It was far from enough for the Baldwinsville indoor track and field teams to just earn berths in the March 4 state championships at Staten Island during last Saturday’s Section III state qualifying meet at Utica College’s Hutton Dome.
Instead, the Bees, boys and girls like, chose to be extraordinary, breaking a handful of school marks and winning events, too, unfazed by the move to Utica after the original meet slated for SRC Arena last Wednesday night got postponed.
Nothing topped what B’ville’s boys 4×400 relay team did. Together, Kieran Sheridan, Greg Porceng, Tyler Luciano and Evan Vannatta finished in three minutes, 24.81 seconds, breaking the sectional record of 3:26.40 set by Liverpool in 2012.
Adrianna Straughter won twice for B’ville, in the girls 55-meter hurdles. Having set the fastest qualifying time of 8.89 seconds, Straughter improved to 8.85 seconds in the final to hold off Cicero-North Syracuse’s Cassie Baldwin (8.96 seconds) for that top spot.
Then, in a tightly-contested high jump, Straughter was the only competitor to clear 5 feet 2 inches, allowing her to beat Sarah Owens (Clinton) and Katie Harrington (Solvay), who tied for second by clearing 5’1”.
Sheridan would also make the state meet on an individual basis in the 600-meter run, as his time of 1:23.12 beat the state qualifying standard by more than a second and a half, and finish inches behind Solomon Lawrence (Institute of Technology Central), who won in 1:22.89.
Lauren Addario qualified for the state meet when she ran the opening round of the 55-meter dash in 7.37 seconds, faster than anyone, along with the qualifying standard of 7.44.
A close final in the 55 sprint saw Addario edge ITC’s Fannie Kumeh, 7.46 seconds to 7.48, with Karen Ekure getting eighth place in 7.83 seconds. Meanwhile, in the triple jump, Addario was third with a top attempt of 35’ ½”.
In the girls weight throw, B’ville’s Danielle Marsell won for B’ville, her top toss of 38’1” more than three feet ahead of Central Square’s Abbie Tomlon (34’5 ½”) and the field.
Adam Davis got his own victory in the boys 1,000-meter run, posting 2:42.23 to edge Canastota’s Adam VanValkenburgh (2:42.58) at the line. Davis, Vannatta, Ben Timmons and Connor McManus were second in the 4×800 relay in 8:20.34, just behind Liverpool’s winning 8:19.07.
Addario and Ekure would pair with Shylea Dukat and Katie Weaver as B’ville, in the 4×200 relay, moved to a time of 1:47.14, beating everyone except Rome Free Academy, who won in 1;45.85.
Nate Jaquint was third in the high jump, clearing 5’10”, and made it to fourth place in the boys 55 hurdles in 8.50 seconds, off his qualifying standard of 8.25 seconds. In the boys 4×200, Kenny Stehle, Austin Catalano, Justin Goodridge and Evan DaPrano finished fifth in 1:37.38 as Jaquint (39’3”) beat out Catalano (38’6 ¼”) for sixth place in the triple jump.
Patricia Conlan needed 1:42.32 to get seventh place in the girls 600 as Stehle was ninth in the boys 55 hurdles in 8.80 seconds. as Luciano was eighth (37.50 seconds) and Porceg ninth (37.73 seconds) in the 300-meter dash.
Judson Fletcher got seventh place in the boys shot put, heaving it 41’ ¼”, while Anna Miller was eighth (27’3”) in the girls shot put. Mike Lagana tied for 12th in the pole vault, clearing 10’6”.
