Michelle Quimby was a busy girl at last Saturday’s Colonie Relays track and field meet.
At one point, the Shenendehowa senior had to run between the pole vault pit, the high jump area and the triple jump lane. The amazing part was she excelled at all three events, setting meet records in the pole vault (12 feet) and high jump (5 feet, 7 inches), and landing the longest distance in the triple jump (35 feet, 8 inches).
It’s nothing new to her. She’s very good at managing her time and getting from event to event, said Shen girls track assistant coach Christie Burns.
Quimby was so good in the pole vault and the high jump that she wound up competing with the boys to finish off both events ` something she didn’t mind.
`I like it. It’s more people to compete with,` said Quimby.
Quimby’s success is nothing new to her or to Section II. She’s been the top female pole vaulter in the area the last several years, and she’s quickly become a top-flight high jumper.
`She’s always done high jump, but she just took it as a new focus this year,` said Burns.
Clearing 5-7 in the high jump last Saturday was a milestone for Quimby, though. She not only set a personal record, but she also proved to herself that she can jump higher than her 5-6 frame.
`I think it’s just really cool that I can jump over my head. I wasn’t expecting to,` said Quimby.
`She’s very much a competitive athlete, so when she gets (a goal) in her head, she really goes after it,` said Burns.
Quimby’s efforts helped the Shen girls cruise to the team title at the Colonie Relays. The Plainswomen finished with 140 points, well ahead of second-place Colonie (87 points).
Shen excelled in all of the field relays. Besides the pole vault, high jump and triple jump relays, the Plainswomen also won the long jump, shot put and discus relays. Shen added victories in the 6,000-meter and distance medley relays for good measure.
Sam Kosa and Lizzie Predmore provided more individual highlights for Shen. Kosa had the top throw in the shot put relay with a distance of 37 feet, 9.75 inches, while Predmore pulled away for a victory in the invitational 1,500-meter race with a time of 4:37.0.
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake ` which placed fifth in the girls team standings with 67.5 points ` had a victory in the sprint medley relay. The team of Chelsea McBee, Amy Cuomo, Kendra Adams and Meaghan Gregory finished with a time of 4:18.1.
Shen, BH-BL and Saratoga Springs all had strong performances on the boys’ side. Shen placed second in the team standings with 109.5 points, three points behind first-place Shaker. BH-BL was fourth with 62.5 points, and Saratoga was fifth with 53.5 points.
Shen’s Evan Palmer, Chris Cozzens and Alex Leuchanka had top individual performances. Palmer had the top throw in both the shot put and discus relays, while Cozzens cleared 13 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault. Leuchanka won the invitational 1,600-meter race with a time of 4:15, three seconds ahead of BH-BL’s Otis Ubriaco.
Alex King led Saratoga to wins in the long jump and high jump relays, while BH-BL took first place in the 6,400-meter relay.“
