The Shaker boys indoor track and field team won the Section II Division I championship for the second consecutive year.
The Blue Bison finished with 137.5 points at last weekend’s Sectional meet at the University at Albany, more than 24 points ahead of runner-up Shenendehowa. Bethlehem placed third with 55 points.
Shaker showed its strength in the 300-meter dash and the 600-meter race. Matt Conti won the 300 dash with a time of 36.4 seconds, while Chris Herman edged Conti by four-tenths of a second to win the 600 with a time of 1:24.5. Conti finished with a runner-up time of 1:24.9.
Brendan Dolan added a victory in the 55-meter hurdles for Shaker. The senior nipped teammate Jaquell Chandler and Albany’s Kyle Thompson at the finish line to claim the title with a time of 8 seconds. Thompson and Chandler each finished with a time of 8.1 seconds.
Shen’s greatest success came in the relays. The Plainsmen edged Shaker by less than one-tenth of a second to win the 800-meter relay with a time of 1:37.9, and their 1,600-meter relay team took first place witrh a time of 3:34.9.
Tyler Prendergast was a double winner for Shen. The senior took first place in the shot put with a throw of 51 feet, 9.5 inches and won the weight throw with a distance of 61 feet, 1.25 inches.
Stuart Charbonneau (pole vault), Grant McLeod (high jump) and Dan Harris (1,600) also won individual events for Shen.
Paul Buehler led Bethlehem’s effort with victories in the long and triple jumps. The senior came within two inches of 22 feet in the long jump with a winning distance of 21 feet, 10 inches, and he was the long competitor to top 45 feet in the triple jump with a distance of 45 feet, 5.5 inches.
Yousef Zaid fended off Shaker’s Ryan Egan to win the 1,000-meter race at Sectionals. Zaid finished with a time of 2:35.8, while Egan settled for second place with a time of 2:36.5.
Colonie’s John Drabik posted a Section II-record time of 6.1 seconds to win the 55-meter dash.
On the girls’ side, Shen eased past the competition to win the Division I team title with 169 points. Saratoga Springs was second with 138 points, and Colonie placed third with 58 points.
Lizzie Predmore led the Plainsmen with victories in the two longest races of the day. The sophomore took first place in the 1,500-meter race with a time of 4:38.9, and she won the 3,000 with a time of 10:14.6.
Savannah Gordon was a double winner for Shen in field events. Gordon took first place in the shot put with a throw of 34 feet, 8.75 inches, and she won the weight throw with a distance of 43 feet, 11.25 inches.
Kelsey Hanson and Maddesen Weekes earned individual titles for the Plainsmen. Hanson cleared the bar at 5 feet to win the high jump, and Weekes finished first in the pole vault after clearing 9 feet, 6 inches.
Shen also fared well in the relays, as it won the 800-meter event with a time of 1:51.3 and finished first in the 1,600-meter race with a time of 4:10.4. Saratoga won the 3,200-meter relay with a time of 9:36.1.
Saratoga’s Madalayne Smith continued her impressive indoor season. She won the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.7 seconds, and she finished first in the long jump with a distance of 17 feet, 6.75 inches.
Amanda Borroughs and Brianne Bellon also won individual events for Saratoga. Borroughs edged teammate Margaret MacDonald by three-tenths of a second for the 600-meter title with a winning time of 1:39.6, while Bellon nipped Borroughs by the same margin to take first place in the 1,000 with a time of 3:01.5.
Colonie’s Kyle Plante was a double winner at Sectionals. Plante cruised to the 55-meter hurdles title with a time of 8 seconds, and she had a 2.2-second cushion over her nearest competition on her way to winning the 300 dash with a time of 40.2 seconds.
In Division II, Ballston Spa won the boys team title with 122 points, nine points ahead of runner-up Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, while Holy Names won the girls team title with 118 points. Niskayuna was second with 84 points.
Mike Villano led Ballston Spa with victories in the 55- and 300-meter dashes. Max Groves added a win the 3,200 for the Scotties, who also finished first in the 1,600 and 3,200 relays.
Otis Ubriaco won the 1,000- and 1,600-meter races for BH-BL. Chris Fernandez took first place in the 600, and the Spartans’ 800 relay team claimed the Division II title.
Mohonasen’s Mi’chael White was a double winner in field events. The junior finished first in the high jump and the long jump.
Niskayuna’s Sonya Pevzner (55-meter hurdles), Ballston Spa’s Bailey Kowalczyk (1,000) and BH-BL’s Kiersten Anderson (3,000) won individual Sectional titles on the girls’ side. Niskayuna’s 3,200-meter relay team also finished first.
The Lansingburgh boys and Scotia-Glenville girls were the Division III team champions. Lansingburgh edged Ichabod Crane by five points to claim the boys team title, while Scotia-Glenville cruised to a 51-point victory over the Riders to win the girls team title.
Becky Celorio led Scotia-Glenville with wins in the girls 1,500- and 3,000-meter races. Makala Gatta added victories in the 55-meter dash and the long jump.
The Lady Tartans also won the 3,200-meter relay with a time of 10:43.9.
Dylan Elliot (long jump) and Kevin Murdock (shot put) won Sectional titles for the Scotia-Glenville boys team.`