 meters, Leff followed the front-runners but stayed in the pack, waiting until the next-to-last lap to make her move. Once Leff took the lead, she maintained a margin of at least eight meters until she hit the tape.
In a time of 5:00.49, Leff beat the runner-up, Courtney Thompson (St. John Vianney), by 0.95 seconds, with Cate Allen (Fairfield Warde) finishing third in 5:01.46.
The Millrose Games date back to 1908 and is considered the most prestigious indoor track and field event in the United States.
Also at the New Balance Games, West Genesee’s boys 4×800 relay team, composed of Jack Erhard, Logan McAnulty, Sean Beney and Nate Conroy, finished 12th in a time of eight minutes, 13.38 seconds, beating most of the field (more than 60 teams) and posting the fastest Section III time of the season in that event. Cardinal O’Hara (Pa.) won the race in 7:58.76.
Back home, Leff did not have to run in Wednesday’s Last Chance Qualifier at SRC Arena, but many other local runners did as WG’s boys team finished fourth with 22 points, while in the girls meet Westhill/Bishop Ludden was fourth with 26 points, with the Wildcats (18 points) in eighth.
Marcellus senior Rachel Garn won the girls 1,000-meter run in 3:03.96, holding off Skaneateles’ Kaitlyn Neal (3:05.46) as Jordan-Elbridge’s Abby Gugel was third in 3:07.47 and Westhill/Ludden’s Annnibel Coolican (3:10.13) was fourth. Garn also took fourth (1:42.33) in the 600-meter run.
WG’s Abby Uczen cleared 10 feet to win the pole vault, with Westhill/Ludden’s Katherine Doherty (8 feet) in third place and Coolican fourth (7’6”). The Wildcats’ Brianna Richardson needed 9.09 seconds to finish second behind Pulaski’s Breann Burns (8.62 seconds) in the 55-meter hurdles.
Bella Sterly gave Westhill/Ludden a second-place shot put toss of 32’10 ½”, just behind Cicero-North Syracuse’s Destiny Monica (33’1”), with Marcellus’ Suzanna Sylcox (30’6”) in fifth place. J-E saw Julie Hines go 43.45 seconds in the 300-meter dash to finish third after she took seventh in the 55 sprint.
Tatiana Monds was third in the 55-meter dash in 7.56 seconds, inches behind CBA’s Anna Schug, who won in 7.53 seconds. Genny Corcoran finished sixth (5:06.32) at 1,500 meters. Solvay’s Hannah Haywood had her team’s best finish, a ninth in the long jump.
Over in the boys Last Chance Qualifier, Erhard led West Genesee, finishing second in the mile in 4:37.04, just behind F-M’s Bryce Millar (4:35.32).Solvay’s Nick Cometti went 6.75 seconds in the 55 sprint, just behind Liverpool’s Ryheim Lawes (6.70 seconds) and finishing second
WG’s Sean Beney was third in the 1,000 in 2:41.41, with teammate Kal Strickland fourth in 2:42.15. Conroy ran in the 600 and finished fourth, in 1:26.62, just ahead of J-E’s Dylan Whittico (1:27.11) in fifth as Whittico’s teammate, Jack Gugel, earned third place in the 3,200-meter run in 10:07.76.
Noah Townsend gave Marcellus its best finish, in the high jump, clearing 5’8” to finish third as J-E’s Nate Hollis got fifth place. Solvay’s Josh Marotti was third in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet, as the Mustangs’ Mike Abbott (10 feet) edged Tom Dailey (9’6”) for sixth place.
