Caz girls track second in 4x100 relay at state meet

By Kurt WHEElEr

The Cazenovia girls track team capped off a stellar 2023 season as 11 members of the squad journeyed to Middletown High School to compete in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships

And the capstone was a silver medal performance by the Lakers in the 4x100 meter relay.

Fresh off a school recordsetting performance at the State Qualifier meet on June 1, Cazenovia was ranked third in Division II (small schools) entering the competition. The speedy foursome was just off their record pace of 49.46 seconds from the week before as they ran 49.70 to finish second among all small public schools in the state.

Their performance was even more impressive in the context of a tumultuous week with intermittent practices due to air quality issues combined with a lengthy delay at the meet just before the start of their race.

Having dominated the competition in Central New York throughout the spring, the Lakers were pushed to the limit as they competed against the best of the best from across the state.

Grace Dolan led off the team and quickly made up much of the stagger from her lane 3 position. Caitlyn Smithers held fast in her straightaway leg number two and Izzy Stromer-Galley gained more ground on the final curve before executing a perfect exchange with Riley Knapp.

On the anchor leg, Knapp passed two more squads in the final 100 meters including a well-timed lean at the finish to edge the third place team, Rondout Valley (49.74), by just four hundredths of a second. Bronxville won the NYSPHSAA race in 48.90.

Dolan returned to lead off the 4x400, running from the unfamiliar lane 8 position, nearly 60 meters out from the starting line. She ran a tough opening leg, handing off to Meghan Mehlbaum after just 59.9 seconds. Mehlbaum ran a personal best leg of 1:01.2 to keep the Lakers in contention. The Lakers’ momentum was hampered as Alyssa Wardell was cut off by an opposing runner who caused a collision. Wardell quickly recovered to run a strong 1:03.9 leg and pass off smoothly to Reid McMurtrie.

After two weeks of running the 4x800, McMurtrie was stronger than ever, sprinting to a best-ever leg of 1:00.7 to cap the team’s total of 4:05.98 to finish ninth overall in Division II, just one-tenth of a second off

Submitted photoS their Section III-best time from a week earlier and the third fastest in school history. Absent the interference at the start of leg three, the Lakers would have had a strong shot at both the school record and the medal stand, but it was a tremendous performance nonetheless.

Eleven members of the Cazenovia girls track and field team travelled to the nySPHSAA Championship to compete in three events in last weekend’s state meet at Middletown, with the Lakers’ 4x100 team finishing second among Division ii sides.

Riley Knapp also added her second fastest time ever

Caz boys relay team top 10 at state meet

By PHil BlACKWEll

What was another banner season for the Cazenovia boys track and field team concluded with its appearance in the Division II portion of last weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships.

In the state meet at Middletown High School, the Lakers’ quartet of senior Dan Raymond, sophomore Jaden Kaplan, and freshmen Eliot Comeau and Tristan Field-Bradley entered as the 14th-ranked team in the 4x400 relay, having gone three minutes, 32.18 seconds. Raymond ran the first leg, followed by Comeau, Field-Bradley and Kaplan, and they finished in 3:29.75, improving upon its previous best time by more than two seconds.

That would ultimately give the Lakers a 10th-place finish overall, but seventh among NYSPHSAA schools as Bishop Loughlin won

Candidates

l From page 1 given the current rate of inflation.

What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?

When bringing in new hires, it is beneficial for them to work with the more experienced employees to assist in learning the job prior to retirement. The closing of Cazenovia College and where it will be in the future is not a simple solution. This will take time to be determined where it will end up and what the ultimate impact will be for the Village. This will probably not be fully understood in just two years. However, the transition, whatever it may be, will certainly be started within the next two years. If elected, I will listen to the options and take into careful consideration the needs of the Village and its residents in all decisions regarding the College that will come to the Board. Similarly, for the Village budget, all items in the budget need to be carefully analyzed as to what is being spent and where money can be saved. thomas tait

Candidate for trustee, republican/your

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Members of the guild will be present during the quilting bee to assist novice quilters with their blocks.

Children and their families can stop by the CPL parking lot on July 21 at 3 p.m. for “Truck-aPalooza,” featuring vehicles from the Cazenovia the overall race in 3:21.34 and Attica took the public-school title in 3:23.17. neighborhood Voice Occupation

Also in the boys state Division II meet, Chittenango senior Joseph Lin was seeded ninth going into the Division II portion of the 110-meter high hurdles with his season-best time of 15.58 seconds. With a first-round time of 15.50 last Friday, Lin qualified for the finals on Saturday morning, where he really flourished and, in 15.24, got fourth place and a spot on the medal podium. Taconic Hills’ Neil Howard won the state title in 14.86. Meanwhile, in the 800-meter run another Bears senior, Caleb LeBlanc, looked to improve upon his 1:58.43 – and did so while joining Lin as a Division II medalist. Finishing his heat in 1:57.38, LeBlanc was 14th overall, but found himself third among Division II runners, trailing only the 1:54.86 from O’Neill’s Jackson Smith and 1:55.07 from Briarcliff’s Kornel Smith.

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How will your experience serve you in government?

For the past three decades I have served the Cazenovia community in many ways, including as Village Trustee from 2007-2009. At the time my father’s health was in decline and I opted not to seek re-election so I could serve as his caregiver instead. My past experience as a Trustee coupled with extensive community involvement will enable me to be immediately effective upon being sworn in on July 5th. As an example, one of the roles I will likely serve is as Tree Commissioner. I formed the Tree Commission in 2007, have served as the Director ever since and presently oversee all tree related issues in the village.

My family has called Cazenovia home for four generations. It is my love for the area and the qualities that were instilled in me by my parents that elicits my desire to serve in elected, appointed and volunteer roles. During these uncertain times in Cazenovia I believe we need strong, kind and compassionate leadership

Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the Village of Cazenovia, the Cazenovia Fire Department, and Benedict Tree & Stump Removal, plus an ice cream truck with free cones and a Mid York Library System book delivery van.

CPL is inviting kids who are heading into kindergarten this fall to the community room on Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. for a “Kindergarten Round-Up.” in the individual 100 meter dash to the day’s achievements. She clocked 12.75 seconds to finish 17th in Division II, topping off an incredible campaign in her first season ever of spring track.

Audie Spring and Maura Phillips also travelled to elite competition to serve as alternates in the 4x100 along with Julia Reff and Lily Kogut who were on hand if needed in the 4x400. Each of them also concluded an exception- al season of contributions to the Lakers’ championship squad.

The state meet capped a historic spring for the Lakers as they went undefeated and captured both league and sectional crowns.