2008/2009 Indoor Track Race Results....

COMPETITIONS 

(Click on Competition for Summary/Outstanding Performances)

Christmas Relays(G-12/20/08, B-1/10/09) Jack Morse Relays(B/G) - 1/5/09 Southern Tier Invitational(B/G) - 1/10/09
Kirschenheiter Relays(B/G) - 1/15/09 Grieve Invitational(B/G) - 1/21/09 Arcaro Invitational(B/G) - 1/28/09
Constantino Invitational(B/G) - 2/5/09 Section III Championship(G-2/9/09; B-2/10/09) OHSL/CNYCL Championship(G-2/16; B-2/17)
Sec.III State Qualifier(B/G) - 2/27/09 NYS Championship(B/G) - 3/7/09) National Scholastic(B/G) - 3/14-3/15/09

 

2008/09 Team/Individual NYS Scholar-Athletes

 


Meet: Christmas Relays, Girls - 12/20/08, Boys - 1/10/09

Meet Results

(For Full Meet Results, go to Leonetiming)

Girls Varsity

Team Place: 7 of 21

Boys Varsity:

Team Place:

Meet Summaries

Girls: After a month of practices, the girls were mentally ready for some competition. First track efforts, however, are tough in spite of the best preparation. The slippery track surface and tight corners of the Hamilton College venue increased the difficulty. So race targets were tough to come by. Nevertheless, the 'cats had six scoring relays, with the best finish provided by the Shot Put tandem of Vanessa Mangovski and neophyte Maria Sakran, and the 600 meter relay of Katie Bott and Kristin Waters. Both relays placed 3rd. One of the most impressive efforts came from the 1500m relay duo of 8th graders Abby Kastick and Anna Leo. They placed 4th and both ran 1500 meter times that met the qualifying standard for the National Scholastic 7th/8th Grade Mile. A significant personal record was also recorded by Kathleen O'Meara in the 3000m relaty where she partnered with Alyssa Sherman for 5th place. The girls return to training in preparation for the 1/5/09 Morse Relays.

Boys:

Outstanding Performances

Girls: Kathleen O'Meara(3000m)

Boys:

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Meet: Morse Relays, Girls/Boys - 1/5/09

Meet Results

(For Full Meet Results, go to Leonetiming)

Girls Varsity

Team Place: 20 of 23

Boys Varsity:

Team Place: 6 of 24

Meet Summaries

Girls: It was certainly a tale of two teams at the Morse Relays. Following a credible opener at the Christmas Relays, the boys were enjoying their first competition of the season while the girls collectively went flat at Manley Field House. The long holiday may have taken its toll, but more likely team members are still developing an appreciation for the speeds/technique demands of track. Meet officiating was, however, probably the slowest part of the evening, with multiple 'little' delays between heats that culminated with a 10:35 start to the last event, one the Wildcats were forced to miss. The girls will look forward to better meets as they head south to Cornell for the Southern Tier Invitational.

Boys: Following what seemed a forever training season(November 19th), the boys relished the opportunity to step onto a track or runway for competition. Neophytes got their feet wet while the veterans re-familiarized themselves with track distances/events. Short on scoring events, the 'cats scored well where they could. Though they deliberately switched members around in the DMR, they placed 2nd with a time only 4 seconds off the school record. The 4x800 ran well with a different Wildcat cast, placing 6th. The evening's highlight had to be the 4x200 relay. West Genesee has not recently been know as a strong sprint program, but that may be changing thanks to Zac Karpinski, Jake Lafaver, Zack Lafaver and Ron Ta. Running out of a slower heat, the Wildcats were all alone after the first exchange, beating their 2nd place heat opponent by 11 seconds. They then watched to seeded heat to see if they could break into the scoring. When heat-winning Corcoran crossed the line in 1:39.04, the Wildcats realized they'd done a lot better than breaking into the top-6. Their 1:38.38 had won the event--all on one day of baton work! That excitement, however, cannot overshadow the need to develop a field event presence in future meets, a huge challenge for the 'cats. They get to work on that at the Southern Tier Invitational.

 

Outstanding Performances

Girls: None

Boys: 4x200 Relay

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Meet: Southern Tier Invitational - 1/10/09

Meet Results

Meet Summaries

Girls: Limited improvements was the operative term for the girls team as it traveled south to the more spacious venue of Cornell University's Barton Hall. Enjoying a large, but well run invitational, the girls registered a number of personal records and two scoring events. 8th graders Anna Leo and Abby Kastick both fared well in the 1500m. Anna's 17th place 5:25.74 was a PR while Abby gutted out a slight abdominal muscle strain, placing 22nd in the 65+ runner field. Katie Bott lowered her seasonal PR in the 600m to 1:43.29 as she placed 4th overall in that event. And the 4x800 lowered it's time to 10:29.47 with a 6th place where they led following the 2nd leg but were unable to hold in the final legs. The field events did not go well for the small group of involved. Progress will come with diligence and time.

Boys: The 7:00am bus ride south and mid-morning gun for the 3200m did not bother senior Tom Hopkins. Impatient, Tom took his first 3200m of the season and turned it into a gem. Pacing well and spotted on the shoulder of the leaders, Tom came through the 1600 at 4:56. With three laps to go, he had fallen off pace and urgency forced him to dig deep. His final 400m was a 1:08.5 and the 1980's record by Mark Hennessey is now his at 9:55.00. With the tone set, Zac Karpinski dropped under 7:00 in the 55m and Jon Richardson made the finals in the 55hh with a personal best of 8.52. The 1600 meter runners Billy Gabriel and Steve Houghmaster(4th) stumbled slightly due to improper warm-ups, but Ron Ta placed 8th in the 600m with a sub-1:30 and Tony Terzolo PR'ed in the Long Jump for a top-20 place. With something to prove, the 4x800 took the track with Gabriel, Hopkins and Houghmaster joined by Matt Gonnella. They fought well, including a scorching final leg by Steve to place 3rd with a 8:27.32, their best in several years.

Outstanding Performances

Girls: Katie Bott(600m)/Anna Leo(1500m)

Boys: Tom Hopkins(3200m-school record)/4x800 Relay/Jon Richardson(55hh)

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Meet: Kirschenheiter Relays, Boys/Girls-1/15/09

Meet Results

(For Full Meet Results, go to Leonetiming)

Girls Varsity

Team Place: 10 of 21

Boys Varsity:

Team Place: 7(tie) of 21

Meet Summaries

Girls: The girls improved their team finish at this final 'relay meet' with three scoring efforts. The SMR took 6th while a young 4x800 guided by senior Kayla Murphy also broke into the scoring column with a 6th. Highest honors went to the 4x1600 relay, starting after 10:00pm and with Bott running her first 1500m. The squad of Bott, Alex Incaudo, Kristin Waters and Colleen Smith placed 2nd but missed a hoped-for Nationals qualifying standard. For two relay members, there's next year. Off the track, first-year senior Maria Sakran continued with an impressive learning curve as she placed 8th individually in the shot put.

Boys: The momentum of the Southern Tier Invitational carried the boys to several outstanding performances, tough only two events broke into the scoring column. Scoring was a bookend affair. The SMR enduring a last-minute switch in legs as Ron Ta, Jake Lafaver, Zac Karpinski and Steve Houghmaster clocked the school's 2nd best time ever in claiming 1st with a 3:44.90. Despite Jon Richardson's 4th place inthe 55hh relay, the 'cats were quiet after that until the final 4x1600 relay. Aiming for a qualifying standard for the National Scholastic Championship 4x1mile in March, the Wildcats were hoping for a team to either chase or be pushed by, and they got that from a strong F-M squad. Lead-off runner Billy Gabriel ran a tactical masterpiece as he sat on the shoulder of the front-runner for the opening 1000 meters, then moved decisively to the front, opening a 20 meter working margin for Tom Hopkins. T-hop then clocked a personal record, widing the lead. Running his first 1600m of the season, third leg Sam Reedy would not let F-M close as he ran a PR and gave anchor Houghmaster a 60 meter cushion. The question was whether that would be enough against F-M ace Alex Hatz, XC's junior-of-the-year and 2nd in last year's state championship 1600m. Their expected dual, however, was conducted at long range as Steve's even-paced effort was too much for Hatz to close. The 'cats came away with their qualifying time of 18:37.01, first place and a school record in that event for the 2nd consecutive year.

Outstanding Performances

Girls: Maria Sakran(Shot Put)

Boys: 4x1600(School Record)/SMR

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Meet: Grieve Invitational, Boys/Girls-1/21/09

Meet Results

(For Full Meet Results, go to Leonetiming)

Girls Varsity

Team Place:  16 of 19

Boys Varsity:

Team Place: 5(tie) of 25

Meet Summaries

Girls: A low team place hide the overall improvements demonstrated by the team this meet. The vast majority of athletes were again limited to single events in order to involve more team members in the meet. 8th graders Anna Leo and Abby Kastick continued their season success with top-15 finishes in the 3000 meter. The Girls 4x400 went under target in placing 5th while Amy Hannahan enjoyed a top-15 finish in the 1000 meter, and first-year thrower Maria Sakran earned another top-15 place in the Shot Put. Katie Bott ran a solid 300m in finishing 4th. Some team members will train-through the next meet in preparation for the final invitational and championships.

Boys: Moving runners into different events, the boys still packed enough of a punch to earn their best team placement of the season. Billy Gabriel got the evening off to a roaring start as he lined up against the section's(and the state's) two best distance aces, Alex Hatz and Chris Stogsdill. Running tactically smart, Billy posted an impressive 1:06 final 400m to overtake several runners and place fourth with a 9:56.95, best sophomore time ever for the Wildcats. The untested 4x400 relay of Jon Richardson, Jake Lafaver, Zack Lafaver and Zac Karpinski did not look untested as they blasted to second place with a 3:34.80 clocking, signaling that the 3:33.7 record establish during the 80/81 season is in serious jeopardy. Steve Houghmaster got into the act, almost winning the 1000 meter as he dropped a 2:35.81, only a few seconds off the school record. Senior Tom Hopkins put himself in unfamiliar territory, running the 600m for the first time ever. No matter. 'T-hop' powered to a 1:30.63. Like the girls, some of the boys team members will train through next week.

Outstanding Performances

Girls: Anna Leo/Abby Kastick(3000m)/Katie Bott(300m)

Boys: 4x400 Relay/Billy Gabriel(3200m)/Steve Houghmaster(1000m)/Tom Hopkins(600m)

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Meet: Arcaro Invitational - Boys/Girls, 1/28/09

Meet Results

(Cancelled due to weather)

(For Full Meet Results, go to Leonetiming)

Girls Varsity

Team Place: 

Boys Varsity:

Team Place:

Meet Summaries

Girls:

Boys: It

Outstanding Performances

Girls:

Boys:

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Meet: Constantino Invitational - Boys/Girls, 2/5/09

Meet Results

(For Full Meet Results, go to Leonetiming)

Girls Varsity

Team Place: 16 of 21

Boys Varsity:

Team Place: 24(tie) of 24

Meet Summaries

Girls: A conspiracy of factors brought the girls low in this meet. Losing the previous Arcaro Invitational to weather(no make-up dates in this 08/09 schedule) did not help, but a necessary quality-day practice re-scheduled brought heavy legs into this meet. Several girls fought through, but others succumbed and paced instead of raced. It was the final meet for athletes without championship qualifying standards. Those remaining look to bounce back personally and as a team at the Sectional Championship.

Boys: The boys registered their worst team performance of the season, limited by the same training factors as the girls, the absence of several key runners training through and a major re-shuffling of events to accommodate as many athletes as possible in the final seasonal meet for some. Despite the challenges, several guys mentally and physically muscled their way to personal records, highlighted by Tom Hopkin's personal record in the 1600m. The team also gets smaller as it gathers itself for the upcoming Sectional Championship.

Outstanding Performances

Girls: None

Boys: Tom Hopkins(1600m-PR)

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Meet: Girls Section III Championship, 2/9/09

Meet Results

(For Full Meet Results, go to Leonetiming)

Team Place: 8 of 13

Meet Summaries

Girls: The girls brought a small squad to the championship this year and were unable to cover several events. Distance runners shouldered the task of scoring points, and Katie Bott played a central role with top-3 finishes in both the 600m and 300m events while chipping in to a 5th place 4x400 relay effort. The girls now move on to the CNYCL Championships.

Outstanding Performances

 Katie Bott(600m/300m)/Abby Kastick(1500m)

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Meet: Boys Section III Championship, 2/10/09

Meet Results

(For Full Meet Results, go to Leonetiming)

Team Place: 6 of 13

Meet Summaries

Boys: Though coming up a bit short in the places department, this was the best Sectional finish for the 'cats in over ten years. Tom Hopkins re-wrote his 3200m school record with a 4th place 9:53.39 effort, but it was the long sprinters and sprinters who provided most of the excitement. A 4x400 relay school record dating back to the 80/91 season fell through the efforts of Jon Richardson, Jake Lafaver, Zack Lafaver and Ron Ta as they took it to the wire before being nipped by Cicero-North Syracuse. The 4x200 relay squad wrapped up the evening with the season's best performance for a 3rd place. The guys will mix and match athletes/events at the CNYCL Championship coming up.

Outstanding Performances

4x400 Relay(School Record)/Zac Karpinski(300m/4x200)

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Meet: Girls CNYCL Championship, 2/16/08

Meet Results

(For Full Meet Results, go to Leonetiming)

Team Place: 5th of 6(tie)

Meet Summaries

Girls: Operating with a skeleton crew of athletes stuffed up with head colds, the Wildcats used their league meets to either enjoy a final Manley Field House race(it closes to Section III following this season), attempt PR's or go for Open Qualifier standards. Katie Bott was the team's lone champion as she won a tactical 600m race for the National Division league crown in that event. Teammate Colleen Smith also notched an all-time PR in that event to place 5th. The two most amazing efforts came from youngsters. 8th grader Abby Kastick ran a mature even-paced effort in the 3000m and lopped an incredible 32 seconds off her previous best to meet the Open Qualifier standard and record one of the section's top-20 times of the season. Not to be outdone, freshman Alex Incaudo put together her best 1500m of the year as she dropped 10 seconds from her previous PR and met the standard for the National Scholastic Freshman Mile in March. Qualified athletes now continue training for future championship meets. Others take a well-deserved short rest and then ready for outdoor or other spring sports.

Outstanding Performances

Girls: Abby Kastick(3000m)/Alex Incaudo(1500m)/Colleen Smith(600m)

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Meet: Boys CNYCL Championship, 2/17/09

Meet Results

(For Full Meet Results, go to Leonetiming)

Team Place: 4th of 6

Meet Summaries

Boys: As with the girls, small numbers and stuffy heads got off the bus at Manley Field House for their team finale of the 08/09 season. A bit shaky and 'stale' the 4x400 relay pulled together enough to take second in their opening race. The disaster struck as both Tom Hopkins and Billy Gabriel managed to get themselves disqualified for stepping on the in-line too often in the 3200m, a first for WG and one that should never be repeated. Following that folly, Zac Karpinski chipped in a 5th in the 55m, followed by Matt Gonnella's 6th place in the 1000m for his finale race of the season. The pleasant surprise of the evening belong to Jake Lafaver. A sprinter and jumper, Jake stepped up a distance to the 600m and ran it perfectly, taking 3rd with a sub-1:30 effort. Jon Richardson continued good performances in the hurdles with a third place. Looking for the work, Steve Houghmaster powered to the front in the 1600m and never relinquished the lead as he ran along most of the race to win that league championship. Karpinski continued scoring for the 'cats as he placed 6th in the 300m, followed by a less than stellar 4th in the 4x800m. Off the track, WG had only two entries and Tony Terzolo contributed points in the LJ, grabbing 5th. The finale, the 4x200, saw Houghmaster finding his first ever sprint relay leg awfully fast, but the effort was credible as the team placed 3rd. Qualified athletes join some of the girls in training on. Others take their short transition, then think warm circles on the 400 meter ovals of outdoor.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Jake Lafaver(600m)/Steve Houghmaster(4x400/1600m/4x200)

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Meet: Section III Open Qualifier Meet, 2/27/09

Meet Results

(For Full Meet Results, go to Leonetiming)

Meet Summaries

Girls: Aiming to put a positive punctuation mark to the team's season, the girls did just that with a solid 4x800 effort, their best of the season. Of the 'cats three individual events, 8th grader Abby Kastick succumbed to a tough stomach cramp mid-race in the 3000m and was forced to drop out with several laps to go. Alex Incaudo got caught up in traffic and trapped behind slower runners in her 1500m race. Those misadventures cost her valuable seconds, but she managed her second-best effort of the season and 7th overall. She and Abby now train for their respective 7th/8th and Freshman miles at the National Scholastic Championship. It was a veteran and workmanlike effort by Katie Bott in her 600m. She took the lead from the gun and stayed there, registering a personal best and the section's second-best time of the season as she qualified for the State Championship in 1:40.84, close to the school record of 1:40.10. That time will be her goal for states this season.

Boys: Heartbreak Hotel for the boys. Opting to run relays, they came in confident they could go at league-leading CNS in the 4x400 and Liverpool in the 4x800. Against CNS, they did better than challenging. Outstanding 1-3 legs by Jon Richardson, Jake Lafaver and Ron Ta saw the Wildcats running into the anchor leg with a 15 meter lead. In his first anchor lap, all looked well for Steve Houghmaster. Then disaster. Hit by a muscle cramp going into the final lap, he was chased down and passed by CNS. The 'cats ran another school record, but finished second and stayed home. In the 4x800, it was almost deja vu all over again. Without a strong enough alternate to challenge section-leading Liverpool, Houghmaster opted to give it a go, a courageous move. Again, the 'cats were stellar in the early going. Billy Gabriel ran the shoulders of his opening leg competitors, then just blew the field away with the final lap of his 2:01.0 leg, giving WG a 15 meter lead. That closed with Ron Ta's leg, but it remained a horse-race as he handed off to Jon Richardson for his first 800m of the season. Richardson responded with a stellar 2:02.7 that left the team close to Liverpool for Houghmaster. He muscled through the first 400, but his leg balked, and although the team ran their best 4x800 of the season, they could not challenge for the win. Members of the 4x1mile relay qualified for National Scholastics get back to training next week. The rest get a short break, then join the Outdoor Track team as the spring season commences.

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Meet: New York State Championship - Cornell University, 3/7/09

Meet Results

Meet Summaries

Girls: Katie Bott returned to Cornell University's Barton Hall for her second consecutive indoor state championship. The race went well into the back stretch of her 2nd lap when she was clipped by a runner falling behind her. Knocked off-stride, she never fully recovered, finishing with a 1:44.93 and 27th in the 33 state field. It was a tough finish to a solid season that included the school's 2nd best ever 600m time. But it's on to outdoor and her 400m specialty.

Boys: No boys entries.

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Meet: National Scholastic Indoor Track & Field Championship, 3/13 - 3/15/09

Meet Summary

Boys: What a difference a few weeks makes--either way. Heading into their Open Qualifier week, things looked good for the boys 4x1600R, which held the fastest NY time and looked to other relays for States while awaiting a date in NYC at the National Scholastic. Then one member went down with an 'off-hours' injury. At the Open Qualifier, another relay member suffered a muscle pull, which would never fully heal in time. Then, another relay came down with the flu four days before the race. So, the Wildcats arrived at the New Balance T&F Center bowed but not completely broken. They gave it what they had, placing 23rd in the 26 team field with Steve Houghmaster and Sam Reedy running seasonal PR's, Ron Ta stepping up to deliver his first mile run in 2 years and Billy Gabriel running sick. Their effort was a different sort of victory. Book-ending their race, Jon Richardson labored all day long with the Indoor Pentathlon's five events. He finished 18th in the 27 team field and was the third-place finisher in the 1000m run. All these athletes, almost four months into the winter season, will enjoy a little well-earned time off before taking up outdoor track practices.

Girls: It was the youth movement for the Wildcats at Nationals. Anna Leo and Abby Kastick both raced in the 7th/8th Grade National Mile. Both notched personal bests in the mile as Anna placed 29th and Abby 30th. In the Freshman Miler, Alex Incaudo ran ill but gutted out an impressive performance for 18th place in her field. All three also take some time off before the outdoor season.
 

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2008-09 Scholar Athletes

Congratulations to the boys and girls Indoor Track Teams, both designated as NYS Scholar-Athlete Teams. Congratulations also to the following West Genesee NYS individual scholar athletes:

Boys

Mike Pizzari/D.J. Campbell/Billy Gabriel/Jon Richardson/Ron Ta/Tom Hopkins/Matt Gonnella/Matt Serrao/D.J. Klaczko/Sam Reedy/Bill Vernon/Zack Lafaver/Logan Hudson

Girls

Lindsey Feraco/Jessica Emanuelli/Amy Hannahan/Kathleen O'Meara/Kelly Powell/Kristin Waters/Katie Bott/Allison Reichel/Rachel Hefti/Alyssa Sherman/Abby Kastick/Anna Leo