Throughout their final week of training, the girls knew that the sectional championship meet would be close. If they were to prevail, it would be by just a few points, the margin likely falling within one point per runner — every place would count. That prediction rang true and the team found itself huddled together at the finish line Saturday waiting for the official tabulation, hoping theirs was the lowest point total.
The girls from rival squad Jordan-Elbridge did the same just steps away. The last runner finished and the score was revealed: Cazenovia 56, J-E 59. They had done it. Cazenovia finished first in the 17 team field for its third sectional title, advancing to the state championship on Nov. 14.
The victory was a total team effort for the Lakers, with each of their top five finishing among the top 20 scorers, the only squad in the field to achieve that consistency. Clara Rowles led the way for Cazenovia, running her best race of the season to capture second place in 19:41, just four seconds behind individual champion Abby Gugel of J-E. The race was personal triumph for Rowles, who struggled with injuries throughout the early season, requiring a super-human training effort during the final month to get back into championship form.
Meggie Hart ran a heroic race for Cazenovia to place fifth overall in 20:47. Number one for the team in every other contest this fall, she was hit with illness just as the race started. She refused to give in, fighting for every place, including holding off J-E’s number two runner. Allowing her to pass would have narrowed the Lakers’ margin to just one point and put the title in jeopardy.
Adrien Owens and Caitlin Clonan each ran their best race of the season to help propel the Lakers to victory. Owens finished in 22:07 to capture 17th place (14 points after subtracting runners from incomplete teams), slashing two minutes from the previous best on a full 5K course. Caitlin Clonan finished 21st (18 points) in 22:23, more than a minute faster than her previous best. Senior Captain Mya Walters capped the scoring for Cazenovia, finishing just one place and two seconds behind Clonan in 22:25 (19 points) for the team’s winning total of 56.
Ironically, the team’s margin of victory may well have come not from any of their scorers, but from their sixth runner, Whitney Denison, who ran her fastest 5,000 meters of the fall to place 27th overall (22 points). She displaced J-E’s final scorer, who finished 31st (26) points, pushing J-E’s total to 59. Nov. 7 was Denison’s birthday, but it was her whole team who got a present as she played a critical role in the title win.
Jackie Gamlen (43rd in 24:03), Maddie Phillips (56th in 24:49) and Alexa Tillman (73rd in 26:32) also contributed to the team’s championship effort. Gamlen, who was ill throughout the week before the meet, will strive to be back to 100 percent for the state meet. Similarly, Tillman persevered through an injury that impacted her sectional performance. Phillips, a senior, ran to her fastest full 5K of the year to cap her career.
The Lady Lakers will compete at the NYSPHSAA Championship at 11:40 a.m. on Nov. 14 at Monroe-Woodbury High School near West Point as they strive to repeat their top-three state meet performance from 2010.
