All Tedi DeMaria wanted to do was place in the top five.
She did much more than that.
The Bethlehem junior won the girls pole vault title with a Section 2-record height of 12 feet, 3 inches at the New York State High School Track and Field Championships Friday, June 12, at the University at Albany.
DeMaria was seeded second entering the state meet, but she harbored no thoughts about winning the title – especially with Monroe-Woodbury’s Catherine Walker in the field.
Walker cleared the bar at 12 feet, 7 inches at the Section 9 qualifier one week earlier to earn the top seed at states, while DeMaria’s personal best was 11 feet, 9 inches.
“I said top five, I’d be so happy with that (finish),” said DeMaria. “This (title) is crazy.”
DeMaria had one miss on her way to matching her personal record at 11-9, while others fell by the wayside. When the bar was set at 12 feet, DeMaria was one of five competitors remaining out of the original 26.
DeMaria had few opportunities before Friday to attempt clearing 12 feet. One chance came at the Section 2 qualifier June 5 at UAlbany when she went after the state meet qualifier record of 12 feet, 1 inch. She came close, but she missed all three attempts.
Facing the 12-foot barrier once again at states, DeMaria missed on her first try, but she easily cleared the bar on her second attempt to advance.
“I haven’t had that many shots at it … but to finally get it feels so good,” said DeMaria.
Only three competitors remained when the bar was raised to 12-3 – DeMaria, Walker and Hamburg’s Taylor Thurnhurr. DeMaria easily soared over the bar on her first attempt, while Walker needed three tries to clear the bar. Thurnhurr was eliminated after three failed attempts.
The bar was raised to 12-6 – nine inches higher than DeMaria’s previous career mark, but only one inch shy of Walker’s personal best. DeMaria came close a couple of times, but she failed to clear the bar. Therefore, she needed Walker to miss on her final try to win the state title. Walker dug down deep, but she kicked the bar off its supports, which gave DeMaria the championship.
The victory not only gave DeMaria her first state track title, but also some new personal goals for next season.
“(Clearing) 12-6 is next,” said DeMaria. “After that, the goal is 13 (feet) plus. Hopefully, I’ll get it by the end of next year.”
DeMaria’s performance highlighted a strong weekend effort by local runners at the state meet. Guilderland’s Emily Burns placed second in the girls 2,000-meter steeplechase, and the Dutchmen’s boys 3,200-meter relay team finished second to Shenendehowa on Saturday, June 13.
Burns couldn’t keep up with Cornwall’s Beatrice Boylan, who won the steeplechase with a time of 6:52.70. But, Burns passed Huntington’s Suzie Petryk and North Rockland’s Alex Harris on the final lap to claim second place with a time of 6:56.52.
“With one lap to go, I knew this was the last time I was going to be wearing a Guilderland singlet, so I had to go if I wanted to place in the top three,” said Burns.
The Guilderland boys 3,200-meter relay team of Noah Carey, Noah Tindale, Jonathon Feil and Drew Burns crossed the line third, but they received second place when Arlington dropped the baton on the final lap. Guilderland’s time was 7:45.24, nearly five seconds behind Shen.
Carey also competed individually in the boys 3,200-meter final on Friday. The sophomore placed fifth with a time of 9:20.70. Fayetteville-Manlius’ Bryce Millar defended his state title in the event with a winning time of 9:18.61.
Bethlehem’s Simon Powhida finished 12th in the boys 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:45.59, and Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk’s Ciara Miller placed 13th overall in the girls high jump. Miller’s height of 5 feet, 2 inches, placed her fourth among Group 2 high jumpers.
