By Kurt Wheeler
CENTRAL NEW YORK – The Cazenovia girls track and field squad raised its record to 3-0 with a 124-16 win over Hannibal last Wednesday and followed up with a decisive first place finish among 20 teams at the Onondaga Invitational two days later.
Against Hannibal, the Lakers won 14 of 17 events and swept 13 of them, including all three relays, as 23 different girls got on the scoreboard and the team racked up 50 season-best performances plus eight new sectional qualifying marks..
Riley Knapp led the team on the track, winning the 100 \-meter (13.0) and 200-meter (28.1) and anchoring the 4×100 to first in 53.1 seconds. Caitlyn Smithers was close behind, claiming second in the 100 (13.1) and 200 (28.2) while also joining with Knapp, Izzy Stromer-Galley and Alyssa Wardell for the 4×100 win.
Reid McMurtie led a sweep in the 400 (1:01.7) with Stromer-Galley and Wardell as the Lakers earned a perfect 32-0 margin in the sprints. Stromer-Galley returned to anchor the team of Maura Phillips, Meghan Mehlbaum and Julia Reff to victory in the 4×400 relay in 4:34.6.
Faith Wheeler led the Lakers in the distance as she easily surpassed the sectional standard to win the 3,000 in 11:49.6 with Haylee Stearns second. The duo also backed up Julia Reff who won the 1,500 in 5:34.3.
Olivia Ruddy won the 800 in 2:40 flat to lead a Laker sweep and also anchored the 4×800 to first place in a season bet 11:15.5 with Dinah Gifford, Lily Kogut and Lauren McLean contributing.
Corinne Albicker led the squad in the hurdles taking second in both the 100 meter and 400 meter races with Bonnie Pittman also scoring in each with season best times. Albicker also led a Laker sweep of the long jump with a leap of 15 feet 2 inches and was tops for Cazenovia in the triple jump.
Skye Stanford had a banner day, winning both the discus (74’4”) and high jump (4’6”) with career bests. Olivia Morse was close behind in the disc at 73 feet while Maddy Rothfeld was tops in the shot put at 29 feet. Faith Wheeler led a Laker sweep in the pole vault as she cleared 8 feet.
Grace Dolan led the Lakers to their overwhelming victory at Onondaga, earning three first place finishes as she topped the 400 in 1:01.25 and led off the winning 4×100 (51.59) and 4×400 (4:18.04). All three times met the state qualifier standard.
McMurtie (1:01.74) was second in the 400 meter and anchored the 4×400 with Mehlbaum and Phillips also contributing. Stromer-Galley, Smithers and Knapp all ran legs in the winning 4×100.
Susie Pittman was a double winner for Cazenovia, leaping a career-best 35’1” to win the triple jump and clearing 8’6” to win the pole vault, both state qualifier performances, with Wheeler second in the pole vault at 8-0.
Rothfeld (31’1 3/4” in the shot put), Wardell (15’1 1/4” in the long jump) and Mehlbaum (4’8”) in the high jump) all led the Lakers in their events with season best efforts.
Smithers (13.48) teamed with Stromer-Galley (13.53) to go 2-3 in the 100 meter dash and also captured second in the 200 at 28.28. Albicker finished third in both hurdle events including a personal best of 1:12.82 in the 400 hurdles.
Wheeler led the team in the 1,500, placing third in 5:19.90 with Phillips one place back at 5:24.76 in her first attempt at the distance. Julia Reff ran a personal best of 2:36.03 to lead the team in the 800 while Ruddy anchored the 4×800 to its second place time of 11:20.59 to round out the scoring.
The Lakers (3-0) travel to Skaneateles Wednesday for a battle that will likely determine the OHSL Liberty-National title and compete at the East Syracuse-Minoa Invitational Friday in a quest for more state qualifier performances.
