Williamson runner eyes triple crown: 12 athletes poised to win Section V indoor track titles

There are two high school distance runners in Section V who have run faster 3,000-meter indoor track races this winter than Williamson sophomore Hannah Governor.

Governor is seventh on Section V's indoor 1,500 leaderboard. She has the season's 10th-fastest 1,000.

While Governor still has ground to cover to become one of Section V's elite distance runners, she has another goal at the top of her mind.

“It feels good," Governor said about her accomplishments so far this winter. "I'm really focusing on the team aspect. I try to get as many points for my team and help (it) do well.”

Any standout in Section V who has that mindset could give their teams a boost this weekend during the five Section V class championships.

Section V track: Boys results for the 2023-24 season

Section V track: Girls results for the 2023-24 season

Governor and her teammates at Williamson are strong contenders to win the Section V Class A4 girls team title for the second year in a row. The Marauders were runaway winners on the girls side of the Wayne-Finger Lakes Championships on Feb. 9. The result was the same the week before during the league's division championship meets.

A distance runner who earned a spot on the 2023 Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Girls Cross Country Team, Governor played a big part when she won the 1,000, 1,500 and 3,000 races in both meets.

Three wins on a track at one meet is a good, noteworthy performance. Three first-place finishes in races 1,000-meter or longer during the same meet is a strong day that stands out. Three distance race wins during one meet in back-to-back weeks points toward exceptional territory.

“It is challenging," Governor said. "The most difficult part is coming with a plan.

"It gets a little bit tiring sometimes, but I make my way through it, and at the end of the day it’s worth it because it is helping my team."

Can Governor pull this off for the third weekend in a row? She will give a try with a plan to run the 1,000, 1,500 and 3,000 on Feb. 17 during the Section V Class A4 Championships at Nazareth University. The competition at this meet could be stronger this time around, since runners from the Rochester Winter Track League and the Wayne-Finger Lakes league are in the races.

"Trust the process and know that you can do good things if you trust the process and work together with your team," Governor said. “I’ve seen the amount of work they have put in the last three years. It will be amazing (if we win again).”

While Governor is headed toward the top of Section V girls indoor track event leaderboards, here are the athletes who are up there before the sectional class championship meets Feb. 17-18 at Nazareth:

Desilets Dubois

Brockport senior has been Section V's best in the 1,500 race walk for years, and was a state-runner-up last winter. Her best race this season (7:09.82) would be top-seven in the state, according to athletic.net.

Emma Goodell

Victor freshman is the fastest girls 55 hurdler (8.59) in Section V. She has lowered her fastest time of the season the last four meets with the Blue Devils from 8.82. A one-two finish in the 55 hurdles with Victor sophomore Isabella Moon helped the Blue Devils win the girls team scoring at the Monroe County Championships on Feb. 10.

Corintia Griffith

The season is far from over, but it is safe to say that Griffith, a senior at Webster Schroeder, is a very strong candidate for this season's D&C AGR Indoor Track Girls Athlete of the Year. Performances at the state meet, Section V's state meet qualifiers, the sectional class meets and nationals count for more when it comes to the AGR Team. But Griffith was No. 1 on the triple jump (42-11), long jump (19-9) and 300 (41.12) before sectionals Feb. 17-18.

Paige Harding

A junior on the Oakfield-Alabama/Elba team who cleared 11 feet in the pole vault back on Dec. 9. This remains in the top 10 on the state leaderboard at athletic.net. She was Section V's top jumper last season after she cleared 11-6 during the state qualifiers, the meet in the section with the most pressure for the athletes to perform. Besides Harding, Gates Chili junior Heidi Tran (10-6) appears to have the most potential to earn the distinction this season.

Kaylee Oswald

Wellsville junior is clearly the best in Section V when it comes to the girls shot put. She put the shot 39 feet on Jan. 26. No one else has reported a shot 37 feet this season. She was an outdoor Division 2 state champion in 2023.

Modesty Penny

The Gates Chili sophomore and Attica freshman Elizabeth Gouinlock have high jumped 5 feet, 3 inches. This was about where the top jump of the 2022-23 season was, not including Section V record-holder and Webster Schroeder graduate Camryn Cole and an athlete with Corning. The top jumps in 2021-22 were 5-5 and 5-4. Can anyone in Section V get to 5-4 this season?

Campbell Riley

Batavia junior is No. 2 on the season's 1,500 section leaderboard (4:51.13) behind Sarah Lawson (4:44.29), a standout senior at Corning, a team that stops competing at Section V meets at sectionals. Riley ran in a fast 1,000 race instead of the 1,500 February 10 during the Monroe County Championships.

Stella Riley

Brockport junior led a pack of four runners to the top of the Section V 600 leaderboard (1:38.59) during the Monroe County Championships on February 10. Right behind the 2022 AGR Outdoor Girls Team member were Webster Schroeder freshman Rebecca Schroeder (1:38.82), Victor senior Lia Brasacchio (1:39.73) and Irondequoit junior Elizabeth Tytler (1:39.99).

Haylie Smith

Rush-Henrietta junior is another strong candidate for AGR Girls Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Distance running is her lane. She is No. 1 on the Section V 3,000 (10:27.39) and 1,000 (3:01.08) leaderboards. A strong resume in Section V for Smith was beefed up in the fall after she was named the 2023 AGR Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Jayda Solomon

A sprinter in the 55 (7.24), who has continued to find success after a move to Spencerport from Newark before her junior year season. She has won two races that included Pittsford Mendon senior Tamara Dorval, who is No. 2 on the event's section leaderboard, the Monroe County championships Feb. 10 and the league's invitational Dec. 29.

Ava Wierda

Batavia junior is another Section V athlete who has left a gap between her and others in the section. Her top weight throw of 50 feet-4 1/4 inches on Feb. 10 at the Monroe County Championships will be second-best in the state, according to athletic.net.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Section V indoor track: 12 athletes who could win titles at sectionals