The Shenendehowa boys 1,600-meter relay team closed the two-day New York State High School Track and Field Championships in style.
Tyler Fogarty surged past Newburgh Free Academy’s Akinto Boone in the final 100 meters to lead the Plainsmen to a victory in Saturday’s Federation 1,600 relay at Kingston’s Dietz Stadium. The team of Fogarty, Patrell Brown, Chris Campoli and Tyler Riberdy finished with a time of 3:18.50 third best in Section II history.
I just paced off Newburgh for the first 300 meters and pushed off in the final 100,` said Fogarty.
`I knew they were going to win this race midway through the indoor season,` said Shen coach Don Paretta. `I told them they would. They didn’t believe me at the time. Maybe they do now.`
Shen was involved in a tight battle with Newburgh Free Academy and Clarkstown South when Fogarty got the baton for the anchor leg. Fogarty stayed with Boone as they pulled away and passed the junior in the home stretch. Boone stayed close to Fogarty, but Fogarty held on for a .24-second victory.
`I actually looked at the score-board, and then I saw everybody jump up and down,` said Fogarty. `That’s how I knew we won.`
`He ran smart,` said Paretta of Fogarty, who had a 47-second split in his leg. `He made one move, and that’s all he needed to get by (Boone).`
Shen also earned a state public school division title in the boys 3,200-meter relay. The team of Corey Clavet, Ryan Jones, Zach Predmore and Zac Suriano finished with a time of 7:51.05 in a tightly-contested race with Collegiate of New York City and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. Collegiate won the Federation title with a time of 7:50.75, while the BH-BL team of Cody Buell, Zach Goodrich, Andrew Jess and Drew Houghtalen took third in the Federation and second in Division 1 (public large schools) with a time of 7:51.58.
`I thought it was the day,` said Shen assistant coach Matt Jones. `I thought we’d run a little faster.`
BH-BL had the lead going into the final 100 meters, but Suriano and Collegiate’s Chris Williams passed Drew Houghtalen at the top of the home stretch. Williams then out-kicked Suriano for the Federation title.
`I knew he was coming,` Suriano said of Williams. `I just tried to take it out of him in the third 200-(meter segment), but it didn’t work. I’m glad I took a chance, though.`
`(Houghtalen) was kind of locked in with Shen, and Collegiate looked like it was a little farther back,` said BH-BL coach Chip Button. `It was a tough position to be in, and they probably have a little more speed than he does.`
The Saratoga girls 3,200 relay team also had a shot at winning a Federation title. Anchor runner Brianna Bellon tracked down Warwick Valley’s Kristen Peluso in the final 800 meters and briefly took the lead before Peluso passed Bellon and led Warwick Valley to victory with a time of 9:02.86. The team of Bellon, Hannah Davidson, Cassie Goutos and Michelle Riley settled for second with a time of 9:06.01.
`Even though we came in second, it was still an awesome race,` said Riley, one of three freshmen on Saratoga’s relay team. `Everybody did their best.`
Several individuals had top six performances at the state meet. Predmore and Steve Murdock earned medals for Shen in the boys 3,200, with Predmore taking second among Division 1 runners and third in the Federation with a time of 9:12.61. Murdock, nursing a foot injury, placed fourth among Division 1 runners and sixth in the Federation with a time of 9:21.74.
Shen’s Michelle Quimby was the runner-up in the Federation pole vault. The sophomore cleared a season-best 11 feet, 3 inches to finish only behind Washingtonville senior Stephanie Duffy, who cleared 12 feet, 6 inches.
BH-BL’s Meaghan Gregory placed second to Roslyn’s Emily Lipari in the girls 3,000. Lipari won the Division 1 and Federation titles with a time of 9:45.64, while Gregory finished second with a time of 9:47.38.
Gregory’s teammate, Samantha Roecker, placed third in the 2,000 steeplechase. Roecker finished with a time of 6:54.62 ` one of three sub-7 minute times in the race.
Saratoga’s Madalayne Smith made her state meet debut a good one. Smith placed third in the Division 1 100 high hurdles finals with a time of 14.62 seconds and finished fifth in the Federation 100 hurdles with a time of 14.82 seconds.
Melissa James also turned in two strong performances in her specialty ` the discus. The Saratoga senior threw the discus 127 feet, 11 inches to finish fourth in Friday’s Division 1 girls competition, and she had a best throw of 123 feet, 11 inches in Saturday’s Federation event to finish fourth. Ballston Spa’s Kaitlyn Staulters was sixth in both events with throws of 123 feet, 11 inches Friday and 119 feet, 11 inches Saturday.
Ballston Spa’s Jackie Cinella was fourth in the girls Division 1 400 intermediate hurdles with a time of 1:04.34. Shen’s Josh Vale was fourth in the boys Division 1 pentathlon (fifth in the Federation) with 3,182 points, while teammate James Schwendtner placed fifth in the boys Federation discus with a throw of 160 feet, 3 inches. Kelsey Hanson of Shen was sixth among Division 1 athletes in the girls pentathlon with 2,741 points.
Saratoga County results
Individual events
Zach Predmore (Shenende-howa) ` second place, Division 1 3,200-meter race, 9:12.61 (third in Federation)
Michelle Quimby (Shen) ` second, Federation pole vault, 11 feet, 3 inches; tie for 19th, Federation high jump, 5 feet
Steve Murdock (Shen) ` fourth, Division 1 3,200-meter race, 9:21.74 (sixth in Federation)
Josh Vale (Shen) ` fourth, Division 1 pentathlon, 3,182 points (fifth in Federation)
James Schwendtner (Shen) ` fifth, Federation discus, 160 feet, 3 inches
Kelsey Hanson (Shen) ` sixth, Division 1 pentathlon, 2,741 points (eighth in Federation)
Kyle Jacobs (Shen) ` tie for 12th, Federation pole vault, 13 feet
Laura Morehouse (Shen) ` 20th, Division 1 100-meter dash, 12.98 seconds
Adam Quinn (Shen) ` 22nd, Federation 3,000-meter steeplechase, 10:11.23
Madalayne Smith (Saratoga) ` third, Division 1 100-meter high hurdles, 14.62 seconds; fifth, Federation 100-meter high hurdles, 14.82 seconds; 15th, Division 1 long jump, 15 feet, 6 inches
Melissa James (Saratoga) ` fourth, Division 1 discus, 127 feet, 11 inches; fourth, Federation discus, 123 feet, 11 inches
Brianne Bellon (Saratoga) ` 10th, Division 1 800-meter race, 2:19.17
Meaghan Gregory (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) ` second, Federation 3,000-meter race, 9:47.38
Samantha Roecker (BH-BL) ` third, Federation 2,000-meter steeplechase, 6:54.62
Kendra Adams (BH-BL) ` ninth, 400-meter intermediate hurdles, 1:05.79
Ryan Pezzulo (BH-BL) ` 18th, Federation 1,600-meter race, 4:24.70
Jackie Cinella (Ballston Spa) ` fourth, Division 1 400-meter intermediate hurdles, 1:04.34; seventh, Federation 400-meter intermediate hurdles, 1:06.77
Kaitlyn Staulters (Ballston Spa) ` sixth, Division 1 discus, 123 feet, 11 inches; sixth, Federation discus, 119 feet, 11 inches
Drew Fitzgerald (Ballston Spa) ` 11th, Federation high jump, 6 feet, 2 inches
Nicole Laiacona (Ballston Spa) ` 13th, Federation shot put, 34 feet, 1.75 inches
Jenn Stodgell (Ballston Spa) ` 16th, Division 1 200-meter dash, 26.73 seconds
Relays
Shenendehowa boys 1,600-meter relay (Tyler Fogarty, Chris Campoli, Tyler Riberdy, Seth Whitaker, Patrell Brown) ` first place, Federation race, 3:18.50; fourth, Division 1 race, 3:20.14
Shen boys 3,200-meter relay (Corey Clavet, Ryan Jones, Zach Predmore, Zac Suriano) ` first, Division 1, 7:51.05 (second in Federation)
Shen girls 400-meter relay (Laura Morehouse, Illisa DiNuzzo, Julia Urban, Kathleen Klein) ? 15th, Division 1, 50.13 seconds
Saratoga girls 3,200-meter relay (Hannah Davidson, Cassie Goutos, Michelle Riley, Brianne Bellon) ` second, Federation, 9:06.01
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake boys 3,200-meter relay (Cody Buell, Zach Goodrich, Andrew Jess, Drew Houghtalen) ` second, Division 1, 7:51.58 (third in Federation)
BH-BL girls 3,200-meter relay (Larene Cameron, Molly Pezzulo, Samantha Roecker, Meaghan Gregory) ` seventh, Federation, 9:19.63“
