by Kurt Wheeler

CENTRAL NEW YORK – The Cazenovia girls track and field team remained undefeated and took sole possession of first place in the OHSL Liberty-National division with a powerful 97-44 victory over Skaneateles last Wednesday afternoon.

Cazenovia also retained the prized “Laker Cup” with the win. The cup is a traveling trophy that resides with the winner of the most recent dual meet in spring track and cross country. The current win was the eighth in a row for the “Eastern Lakers” dating back to the fall of 2018.

Cazenovia’s depth was the decisive factor in the victory, with 20 different girls scoring for the team, contrasted with only seven for Skaneateles, as three athletes accounted for 36 of their 44 points.  S
Skaneateles was never able to generate more than a 5-4 margin in any event as Cazenovia picked up second and third in any area they did not win and also captured all three relays.

Corinne Albicker led the team with three first place finishes including wins in both the 100 meter hurdles (18.3) and 400 meter hurdles (1:13.6) and a season best in the long jump at 15 feet 9 inches.

Cazenovia swept the long jump with three girls over 15 feet as Susie Pittman and Audie Spring each reached 15’3”. Bonnie Pittman added valuable second place points in both hurdle events.

Grace Dolan led the Lakers to surprising success in the sprints, leading off their winning 4×100 and 4×400 relays and capturing second to Skaneateles star Kyla Palmer in the 200 (27.1) and 400 (1:01.5). Riley Knapp scored an upset victory over Palmer in the 100, beating her to the line in 13.0 seconds.

Caitlyn Smithers (13.5 in 100) and Izzy Stromer-Galley (27.6 in 200) also added to the winning 4×100 time of 51.8 seconds with Knapp and Dolan.

Reid McMurtie added a point in the 400-meter dash with a speedy 1:02.5 and anchored the 4×400 relay of Dolan, Meghan Mehlbaum and Stromer-Galley to the team’s fastest time of the season at 4:17.7.

Faith Wheeler took second in the 1,500 and led a Cazenovia sweep in the 3,000 meter run Haylee Stearns and Zoey Gagne close behind.

Julia Reff was second in the 800 with Olivia Ruddy third. Ruddy also led the 4×800 of Reff, Maura Phillips and Lily Kogut to their fastest time of the year (11:05.3) as Cazenovia earned a 22-10 margin in the distance events.

Susie Pittman scored in four events to lead Cazenovia in the field, including a win in the triple jump (33’10”) along with second place points in the long jump, high jump and pole vault. Maddy Rothfeld led the Cazenovia throwers with a win in the shot put at 29-11 with Karly Vaas third at 25’4 1/4”. Rothfeld returned to take second in the discus at 76’9” with Olivia Morse third at 70’10”

The Lakers were back in action Friday as it battled to second place in a 20-team field at the East Syracuse-Minoa Invitational, with only host ESM ahead of them.

Cazenovia took advantage of the best weather of the season to achieve 20 new season best performances including five new sectional qualifiers and three new State Qualifier-eligible efforts. Rothfeld led the team with a State Qualifier throw of 32’6” in the shot put while Morse hit the sectional mark in the discus at 75’2”.

Dinah Gifford (8:43.7) and Bonnie Pittman (9:03.9) each qualified for sectionals in the 2,000-meter steeplechase while Gagne met the 3,000 standard with a 12:09.89 effort. Mehlbaum had a career best of 1:12.93 to qualify in the 400 hurdles with Albicker just a second off the state mark at 1:12.43.

Susie Pittman and Caitlyn Smithers each hit season bests of 9 feet to exceed the state standard in pole vault. Phillips (2:30.29) and Wheeler (2:30.97) both ran personal bests in the 800 while Stromer-Galley had her fastest times ever in the 100 (13.18) and 200 (27.51).

McMurtrie ran a 1:01.77 in the 400 and anchored the 4×100 of Sophie Rheaume, Smithers and Stromer-Galley to a 52.01 finish while Phillips (1:03.8) and Alyssa Wardell (1:05.0) hit bests in the 4×400 relay.

Cazenovia (4-0) will be at home Tuesday against Phoenix for its Senior Day meet as it seeks to close out an undefeated regular season and clinch its 11th league title in 13 years.