Even the presence of Carly Benson and her talented teammates could not keep West Genesee’s girls track and field team from a 78-63 defeat to Liverpool last Wednesday afternoon at the Wildcats’ home track in Camillus.
Benson, owner of the fastest 1,500-meter time in the state this spring, didn’t match that time here, but won in 4:52.1 and added an 800-meter title in 2:27.6, joining Sarah Ferranti, Maria Matkoski and Lindsay Weaver to win the 4×800 relay in 9:58.2.
Elsewhere, Valerie Pirro took the 100-meter hurdles in 17.7 seconds, with Megan Delia going 16 feet in the long jump and, with Nicole Paone, Megan Hannahan and Kelsey Fox, getting first place in the 4×100 relay in 52.7 seconds.
Abby Uczen, clearing 9’6” in the pole vault, tied Liverpool’s Kelly Townley on that mark, but the Wildcats got a solo victory from J’Nazia Anderson in the shot put with a throw of 31’6”. Liverpool’s Ore Akinpelu led her side, sweeping the 100 and 200 sprints and also taking the 400 hurdles.
Meanwhile, Westhill-Bishop Ludden metup with its neighbors from Solvay last Wednesday afternoon, and prevailed with ease, the girls defeating the Bearcats 93-48.
Annibel Coolican won three events for the girls Warriors, going 31’6 ½” in the triple jump to augment first-place times of 18.2 seconds in the 100 hurdles and 5:21 in the 1,500-meter run.
Isabella Haber swept the 100 (13.5 seconds) and 200 (29.2 seconds) sprints, while Alaina Kenny took the 800 (2:42.2) and ran a leg in the 4×400 relay (4:40.6) as the Warriors also won the 4×800 in 11:04.6 and took the 4×100 in 54.9 seconds.
Kathryn Doherty, who ran a leg of the 4×100 along with Haber, Olivia Dagineau and Mary Kate Washburn, cleared 9 feet in the pole vault, and Zoe Fortin had a first-place long jump of 14’1”.
As for the Bearcats, Samantha Waters had an impressive discus throw of 88’1 ½” to go with a shot put toss of 30’8”, winning both events. Katie Harrington cleared 5 feet in the high jump and went 1:14.7 to win the 400 hurdles.
Right after hosting its own girls invitational meet on April 25, Marcellus had to face reigning OHSL Freedom division power Jamesville-DeWitt and lost, 106-35, to the Red Rams.
The Mustangs claimed just one individual title – from Zoe Higgins, who won the 400 hurdles in 1:13.3. Alexandria Payne, the pentathlon winner at the April 24 Chittenango Invitational, won four events for the Red Rams, claiming the 100 hurdles (15.4 seconds), 100 sprint (12.4 seconds), 200 (25.7 seconds) and high jump (5’2”).
Jordan-Elbridge’s girls would stand out at the CBA Brother Basilian Invitational, where in the girls meet Rebekah Blonski got 18 points, starting with a winning long jump of 15’8 ¼” to beat Tully’s Lexi Hamilton (15’5”0 and the field. Blonski also went 16.99 seconds in the 100 hurdles, second to Fabius-Pompey’s Adelia Alexander (16.87 seconds).
Abby Gugel won the 3,000-meter run in 10:20.65, pulling away from Skaneateles’ Kaitlyn Neal (10:24.65) for that top spot. Theresa Dristle made it to fifth place in the 800 in 2:35.74, while Julie Hines took fifth in the high jump (4’10”) and sixth in the 200 in 27.42 seconds.
A day later, at Rome Free Academy’s Cooper City Classic, West Genesee, Westhill-Ludden, Marcellus and Solvay took part, with the Wildcats’ total of 29 points putting them in sixth place.
Most of the Wildcats’ points came from two relay wins. Benson, Pirro, Matkoski and Ferranti ran the 4×800 in 10:04.38 to beat runner-up New York Mills (10:45.29) by more than 40 seconds.
Delia and Fox joined Benson and Matkoski to win the 1,600 sprint medley in 4:11.78, again with the second-place team, Canton (4:29.13), far back and Marcellus (4:51.06) in fifth place. Weaver ran to third place in the 3,000 in 11:30.30, while Elise Dunshee was fifth in the 2,000-meter steeplechase in 8:05.30. Madalyn Benson took sixth place in the 400 hurdles.
Noelle Coolican helped Westhill-Ludden get second place in the pole vault, clearing 8’6”, with Annibel Coolican needing 2:25.62 for third place in the 800. Doherty was fifth in the 100 hurdles in 18.16 seconds and the Warriors took fifth in the 4×400 relay.
Marcellus saw Mary Catherine Coon get third place in the 100 sprint in 13.11 seconds as Higgins finished sixth in the pentathlon with 2,170 points, two spots ahead of Solvay’s Bella Nieves in eighth place, while Coon was seventh in the high jump.
