By CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
While some hardware was in the process of being handed out on the baseball and softball fields, elsewhere, hardware and shields were also being distributed across three different towns in Section V for track and field, where all six of Allegany County’s track teams traveled far and wide to become the best of the best in the region this past Friday and Saturday.
Attica was the site for the Class B2 and B3 championships, the place where both Wellsville and Bolivar-Richburg occupied the main stage. Among the highlights, the Lions brought home a pair of sectional champions, as Kaylee Oswald dominated both throwing events to perform a complete sweep, garnering winning distances in the shot put (37-2.5) and discus (101-3). JT Mariotti was the other, as he topped out at 13-0 in pole vault to collect his Sectional patch.
Other top finishers for Wellsville include Alyssa Dorrough, who placed second in the discus and third in the shot put. Xavier Scott placed second in the 110 hurdles, and Brooklyn Dahlgreen tied with Dansville’s Emma Allen for a sixth place finish in the high jump.
The Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg collected just two Top 6 finishes from their girls team in competition, with Raegan Giardini and Kyla Gayton providing them with a sixth place finish in the 800 run, and fourth place finish in the high jump respectively.
Cuba-Rushford and Fillmore both traveled to Dundee to partake in the Class B4 Championships this past Friday, as both teams garnered a Sectional patch to bring home. Leading the Rebels was Libby Drum, who collected gold with her winning time in the 1500 run with a time of 5:17.6. Drum also placed third in the 3000 run along the way. Ethan Coleman chipped in with a second place finish in the pole vault, while Sofia Riquelme (400 dash) and Joe Wojciechowski (1600 run) each had third place finishes.
In the relay department, the team of Wojciechowski, Coleman, Maddox Keller and Sawyer Rouse came together to record a fourth place, 1600 relay finish.
For the Eagles of Fillmore, the team of Eli Strickland, Noah Strickland, Ernie Lipscomb and Henry Sardina came together to become Sectional champions with an 8:45.3 time in the 3200 relay. Lipscomb, Sardina and Eli Strickland would also provide solid top finishes individually on the track, with Lipscomb placing second in the 1600 run, Sardina finishing second in the 800 sprint and Strickland with a third place finish in the 3200 run.
To add more fuel to the fire, a 38-year old school record was smashed entirely by Rachel Hatch in the 100 hurdles, as she raced towards her third place finish in the event while standing alone at the top of the school with a time of 17.23. The previous record was set by Lona Taylor back in 1985 with a time of 17.44.
Ava Sylvester pitched in with a third place finish in the 800 run, while Ray Muzaid-Omar helped round off the top finishes for the Eagles with a fourth place finish from the bunker, in the triple jump.
At the Class B5 Championships in Canandaigua, more phenomenal top finishes were to be had from both Friendship/Scio and Genesee Valley/Belfast, where Jordan White’s four top six finishes that included a pair of Sectional titles, along with a clean sweep of the Pentathlon by Genesee Valley/Belfast headlined the afternoon.
White had an outstanding performance put on full display for Friendship/Scio, as he came away with two Sectional titles from the field, garnering wins in the high jump (6-0) and long jump (20-10.25) to go with his second place 100 dash finish and third place 200 dash finish. Lexi Crossley added some top finishes of her own, placing third in the 100 dash and fourth in the 200 dash, while Jenn Dickens rounded off with a fourth place 100 hurdles finish.
For Genesee Valley/Belfast, Sophie Zillgitt and Brayden Cooper helped bring out the brooms, earning Sectional championships with a complete sweep of the Pentathlon, with Zillgitt recording a score of 2143 points, while Cooper had 2295 points. Angel Jimerson was the third competitor to bring home a Sectional patch, as she fired home the winning distance in the shot put (28-8.75) to claim gold.
Sophia Gambino recorded three Top 6 finishes to help continue a marvelous day for Genesee Valley/Belfast, as she placed third in both the 200 and 400 dashes, along with a fourth place finish in the high jump. Callahan Tallman placed second right behind Jordan White in the high jump, pairing the finish alongside a fourth place distance in the long jump. Thayne Cobb had the team’s last individual finish, placing third in the triple jump.
Genesee Valley/Belfast would also garner a pair of fourth place finishes in each the 400 and 1600 relays.
