For the first time this winter, area indoor track and field teams were gathered at SRC Arena, and last Saturday’s Jack Morse Kickoff Meet saw West Genesee rise to third place in both the boys and girls morning sessions.
With 72 points, the girls Wildcats were just behind Liverpool (72.33 points) for the runner-up spot behind Baldwinsville, while the WG boys had 67 points as Jordan-Elbridge had a great showing, too, finishing fifth with 40 points.
Carly Benson won her second race in as many weeks for the WG girls, running 1,500 meters in four minutes, 58.49 seconds as she paired with Mia Mitchell, Natalie Buckhout and Taylor Rech to win the team portion in 21:35.48. J-E’s Theresa Dristle was third in 5:17.10.
To earn a second title, Benson joined Abby Kuppinger, Caitlin Mills and Shannon Foster as the Wildcats went 4:25.05 in the 1,600 distance medley relay, more than eight seconds ahead of Skaneateles (4:33.11) and the field.
Combined, WG’s tandem of Olivia Becker and Madalyn Benson won the 55-meter hurdles in 20.61 seconds, with J-E seeing Meagan Jackson and Mia Delap get third place in 22.87 seconds.
Moving to the long jump relay, the Wildcats had Kelsey Fox and Amina Mambambu put up total leaps of 29 feet 1 ¾ inches to edge B’ville (29’ ¾”) for first place. Katherine Graziano and Taryn Williams were fourth in the triple jump, with J-E seventh as Caitlin Mills and Elizabeth Baker were sixth in the high jump.
Mambambu and Aubrey Trett went 16.40 seconds in the 55-meter dash, second to PSLA Fowler’s 15.53 seconds. Kuppinger, Fox, Janet Nolan and Kendall Dombroske were third in the 4×400 relay in 4:31.82. Etana Davis and Elizabeth Garrison were fourth in the shot put, with Davis throwing it 27’6” to finish fourth among individuals.
On the boys side, WG’s Esisas Brumfield won the individual 55 sprint in 6.93 seconds, the only time under seven seconds as he and D.J. Durham took the team portion with 14.05 seconds. Durham paired with Damian Irvine-Panek to win the high jump with combined leaps of 11’4”, two inches better than runner-up B’ville.
Not only that, but Brumfield, Durham, Irvine-Panek and Brian Mirabito went 1:39.41 in the 4×200 relay to finish second as Liverpool won in 1:38 flat. J-E had Jake Ilacqua, Ethan Kinney, Nate Jennings and Nate Williams get third place in 1:42.65.
Griffin Dombroske had the best individual triple jump of 41’6” as he and Noah Uczen were second in the team standings with 71’9 ¼” as the Eagles’ Zach Barber got fifth-place points by himself, going 36’7 ½”.
Sean Byrnes, Matt Bartolotta, Nathan Couse and Tony Gettino were second (19:43.46) to B’ville (19:10.14) in the mile relay, while J-E finished sixth. Ryan Allen, Nick Mulderig, Patrick Trivison and Paul Stannard were third in the 4×800 relay in 9:05.51 as the Wildcats were sixth in the distance medley.
In the boys 4×400, J-E had Ryan Chiaramonte, Logan Kinney, Ethan Kinney and Matt Sheldon get second place in 3:51.89 behind B’ville’s 3:44.74, with WG having James Alberts, Luke Mullane, Griffin Dombroske and Joe Parisi get third place in 3:52.68.
Chiaramonte and Williams were third in the 55-meter hurdles in 19.86 seconds as WG finished seventh. J-E also was sixth in the 4×800 in 9:25.91. Jennings cleared 9 feet in the pole vault to get fifth-place points and fourth in the individual standings.
Austin Poticher was sixth in the shot put and the Eagles were eighth in the team event, with the Wildcats seventh here and also in the long jump. Poticher and Ilacqua rose to fifth place in the weight throw with combined heaves of 50’6 ½” as WG finished seventh.
J-E’s girls finished eighth out of 17 teams in the morning session, seeing Dristle, Madison Daly, Theresa Dristle and Hannah Fichter get third place in the 4×800 relay in 11:18.11.
In the weight throw, the combined 50’2 ½” put up by the Eagles’ Samantha Hodge and Skylar Chrysler put them in second place behind Liverpool’s 70’3 ¼”, with WG settling for fifth place. Derby cleared 6 feet in the pole vault.
