by Kurt Wheeler
MIDDLETOWN – The Cazenovia girls track team capped off a stellar 2023 season as 11 members of the squad journeyed to Middletown High School to compete in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships
And the capstone was a silver medal performance by the Lakers in the 4×100 meter relay.
Fresh off a school record-setting performance at the State Qualifier meet on June 1, Cazenovia was ranked third in Division II (small schools) entering the competition. The speedy foursome was just off their record pace of 49.46 seconds from the week before as they ran 49.70 to finish second among all small public schools in the state.
Their performance was even more impressive in the context of a tumultuous week with intermittent practices due to air quality issues combined with a lengthy delay at the meet just before the start of their race.
Having dominated the competition in Central New York throughout the spring, the Lakers were pushed to the limit as they competed against the best of the best from across the state.
Grace Dolan led off the team and quickly made up much of the stagger from her lane 3 position. Caitlyn Smithers held fast in her straightaway leg number two and Izzy Stromer-Galley gained more ground on the final curve before executing a perfect exchange with Riley Knapp.
On the anchor leg, Knapp passed two more squads in the final 100 meters including a well-timed lean at the finish to edge the third place team, Rondout Valley (49.74), by just four hundredths of a second. Bronxville won the NYSPHSAA race in 48.90.
Dolan returned to lead off the 4×400, running from the unfamiliar lane 8 position, nearly 60 meters out from the starting line. She ran a tough opening leg, handing off to Meghan Mehlbaum after just 59.9 seconds. Mehlbaum ran a personal best leg of 1:01.2 to keep the Lakers in contention.
The Lakers’ momentum was hampered as Alyssa Wardell was cut off by an opposing runner who caused a collision. Wardell quickly recovered to run a strong 1:03.9 leg and pass off smoothly to Reid McMurtrie.
After two weeks of running the 4×800, McMurtrie was stronger than ever, sprinting to a best-ever leg of 1:00.7 to cap the team’s total of 4:05.98 to finish ninth overall in Division II, just one-tenth of a second off their Section III-best time from a week earlier and the third fastest in school history.
Absent the interference at the start of leg three, the Lakers would have had a strong shot at both the school record and the medal stand, but it was a tremendous performance nonetheless.
Riley Knapp also added her second fastest time ever in the individual 100 meter dash to the day’s achievements. She clocked 12.75 seconds to finish 17th in Division II, topping off an incredible campaign in her first season ever of spring track.
Audie Spring and Maura Phillips also travelled to elite competition to serve as alternates in the 4×100 along with Julia Reff and Lily Kogut who were on hand if needed in the 4×400. Each of them also concluded an exceptional season of contributions to the Lakers’ championship squad.
The state meet capped a historic spring for the Lakers as they went undefeated and captured both league and sectional crowns.
