TULLY – The Cazenovia girls track and field team kicked off its 2023 campaign with a strong second place showing among 15 squads at Monday’s Tully Spring Break Invitational.
Only Class A power East Syracuse-Minoa topped the Lakers, who scored in 14 of 19 events and hit numerous sectional and state qualifier times in their first contest of the season.
Senior captain Grace Dolan led the Lakers, scoring in four events, including two first place finishes. She led off the 4×400 meter relay of Reid McMurtrie, Julia Reff, and Izzy Stromer-Galley with a 1:04.3 leg as the foursome ran a blistering early-season time of 4:19.38 (state qualifier eligible) to capture first place.
Dolan also won the 200-meter dash in 27.21 seconds, just 0.18 from the state time, picked up third in the 400 at 1:05.53 and led off the Lakers second place 4×100 relay which clocked an impressive early-April time of 53.39.
Stromer-Galley also scored four times for Lakers, adding points in the 200 (28.89 for sixth), 400 (1:06.17 for fifth) and helping out in the 4×100.
McMurtrie was dynamite, adding to her career best split of 1:03.9 in the 4×400 with a fourth place effort in the 400 meter dash at 1:05.91. Reff also returned to add another score in the 800 with a third-place, 2:43.38 performance.
Caitlyn Smithers scored in three events for Cazenovia, including a second place finish in the pole vault at 7 feet despite ferocious winds. She also earned third in the 100 meter dash in a sectional qualifying time of 13.65 and added to the 4×100 meter relay.
Teammate Riley Knapp was even speedier in the 100, capturing second place in a state qualifier time of 13.09 in her first spring track race ever.
Senior Captain Corinne Albicker was also a triple scorer for the Lakers, earning fourth place in her first race in the 400 meter hurdles in 1:17.26. She also captured sixth in the long jump at 14’2 1/2” and helped out the 4×100.
Dinah Gifford doubled up for the team, placing sixth in the 3000 and leading off Cazenovia’s first-ever co-ed relay. Gifford ran the opening 400 meter leg of the sprint medley relay with teammate Amara Crouse adding a 200 meter leg while members of the boys’ squad ran 200 and 800 meter legs for a sixth place total of 5:13.14. The mixed race is new to track and field, even making an appearance in the last Olympic games.
Lily Kogut also contributed on the track, running a personal best of 2:48.99 in the 800 to capture fifth in her first varsity outdoor track meet. Julene Erana led Cazenovia in the 100 hurdles at 21.19 with Skye Stanford (21.26) and Angela Moskvich (21.58) close behind. Stanford also led the team in the high jump at 4’2”
Maddy Rothfeld led the Laker throwers, capturing fifth in the shot put (25’8”) in her first spring track competition after a record-breaking winter season.
Olivia Morse was tops for Cazenovia in the discus, earning sixth at 66’6”. Morse also led off the team’s fourth place throwers’ 4×100 meter relay with Karly Vaas, Becca Brooks and Taylor Proctor contributing as well.
The Lakers will be back in action for their first league contest of the season as they travel to Homer on Wednesday. As the 2023 campaign opens, the girls will seek to repeat their 2022 sectional championship effort and pursue their 11th league title in 13 years.
