As the post-season meets loomed, each of the Skaneateles track and field teams looked to build up momentum and produce strong results in its remaining league contests.
The Lakers hosted Hannibal last Wednesday afternoon, with the girls prevailing 79-62 to improve to 4-0 and sit atop the Onondaga High School League Liberty National division.
Mia Grasso won twice on the track, going 26.5 seconds to take the 200-meter dash as she made her way to first place in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:07 flat, nine seconds ahead of Brady Iles’ 1:16 flat.
Natalie Condon was victorious in the 1,500-meter run in 5:21.8 as she finished second 2:35.9) to Hannibal’s Hannah Kuc (2:34.9) in the 800-meter run. Georgia McSwain won in the 3,000-meter run in 12:14.8.
Iles won the 100-meter hurdles in 17.2 seconds over Bella Capozza (17.9) as Emme Conan, in 12.9 seconds, held off Hannibal’s Alexis Cole (13.1) in the 100-meter dash. Conan, Grasso, Maddie Peterson and Eva Vitsaxaki were first in the 4×100 relay in 51.1 seconds.
Moving to field events, Grasso and Lyda Buck both cleared 4 feet 10 inches in the high jump, with Vitsaxaki winning the long jump with a top leap of 14’8”. Edan Howard threw the discus 77’10” and Sharla Dart tossed the shot put 31’6 ½” as Peterson claimed second place in the triple jump with 29’10” behind Hannibal’s McKenzie Mattison (30’1 ½”).
At this same meet, the Skaneateles boys team lost, 105-36, to Hannibal, though the Lakers still had plenty of individual highlights.
Brahm Malcolm, in 15.8 seconds, pulled away from Nicola Kunz (16.8) in a 1-2 effort in the 110 high hurdles as Jonathan Lincoln, in 11.6 seconds, tied Hannibal’s Hunter Donhauser in the 100, with Matt Leveroni (11.7) right behind.
Leveroni got second place in the 200 in 24 seconds flat. Connor Gell was second in the 400 in 55.2 seconds, with Joe Norris second in the 800 in 2:12.4. Luke Rathgeb was second in the 3,200 in 10:47.8.
Kunz cleared 9 feet in the pole vault, taking second place as he topped 6 feet in the high jump, trailing only Hannibal’s Fenix Burger (6’1”). Garrett Moore was second in the triple jump with a best attempt of 33’4 ½”.
When the Skaneateles girls traveled to Bragman Stadium (site of this year’s state championship meet) for Friday’s Cicero-North Syracuse Invitational, it led all small schools with 31 points and was fifth overall in a 24-team field.
Grasso, again, stood out, putting up the quickest Section III time of the spring in the 400 sprint as, in 58.75 seconds, she prevailed by more than two seconds over Corcoran’s Jaelyn Howard (1:00.79) in the runner-up spot.
Not only that, but Grasso joined Peterson, Conan and Graeson Landsberg as Skaneateles roared to a victory in the 4×100, its time of 51.18 seconds a full second ahead of second-place West Genesee (52.25).
Peterson went 27.26 seconds in the 200 to finish third, just behind the winning 27.16 from Central Square’s Madison Sabourin. Condon got sixth place in the 800 in 2:27.08 as Conan was eighth in the 100 sprint in 13.41 seconds.
Dart had a fourth-place shot put toss of 29’3 ½”. Buck, clearing 8 feet, tied for seventh in the pole vault, with Grasso topping 4’10” in the high jump to tie for eighth place. McSwain was ninth (11:45.25) and Nicole DeRosa 10th (11:51.47) in the 3,000-meter run.
