From a team and individual standpoint, Cazenovia’s track and field program was represented quite well during this weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship meet at the University at Albany.
In the Division II (small school) boys 4×100 relay, the Lakers’ quartet of Walker Nichols, Tom McNearney, Alex Devine and Alec Boone (with Ryan O’Herien and Dan McKillop serving as alternates), posted a time of 44.92 seconds in Friday afternoon’s race.
That clocking was just below the Lakers’ season-best time of 44.72 seconds, and ultimately produced a 10th-place finish in Division II. Hackley, a private school from Tarrytown, Westchester County, won the state title in 42.03 seconds, as no one else went lower than 43 seconds.
Then, on Saturday morning, eighth-grader Clara Rowles took her turn, competing in the girls 1,500-meter run.
Posting a time of four minutes, 47.19 seconds, Rowles just missed her season-best effort by less than a second (4:46.31). She was ninth in her own heat, 13th in Division II and 24th overall, second to Saratoga’s Kelsey Chmiel (4:37.15) among eighth-grade entrants.
Hamilton’s Sage Hurta, the state Division II champion at 800 meters, finished third in the 1,500 in 4:37.38 as Bronxville’s Kaitlin Ryan, in 4:29.71, secured the Division II state title and Rush-Henrietta’s Sammy Watson (4:25.24) had the best overall time.
