ALUMNI WEEKEND: For the track team, this is like Balloon Rally. Take a look at the team, some recent wins and a Spring Day preview
By JOHN ANDERSON
When the final hurdle is leaped, the final throw takes place or the last harrier finishes, it seems a Wellsville Lion has set a new school record or personal best for the track and field team.
On Saturday, you can see the boys and girls who have dominated the season, including winning the overall title at the prestigious Castiglione-Tobin Invitational Team Championship, edging out host Hornell, as Wellsville hosts the annual Wellsville Elks Spring Day.
It might be a final chance to see superstar seniors J.J. Howard and Kaylie Oswald complete. Each year, the complex behind the elementary school turns into track tent city with athletes and spectators filling the complex.
It takes a ton of volunteers. And this year, Wellsville boys’ coach Dean Giopulus has had his cell phone buzzing non-stop. Alumni are coming to town like it’s the Balloon Rally to see the athletes on the two tracks teams this season.
“It’s difficult to run an invite of this caliber, but when you have people like Brownie (Chris Brown) and Jamie Bump stepping in to help us out along with the Elks Club, the parents are also getting involved as well,” said Giopulos. “It’s something that we take a great deal of pride in. It’s one of the big reasons why this event is one of the biggest in New York State.”
“We’re definitely looking forward to this weekend, and I know there will be some track alumni that will be coming to town to take this one in. That alone makes it even more special,” he added.
Here are stories by Chris Brooks of wellsvillesports.com on a recent Lions sweep and the victory in the Castiglione-Tobin Invitational:
HORNELL — They came together to take that magical team photo at the home of their archivals when the clock struck past midnight, last Spring in the Maple City.
It was an experience that the Lions of Wellsville had relished in full for the first time in recent memory, edging out Hornell at the very last moment to claim the prestigious Castiglione-Tobin Invitational Team Championship by an incommodious half-point.
It seriously does not get any closer than that.
The Lions had gone without several of their then-seniors in the lineup at a juncture where they traveled out of state that weekend for their annual Senior Trip to Boston. With many of those stars that stood out for the team last year in their absence, names such as current seniors Kaylee Oswald and Brooklyn Dahlgren, along with now-junior superstar Xavier Scott remaining in the fold, they knew that they were going to be in good hands heading into a long night under the twilight sky and the bright lights.
A night filled with immense glory.
Now one year later, before shifting the track and field limelight to their own backyard for Spring Day next weekend, Wellsville entered the penultimate meet at full strength. Like last season, the Lions continued to chase history in the midst of yet another special season outdoors, with three of their State Meet competitors — Scott, Oswald and JJ Howard all locking up return trips to the big event right at the beginning of the season.
At the 59th annual running of Hornell’s signature meet on Friday, it would once again come down to the very last event of the night — this time, the 3200 relay.
Of course it did.
After the Lady Lions saw their 4×800 relay team of Lexi Coleman, Raegan Vogel, Lexi Aftuck and Morgan Mattison all throttle towards their claiming of a crucial point to stay within reach of Hornell at the top, the simmering on the stovetop quickly turned into a raging boil when the boys then took the track for their full-go to bring a close to the night.
The objective was elementary: Fourth place or better, and they win it all.
To say that the pressure was on, it would be the most mild of understatements. Wellsville’s 3200 relay team of Collin Perkins, Conner Carr, Jesse Rafferty-Machuga and Ryan Long proceeded to run the race of their lives.
There was nowhere else for Hornell to hide. Every shred of time continued to tick off across every turn and straightaway on the track, as the Lions hovered right around their ideal position needed to find the podium at the end of the night. After strong legs from all four racers, Wellsville crossed the finish line fourth.
Again.
The celebration was on.
You know what they always say: Twice is always nice.
When it was all said and done, the Lions of Wellsville repeated history once again behind 19 Top-5 finishes across both the boys and girls arenas of competition. With Most Valuable Athlete awards going to JJ Howard and Kaylee Oswald for their torrid performances from the field in their calling card events, the team came together to finish a mere two points ahead of Hornell to claim back-to-back team championships at the Castiglione-Tobin Invitational.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with how things transpired,” Lions coach Dean Giopulos said. “That 4×800 was one of the most fun experiences in my career. Just seeing them have at it, it was thoroughly enjoyable. The veteran leadership running their tails off, this is a special team. We have some big time talent and we have kids that fill in every possible void that you can ask. Even Derek Coleman, Terrence Benz and Jacob Vogel as our throwers, one of many examples with our team. All three of them have come a long way since the start. We need a performance like this to win Spring Day back home and to have a shot at winning Sectionals.”
Giopulos continued on his team, saying that “That’s the goal, to sweep the table. It’s great to see the camaraderie of both teams. They run together, they support one another, they experience it all together. They all deserve this moment. Sometimes they don’t understand the magnitude of an event such as this, but this is something they absolutely deserve more than anything.”
The Lions concluded with a 147-point first place team finish to lead a field of 22 total schools in attendance in the Maple City, as they put together a magnificent assembly of Top-5 finishes to aid their path to glory. Leading the pack was both JJ Howard and Kaylee Oswald, as the two stellar athletes combined for five first place finishes — three belonging to Howard in the high jump, long jump and triple jump, while Oswald claimed her stake with a sweep of both the shot put and discus throwing events.
Oswald was also part of the team’s fifth place 4×100 throwing relay squadron.
Xavier Scott followed up with a first place victory of his own, galloping to the finish line with the quickest time in the 110 hurdles to go with a second place 100 dash placing. Jack Davis had three Top-5 finishes to register into the ledger, placing second in both the 110 and 400 hurdles, and third in the 400 sprint. Lucius Griggs had two more top finishes of his own to chip in, finishing second in the triple jump and third in the long jump.
To go with a monumental fourth place finish in the 3200 relay to capture the meet championship, Wellsville also saw their winning 4×100 relay team of Scott, Howard, David Clark and Andrew Kristoffersen speed to the finish line over top of Hornell by mere seconds.
For the Lady Lions, Brooklyn Dahlgren came across a second place finish in the high jump to further the team’s cause from the field behind Oswald. Jaden Dunbar soared to a third place finish in the pole vault. Piper Metro placed fourth in the high jump alongside Dahlgren, while Sarah Mattison claimed fifth place in the discus event.
As for the host Red Raiders, they finished second overall with 145 total points behind an outstanding evening filled with first and second place finishes from their girls team. Ella White and Silvia Carretto each scored two first place finishes to pave the way, with White medaling in the 100 and 200 dashes to go with a second place 100 hurdles finish, while Carretto took care of business with a 400 and 800 sprint first place finish each.
Adding more fuel to the fire was Selena Maldonado, who placed second in both the 100 and 200 dashes. Delainey Thompson (400 sprint), Madison Rudenauer (400 hurdles) and Mayleigh Martin (long jump) all had second place finishes of their own to throw into the mix.
The Lady Red Raiders also captured a first place finish from their 4×100 relay team consisting of White, Maldonado, Riley Harwood and Maura Khork alongside a fourth place 1600 relay finish.
The boys team was led by Kellen Crowe, who placed first in the 100 dash and in the 200 dash. Landon Boyle claimed fifth place in the 400 sprint. In the relay department, the Red Raiders placed second overall in the 400 relay.
For an in-depth look of the complete results at this year’s running of the Castiglione-Tobin Invitational, you can follow the corresponding link here.
MORE TRACK
Fresh off Hornell Invite win, Wellsville rolls past B-R, GV/Belfast
BELMONT — The Wellsville track and field team is riding high after another marvelous and gritty first-place performance this past weekend at Hornell’s annual running of the Castiglione-Tobin Invitational.
It was only appropriate if they continued to keep that momentum rolling on all fronts to start the new week on Monday, as both teams came away with complete sweeps of the action in Belmont, as they coasted past both Bolivar-Richburg and host Genesee Valley/Belfast in tri-meet action.
The Wellsville boys team witnessed 14 total first place finishes come to light in the midst of their wins over Bolivar-Richburg (114-21) and Genesee Valley/Belfast (106-29), with JJ Howard leading the entire field with his complete sweep of all three jumping events from the field, claiming top finishes in the high jump, long jump and the triple jump. Collin Perkins and Jack Davis each had two wins of their own to chip in, with Perkins claiming victory in the 800 and 1600 runs, while Davis scored his top finishes in the 110 hurdles and from the pole vault.
On top of a complete sweep of all three relay events — the 400, 1600 and 3200 relays, Wellsville had four more individual first place finishes to round off the scoring, as Andrew Kristerofferson (400 sprint), Gabe Quackenbush (3200 run), David Lamberson (400 hurdles) and Derek Coleman (discus) all received gold in their respective events to further the team’s cause.
As for the Lady Lions, they also took down Bolivar-Richburg (90-33) and Genesee Valley/Belfast (81-58) with eight first place finishes of their own in competition, led by throwing superstar Kaylee Oswald and her sweep of both the shot put and discus events. Jaden Dunbar and Selah Ader both tied for first place in the pole vault event, while Maddie Muurisepp and Talia O’Connor swept the hurdling events with wins in the 100 and 400, respectively.
To pair with a 3200 relay victory, Piper Metro had the final individual win for the Lady Lions, as she rose to a 5-0 height to claim gold in the high jump.
Host Genesee Valley/Belfast split the action right down the middle with the boys and girls teams both scoring wins over Bolivar-Richburg (73-40; 98-29). For the boys, they scored three first place finishes in total — two from Brayden Cooper, who prevailed on top with victories in the 100 dash and the shot put. Wyatt Weaver had the team’s last win in the 200 dash.
The ladies saw seven first place finishes come to full fruition — three of them from Bayleigh Tallman, who had another whale of a performance with her victories in the 100 and 200 dashes, as well as the long jump. Regina Dougherty placed first in the 400 sprint. Christina McAuley finished tops in the 3200 run, as the final two individual triumphs were paired with a winning 400 and 1600 relay event.
Bolivar-Richburg collected three first place finishes in total, all from the Lady Wolverines squad — two from Raegan Giardini, who sped her way to the finish line first with wins in the 800 and 1500. Carmen Crowley chipped in the team’s last individual win from the field, in the triple jump.
The Wolverines will hit the road for Alfred-Almond on Thursday at 5 p.m. leading up to the Super 8 Meet in Salamanca on Friday and the Wellsville Elks Spring Day on Saturday.
Boys Team Scores: Wellsville 106, Genesee Valley/Belfast 29; Wellsville 114, Bolivar-Richburg 21; Genesee Valley/Belfast 73, Bolivar-Richburg 40.
Results
100 – 1. Brayden Cooper (GVB) 11.8, 2. David Clark (WLSV), 3. Wyatt Weaver (GVB).
200 – 1. Wyatt Weaver (GVB) 24.9, 2. Calyn Todd (B-R), 3. Ryker Holmes (GVB).
400 – 1. Andrew Kristerofferson (WLSV) 56.7, 2. Sal Gambino (GVB), 3. Owen Unfus (B-R).
800 – 1. Collin Perkins (WLSV) 2:16.9, 2. Conner Carr (WLSV), 3. Ayden Music (B-R).
1600 – 1. Collin Perkins (WLSV) 5:16.9, 2. Gabe Quackenbush (WLSV), 3. Kam Dodge (WLSV).
3200 – 1. Gabe Quackenbush (WLSV) 12:29.2, 2. Kam Dodge (WLSV).
110H – 1. Jack Davis (WLSV) 16.6, 2. Calyn Todd (B-R), 3. David Lamberson (WLSV).
400H – 1. David Lamberson (WLSV) 1:01.0, 2. Jack Davis (WLSV), 3. Calyn Todd (B-R).
400R – 1. Wellsville 46.3, 2. Genesee Valley/Belfast, 3. Bolivar-Richburg.
1600R – 1. Wellsville 3:53.8, 2. Bolivar-Richburg, 3. Genesee Valley/Belfast.
3200R – 1. Wellsville 10:29.1, 2. Genesee Valley/Belfast.
Shot – 1. Brayden Cooper (GVB) 36-6, 2. Terrence Benz (WLSV), 3. Bryce Davis (GVB).
Discus – 1. Derek Coleman (WLSV) 114-0, 2. Jacob Vogel (WLSV), 3. Gabe Black (WLSV).
High Jump – 1. JJ Howard (WLSV) 6-4, 2. Callahan Tallman (GVB), 3. Jace Densmore (WLSV).
Long Jump – 1. JJ Howard (WLSV) 20-7.75, 2. Lucius Griggs (WLSV), 3. Jace Densmore (WLSV).
Tri Jump – 1. JJ Howard (WLSV) 41-6.75, 2. Lucius Griggs (WLSV), 3. Callahan Tallman (GVB).
Pole – 1. Jack Davis (WLSV) 9-6.
Girls Team Scores: Wellsville 81, Genesee Valley/Belfast 58; Wellsville 90, Bolivar-Richburg 33; Genesee Valley/Belfast 98, Bolivar-Richburg 29.
Results
100 – 1. Bayleigh Tallman (GVB) 13.5, 2. Madelynn Scott (GVB), 3. Makenah Fanton (WLSV).
200 – 1. Bayleigh Tallman (GVB) 27.5, 2. Regina Dougherty (GVB), 3. Madelynn Scott (GVB).
400 – 1. Regina Dougherty (GVB) 1:05.5, 2. Carmen Crowley (B-R), 3. Clara Dean (WLSV).
800 – 1. Raegan Giardini (B-R) 2:37.5, 2. Morgan Mattison (WLSV), 3. Lexis Coleman (WLSV).
1500 – 1. Raegan Giardini (B-R) 6:02.4, 2. Ella Green (WLSV), 3. Hailey Richardson (WLSV).
3000 – 1. Christina McAuley (GVB) 17:37.9, 2. Samayah Lussier (GVB).
100H – 1. Maddie Muurisepp (WLSV) 17.7, 2. Sophie Zillgitt (GVB), 3. Kylie Phelps (WLSV).
400H – 1. Talia O’Connor (WLSV) 1:17.7, 2. Allyson Hazelton (GVB), 3. Raegan Vogel (WLSV).
400R – 1. Genesee Valley/Belfast 55.9, 2. Wellsville, 3. Bolivar-Richburg.
1600R – 1. Genesee Valley/Belfast 4:23.3, 2. Wellsville, 3. Bolivar-Richburg.
3200R – 1. Wellsville 12:01.0, 2. Genesee Valley/Belfast.
Shot – 1. Kaylee Oswald (WLSV) 39-5, 2. Makenna Cooke (WLSV), 3. Sophie Zillgitt (GVB).
Discus – 1. Kaylee Oswald (WLSV) 115-6, 2. Makenna Cooke (WLSV), 3. Sarah Mattison (WLSV).
High Jump – 1. Piper Metro (WLSV) 5-0, 2. Brooklyn Dahlgren (WLSV), 3. Sophie Zillgitt (GVB).
Long Jump – 1. Bayleigh Tallman (GVB) 15-4.75, 2. Sophie Zillgitt (GVB), 3. Carmen Crowley (B-R).
Tri Jump – 1. Carmen Crowley (B-R) 33-8.75, 2. Kylie Phelps (WLSV), 3. Brooklyn Dahlgren (WLSV).
Pole – 1. Jaden Dunbar/Selah Ader (WLSV) 7-6.
