Advertisement

Section V Track & Field: Brockport sprinter is only freshman to win at state meet qualifier

Stella Riley is hard-pressed remembering where she went on vacation during February break.

But the Brockport High School freshman distinctively remembers the choice she made to go. It meant no trip to her first state track and field championship, on Staten Island.

"A tough decision," she admits, "but family comes first."

Friday night was a whole different story.  As the only freshman winner, boys or girls, in Section V's Division 1 Meet of Champions at Eastridge, she qualified with some 80 other Rochester-area athletes in the combined Division 1-Division 2 meet for next week's two-day state championships at Cicero-North Syracuse in Onondaga County.

"Really?" Riley said, surprised at being the only ninth-grader among the large schools to win an individual event. "Well that's kinda cool!"

Brockport track and field sprinter Stella Riley
Brockport track and field sprinter Stella Riley

Cool like a senior was how she handled her competition in the 400-meter race, which included three other freshmen and four sophomores.

One-hundredth of a second was all that separated her from Spencerport sophomore Ileana Cherulyot – 59.86 seconds to 59.87.

"I could see her coming out of the corner of my eye," said Riley, seeded fifth and well down to No. 13 on the event's Section V leaderboard. "You know, the peripheral vision thing. She was right there at the finish.

"I got out really well. I kept telling myself it's all about the curves, it's all about the curves, then finish strong."

No need this time to huddle with her parents, track athletes in their own rights back in the day, to make a choice.

"Oh, I'm going this time for sure," she laughed. "We travel a lot, but not next week. But I'm so sorry. I still can't tell you where we went on winter break."

Tough season for Fairport's John Farrell

Fairport's John Farrell is the 2021 AGR boys cross country runner of the year.
Fairport's John Farrell is the 2021 AGR boys cross country runner of the year.

Talk about gritting out a comeback, Fairport senior John Farrell had the "I can't believe I just did this" look as he won track's metric mile, the 1,600 meters, by just a second and change in the D1 race.

Farrell was the All Greater Rochester runner of the year in cross country, but his outdoor season has been "rough, very rough" he said.

"I thought I had a stress fracture in my right ankle for awhile. I missed the His and Her Invitational, came back and ran the Victor Invitational (where he was timed in an area-best 4:22.96), then strained a hamstring the week before counties."

Pittsford Mendon senior Nico Valentine, who finished second in 4:16.14 to Farrell's 4:15.09, said they both hung back as Brighton's Anson Butler led the way. Valentine took over just past midway and had the finish line in sight.

"The last 50 (meters) John blew right by me," Valentine said. "It’s OK, though. We both qualified."

All first-place winners qualify. Runners-up can also go if they meet, or have met, a pre-determined standard, and also anyone who starts an event and has met what's called a state super standard can go, regardless of where they finish.

Standard bearers

Those standards figured in heavily in the D1 boys 400.

Brockport senior Jacob Miller, who’s been the area's best in the event three years running, met the state's super standard of 48.64 by winning the Monroe County Championships in 48.36.

So he eased up Friday night to finish 14th, in 54.90. Meanwhile, Rush-Henrietta junior OJ Singletary won in 49.55 but passed on entering the event at states so he could be ready with his 400 relay team, which qualified with a 43.10, second-fastest of any area team this season.

That qualified Edison senior Caleb Passero, who ran 50.08 for second place and who did not have a standard qualifying time of 48.94.

"That made some folks at Edison very happy with that one," meet chairman Dave Hennessey said, calling Edison coach Crystal Graham with the news close to midnight after confirming the results with Section V boys chairman Kevin Rosko.

Fleet with sore feet

Brighton distance runner Lila Munger
Brighton distance runner Lila Munger

Lila Munger soaks her feet in hot water before every meet.

The Brighton senior says it works for her – treating a case of a common ailment among runners called plantar fasciitis. It's inflammation of the ligament that connects the bottom of the foot from heel to toes.

"I had to take two weeks off this season it got so bad," she said. "I can still feel it some, but it's not too bad now."

Certainly not bad enough to slow her down much. She captured the D1 1500 in 4:41.52, knocking six seconds off her personal best.

"I like to take out the 1500 hard and make a move at around 500 meters," she said. "Tonight I took the lead at about 600. The plan was to finish first and qualify and not worry about times."

Her's was 4:41.52, seven seconds ahead of Irondequoit senior Candace Tytler.

Munger’s plan at states?

"Reach 4:40."

Hard work rewarded

Gabe Watson
Gabe Watson

Rush-Henrietta's Gabe Watson ran to the backstretch fence and gave his coach, Mike DeMay, a big hug.

"We've worked forever for this," Watson said after winning the D1 800 in 1:55.10. A senior, and Sec. V's top 800 runner, he knew it was his last shot at making his first outdoor state meet.

"Get 'em now," was what he said he was thinking as he was completing the first lap. "Don't wait. I knew I had to grind it out. I caught the pack and was able to hold on."

Big personal record

Evan Lacey, 2021 All-Greater Rochester Boys Cross Country Team
Evan Lacey, 2021 All-Greater Rochester Boys Cross Country Team

"Something just clicked," is how Webster Thomas junior Evan Lacey described his narrow victory in the D1 3,200 run.

He knocked 12 seconds off his previous best, to 9:27.15, with a determined effort.

"To be honest, the third lap, I was ready to give up," he said. "Things weren't going well."

Even coming down the homestretch on the eighth and final lap he could feel Fairport sophomore Jake Passalugo charging.

"I thought I was going to collapse," Lacey said. He lunged across the finish line just .34 seconds in front of Passalugo and with the season's best time among all Section V distance runners.

Plenty good enough

Fairport pentathlete Naim Abdullah
Fairport pentathlete Naim Abdullah

Senior Naim Abdullah won the D1 pentathlon for Fairport as the meet concluded at about 11:15 p.m.

"You do so well in pentathlon," his coach, Sean Vanlaeken told him afterward, adding that it's especially impressive because he didn’t compete in his sophomore or junior years."

"This wasn't my best," Abdullah said. "My mile was the best (4:42.62, good for third in the 1500). Hurdles (he won it in 16.73), was far off my PR."

He also won the high jump (5-8.75)  and was eighth in both the long jump (15-7.5) and shot put (28-5.5).

Eight times at states

Brighton senior Eilee Ossont, shown here during the 2019 NYSPHSAA Track & Field Championships at Middletown High School, qualified for yet another state meet.
Brighton senior Eilee Ossont, shown here during the 2019 NYSPHSAA Track & Field Championships at Middletown High School, qualified for yet another state meet.

Eilee Ossont ran her last race in Section V with confidence and excitement.

The Brighton senior, who like so many others has had more than her share of competition heartaches, said her triumph in the D1 3000 was deeply satisfying, coming a month after she set her PR of 10:12.26 at Hilton's Runnin' Cadet Invitational in the Pete Glavin Memorial race.

"I was so excited to run this race," she said after finishing in 10:16.94. "I didn't feel any pressure at all. I just love the distance. It's long, it's fast and you can set a pace and keep it."

Ossont's junior outdoor season was a wipeout. She had what's commonly known as runner's knee. Officially, it's called chondromalacia patellae, inflammation of the cartilage under the kneecap. The painful right knee kept her out of everything but sectionals.

"I tried to help the team," she said. "I scored two points."

Still, her varsity career has covered eight state meet appearances – four in cross country, two indoor and now two outdoor.

She’ll join the Xavier, Cincinnati, D1 cross country team in mid-August with an 80 percent academic/athletic scholarship and will compete all three seasons while majoring in chemistry.

Something about water

Honeoye Falls-Lima steeplechaser Ann Brennan made good on the notion that she was the one to beat in the Division 2 2,000-meter steeplechase.
Honeoye Falls-Lima steeplechaser Ann Brennan made good on the notion that she was the one to beat in the Division 2 2,000-meter steeplechase.

Ann Brennan of Honeoye Falls-Lima skis on the frozen stuff in the winter and splashes into it in the spring.

The senior captain of her school’s Nordic team tackles steeplechase when the snow is gone and has continuing success running with confidence.

She won the D2 steeple Friday night in 7:29.52, just a half second off her best at sectionals.

"I felt I was the girl to beat," she said, "and I like to think that maybe the others are a little scared of me.

"I had a very smooth race. My water jumps were good and I hurdled all the barriers well.

"After Nordic, I had to work to get my leg speed back, but I’m definitely peaking now."

Comeback from COVID

Gates Chili's Kyra Pellegrino bounced back from a bought with COVID.
Gates Chili's Kyra Pellegrino bounced back from a bought with COVID.

Junior Kyra Pellegrino of Gates Chili says she loves a good challenge.

Steeplechase is certainly that. So is recovering from the COVID-19 virus.

"I got it right before New Balance nationals in indoor," she said. "So this season started with a big question mark. I had no idea what was possible.

"Today I am just so happy. I felt like I was flying the whole race.

"I love it when people ask what I do, I say steeplechase, and they say 'what’s that'? It's so different than anything else."

Pellegrino blew her previous best time out of the water with a 7:19.70. She ran 7:28.12 the week before.

Distance double

Broden Haltiner, 2021 All-Greater Rochester Boys Cross Country Team
Broden Haltiner, 2021 All-Greater Rochester Boys Cross Country Team

Ticking off his splits – 67 seconds, 64, 64 and 65 – Newark senior Broden Haltiner described how his four-lap 1,600 D2 race fell into place, just as he had envisioned it.

"My goal was to reach 4:24," he said. "The 4:20.89 was a PR by seven seconds. I didn't think I had it in me. It was hard doing it alone, too." Harley-Allendale Columbia's eighth-grader, Oliver Simmons, finished 21 seconds back.

A couple hours later Haltiner completed his distance sweep by taking the 3,200, though it wasn't as easy. Oakfield-Alabama's sophomore Connor Domoy chased him hard and was about three seconds behind at the finish.

"All I was doing was looking to win," Haltiner said. "I kept looking for the number 2 on peoples' backs."

Both D1 and D2 races were run together, so all wore their division numbers on their backs.

More doubling up

Victor's Melody Harloff won two events during the 2022 Meet of Champions, Section V's qualifier for the high school state championships.
Victor's Melody Harloff won two events during the 2022 Meet of Champions, Section V's qualifier for the high school state championships.

Besides Haltiner, the other individual-event double winners were:

  • Alexander senior Jadyn Mullen in the D2 100 hurdles (15.67) and 400 hurdles (1:04.73).

  • Victor junior Melody Harloff in the D1 100 and 200.

  • Webster Schroeder junior Camryn Cole in the D1 high jump (5-6) and 100 hurdles (15.12).

  • East Rochester junior Manuel Sepulveda in the D2 long jump (22-2) and triple jump (46-4).

  • Warsaw junior Matthew Auble in the shot put (53-2.75) and discus (174-1).

Other highlights

Madalenn Fee, 2021 All-Greater Rochester Girls Track and Field Team
Madalenn Fee, 2021 All-Greater Rochester Girls Track and Field Team

Red Jacket's versatile Madalenn Fee wrapped up her last season in Section V by winning three of the five D2 pentathlon events for a 2,868-point first-place finish . . . Clyde-Savannah senior Tyler Kell won the D2 high jump competition with a jump of 6 feet-6 inches . . . Connor Thomas brushed aside the memory of falling over a barrier at sectionals to dominate the D1 3000 steeplechase. The Webster Thomas junior was the only one among the 10 entered to break 10 minutes – 9:54.98 . . . Section V inducted five into its track and field hall of fame, including its No. 2 all-time girls pentathlete Kari Cleveland Duncan (Penfield '86, Rutgers '91, Kentucky '94). She coaches volleyball and track and field at St. Mary’s Episcopal School for grades 2-12 in Memphis, Tenn. Other inductees are retired Honeoye Falls-Lima coach Bernie Gardner, triple jump state champion Ray Holmes of Campbell-Savona, hurdles champion Rob Skidmore of Alexander and jumps coach Tammy Zaffuto of Brockport.

JCASTOR@JIMCASTOR.COM

Jim Castor, retired assistant sports editor of the Democrat and Chronicle, has covered high school sports in the Rochester area for more than five decades. 

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Brockport's Riley advances from Section V track state meet qualifier