The Shaker boys indoor track and field team had a strong showing in the relay events at Sunday’s Section II Championships at the University at Albany.
The Blue Bison won the 800- and 1,600-meter relays to earn automatic berths into this weekend’s state meet in Ithaca. The 800 relay team of Alvin Porter, Reuben Feinman, Matt Dustin and Bryan Letourneau took first place in a time of 1:37.9, and the 1,600 relay team of Oluebebe Abara, Brendan Dolan, Jaquell Chandler and Matt Conti finished first in a time of 3:34.7.
Abara claimed an individual title in the 55 hurdles final. The senior nipped Schuylerville’s Shane Wagner at the finish line to take first place in a time of 7.6 seconds. Colonie’s Greg Kehrer finished fourth in a time of 7.9 seconds.
Several more Shaker athletes placed in the top six of their individual events. Christopher Herman took second place in the 600 with a time of 1:27.6; Prince Abban was second in both the long and triple jumps with respective distances of 21 feet, 4.5 inches and 43 feet, 2 inches; and Michael Ofosu finished third in the triple jump with a distance of 42 feet, 11 inches. Craig Weiss was fourth in the 3,200 with a time of 9:46.8.
Colonie had one individual champion in Tyler Stewart. The senior won the 1,000 in a time of 2:33.9.
Other Colonie individuals had strong showings. John Drabik (third, 6.6 seconds) and Nick Colello (fourth, 6.6 seconds) reached the 55 dash finals. Brian Treadway (third, 1:28.1) and Jacob Stephenson (fourth, 1:28.9) placed in the top six of the 600, while Kehrer (second, 6 feet, 2 inches) and Colello (third, 6-0) finished in the top six of the high jump. Tim Derocher (fifth, 12-6) was among the top pole vaulters.
Colonie’s 1,600 relay team of Stewart, Ryan Nolan, Nyasha Dangwa and Ishmel McCann finished fourth, and the Garnet Raiders 3,200 relay team of Treadway, Edmund Brown, Joe Emory and Giancarlo Sainato placed fifth.
On the girls’ side, Colonie freshman Kyle Plante won an individual event and ran the anchor leg on a winning relay. Plante finished first in the 300 dash with a time of 41.7 seconds, and she teamed up with Corrine Serrano, Nayamka Roberts-Smith and Emily Finnegan to win the 1,600 relay in a time of 4:08.3.
Shaker’s 800 relay team of Carly Brundige, Christine Coughlin, Kate Roberts and Meghan Matan placed second behind Niskayuna in the finals. Niskayuna won with a time of 1:50.3, while Shaker finished second in a time of 1:52.3.
Shaker’s Katie Crodelle placed sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 32 feet, 5.25 inches.`