One symbol of the early-season frustrations area spring sports teams felt was West Genesee’s boys and girls track and field athletes shoveling off all the snow from its main track in late March – only to see several inches on the ground again in the first week of April.
But it had melted again by last week, and it was time to get the season underway. Westhill went first, sweeping Mexico last Tuesday by margins of 105-17 on the girls side and 95-39 on the boys side.
Alyssa Holstein won twice for the girls Warriors, claiming the 100-meter hurdles in 16.4 seconds and the 400 hurdles in 1:22 flat. Alaina Kenny ran 3,000 meters in 12:10.3 and helped the 4×800 relay team prevail in 11:28.8.
Liz Kessler went 5:22.3 to edge the Tigers’ Carolyn Zedack (5:24.6) in the 1,500-meter run as Katherine Evans went 2:29.4 in the 800-meter run. Ciarra Rudnick prevailed in the 100-meter dash in 13.3 seconds as Ashley Bolesh took the 400-meter dash in 1:04.5.
Ashley Heffernan claimed the long jump, going 14 feet 7 ¾ inches. Lauren Marshall had a top triple jump of 32’ ¾” as Abby Feyerbend cleared 4’6” in the high jump. Westhill also prevailed in the 4×100 (54.7 seconds) and 4×400 relays.
Moving to the boys meet, Westhill got three wins from Evan Watt, who cleared 9 feet in the pole vault to match Ben Eassa while also taking the 110 high hurdles in 17.2 seconds and the 400 hurdles in 1:03.4.
Tom Howard swept the 100 (11.4 seconds) and 200 (23.9 seconds) sprints, also pairing with Watt, Eassa and Connor Schwartz to take the 4×100 in 47.5 seconds.
Brendan Rewakowski went 2:19 flat to take the 800 before winning the 3,200-meter run in 10:52.7. Eassa had a top triple jump of 38’3 ½” to beat Schwartz (33’10 ¾”) as Evan Ballard had a winning shot put toss of 39’6”.
Then came a busy Wednesday where the Jordan-Elbridge boys team had some record-setting efforts against Hannibal, even though the Eagles lost, 71-70, in the team portion.
Nate Jennings, competing in the pole vault, cleared 11’7”, while Marion Quigley unleashed a long jump of 20’7 ¼”. Both of them set new school marks, with Quigley also taking the triple jump with a leap of 38’7 ½” and the 110 hurdles in 16.7 seconds.
Austin Poticher was first in the discus for J-E, heaving it 103’4” to edge Hannibal’s Arthur Donahue (103’2”) by two inches. Meanwhile, Ethan Kinney won all three sprints, taking the 100 in 11.7 seconds, the 200 in 24.4 seconds and the 400 in 53.8 seconds. Ryan Chiaramonte won the 400 hurdles in 59.9 seconds.
In the J-E girls team’s 96-44 loss to Hannibal, Theresa Dristle won twice for the Eagles, taking the 1,500 in 5:34 flat and the 3,000 in 11:45.7. Meagan Jackson claimed the 100 hurdles and Kyler Langhorn was first in the 400 hurdles in 1:17.5.
West Genesee’s girls earned victories over Henninger and Corcoran, prevailing 85-22 over the Black Knights and 82-34 over the Cougars in the girls meet.
Carly Benson ran the 800 in 2:33.2 as Hannah Graybas won the 1,500 in 5:14.7. Megan Delia needed 1:11.6 to take the 400 hurdles as Abby Kuppinger took the 400 sprint in 1:03.4 and Caitlin Mills won the 100 sprint in 13 seconds flat.
Kelsey Fox, with a first-place long jump of 13’9 ¼”, paced the Wildcats in field events as Etana Davis threw the discus 72’10 ½” and Julia Logana tossed the shot put 26’9”.
Solvay prevailed 71-68 over Hannibal in the girls portion last Wednesday, largely because it swept field events. Ashley Bosco threw the shot put 39’1”and the discus 72’7” to take those events.
Kyra Crossett, who claimed the 400 hurdles in 1:22.7, also cleared 4’8” in the high jump as Zoe Francemone topped 6’6” in the pole vault. Phebe Guadagnolo had a top long jump of 15 feet.
Delaney Gilbert went 27’10” in the triple jump to edge Haley Muehl (26’11”). Guadagnolo was second in the 100 sprint, with Francemone second in the 400 sprint and Jordyn Willsey runner-up in the 800 and 1,500 as Serenity Thomas was second in the 200.
That salvaged a split since the Solvay boys track team lost, 87-47, to Phoenix. Jaimen Bliss threw the discus 106’2” to beat out teammate Shane Spinner (100’8”) as Dylon Ewers went 18’2 ½” in the long jump, beating out Lamar Flood’s 18’ ½’.
Though the Firebirds won most of the races, Russ Tarbell did take the 400 sprint in 58 seconds flat, also teaming with Flood, Ewers and Bliss to win the 4×400 relay in 3:46.6 as the Bearcats also took the 4×800 in 9:17.1.
Marcellus won big, 96-45, over Homer in the girls meet, but lost 89.5-47.5 to the Trojans in the boys meet, where Ryan White gave the Mustangs wins in the 100 (12.2 seconds) and 200 (25.3 seconds) sprints.
Nick Patterson, edged out by White in the 100, went 17’10 ½” to win the long jump and took the triple jump with a 36-foot effort. Joe Riccardi added a victory in the 3,200 in 10:39.4.
