Already with a victory in the Penn Relays in the books this spring, the Fayetteville-Manlius girls track and field team now sought to add to its long list of state championship honors.
In last Saturday’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association meet at Middletown, the Hornets were the top seed going into Saturday’s 4×800 relay, having posted nine minutes, 7.73 seconds during the state qualifier the week before.
Susan Bansbach put F-M near the front in the first leg, going 2:19.01. Then Grace Kaercher’s 2:13.74 leg got the Hornets in front, which Claire Walters maintained with her 2:16.80 third leg.
In the anchor leg, Phoebe White had to run hard to fend off Shenendehowa anchor Kara Sinnott, who went 2:10.29 to nearly make up all the ground. With her 2:15.15 leg, White helped the Hornets prevail in 9:04.69 to Shen’s 9:05.54. and earn another state championship as Liverpool was ninth in 9:16.46.
Walters had already finished second in the Divison I (large school) portion of the 1,500-meter run. Though she was third overall, Walters’ time of 4:33.50 improved upon her 4:34.96 from earlier in the season and was only behind Valley Stream South’s DeAnna Martin (4:31.90) among large-school runners.
In the Division II (small school) state girls meet, Christian Brothers Academy had Olivia Morganti seeking a medal Saturday morning in the girls 2,000-meter steeplechase, where her season-best time of 6:58.51 left her the third-fastest qualifier.
Morganti improved on that time, to 6:57.61, which left her in sixth place overall and second in Division II, only trailing Tully’s Brooke Rauber, who won that division in 6:41.95.
Also there for CBA was the 4×800 relay team of Zach Medicis, Caleb Krueger, Dan Melvin and Joel Gaffney, who were sixth with 8:06.29 heading into the state meet and, on Saturday,
Improving nearly five seconds on that effort, CBA posted 8:00.51, putting them 15th overall and fifth in Division II, with Bronxville winning Division II in 7:45.67.
Elsewhere for F-M, White raced in the 800-meter run, where she was 13th in Division I in a clocking of 2:15.75, and in the 4×400 relay White, Bansbach, Fiona Mejico and Brel
Bansbach, racing in the 400-meter dash, finished ninth in 57.56, just off her season-best 57.52. She also was in the 4×400 relay with White, Fiona Mejico and Brella Milliti gained 10th place in a season-best 3:57.87.
On the boys side, F-M’s Sam Otis looked to medal in the 3,200-meter run, having gone 9:20.02 during the spring. He would finish in 9:21.97 in the state meet, 14th overall and 12th in Division I as St. Anthony’s Matt Payamps won in 8:59.04.
East Syracuse Minoa had Myles Riggins in the Division I 110-meter high hurdles. Having gone 15.47 seconds in that event to reach the state meet, Riggins finished in 15.61 seconds here, 22nd overall as it took 14.35 seconds to qualify for the finals.
Back on the girls side, ESM’s Juila Perrotta was in the pole vault, having cleared 10 feet. But only topped 9 feet here for a tie for 22nd plae overall and a tie for ninth in Division I as Warwick Valley’s Kaeli Thompson won, clearing 13 feet.
Jamesville-DeWitt’s lone representative at the state meet was Laeticcia Bazile, taking part in the girls high jump. Looking to improve upon her 5 feet 4 inches in the spring, Bazile topped 5’2” here, putting her in a share of 22nd place overall. Soledad Jean (Half Hollow Hills East) won with 5’7”.
