Outdoor Track
Championship meet for Amherst, North, South
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Sweet Home's Larri Phelps competes in the 100-meter hurdles at the Section VI Championships on Friday, June 1 at Starpoint High School. Phelps did not qualify for finals. Photo by John Rusac Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Five titles were won by athletes from the Town of Amherst at the Section VI Championships held Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June 2 at Starpoint High School.

Amherst hit the jackpot as Allison Rogers and Brenna Symoniak won the girls 100-meter dash (12.60) and 3000 (10:28), respectively, and Willie Jones, the top seed in the boys high jump, won in a school record leap of 6-7 (old record 6-6.75). All three qualified for the New York State Championships held Friday, June 8 and Saturday, June 9 at Dietz Memorial Stadium in Kingston, N.Y., an hour past Albany.

Also winning events and going to states are Williamsville North's Matt Losi (boys long jump, 21-1) and Williamsville South's Allie Van Buren (100 hurdles, 15.42). Williamsville North's Sarah Mikulski took second in the girls 100 hurdles in 15.85 but still qualified for the state meet because her state qualifying time she set at the Town of Amherst Championships was a tenth of a second faster than the second-place finisher from Division II at sectionals, Frewsburg's Tricia Johnson, who had a time of 15.86.

Williamsville East's Greg French finished second in the 110-meter hurdles at the Section VI Championships in a time of 15.5. Photo by John Rusac Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Here's a breakdown of how each Town of Amherst school fared at sectionals.

Girls

Williamsville South

Allie Van Buren has gone to the state meet before as a member of South's 4x400 relay but never in an individual event.

"She stayed focused and did everything she needed to do to keep her head and body prepared," said coach Sam Hasan. "We got her body to peek at the right time."

"It felt really great winning," added Van Buren, a freshman. "I was afraid I was going to fall because in the first heat for Division I, there was a girl who got disqualified for hitting the hurdles."

Van Buren's section championship is even more impressive considering she has been running with a loose ligament in her right ankle since running the 300 during a indoor meet in December. She is having arthroscopic surgery to correct the injury on June 12.

"The doctors said it's not going to get any worse so I'm trying to trick her body so that it stays strong and explosive," said Hasan. "I know not to put enough on it so it doesn't bother her too much but I also know I can't back off or she'll lose her explosiveness. I'm trying to give her shorter runs with less work and stay away from running continually."

"I don't really focus on my ankle," said Van Buren. "It hurts after I'm done running but doesn't hurt while I'm competing."

Van Buren's goals at states are to set a personal record or earn a medal.

Van Buren came back to also take fourth in the 200 dash, finishing in a time of 26.86.

Van Buren won the section title in the 55 hurdles during the indoor season.

Stephanie Amadeo cleared 7-6 in the pole vault at sectionals but did not qualify for finals.

Amherst Central

Allison Rogers was seeded first heading into the 100 and led the entire way, defeating Pioneer's Anna Holmes by .16 seconds.

"I was really excited because I wanted it so bad," said Rogers.

"Her 100 was awesome," said Amherst coach Dan Tryon. "She got out fast and never let down."

Holmes got the better of Rogers in the 200, winning 25.86 to Rogers' time of 26.38.

Rogers hopes to make at least the 100 semifinals at the state meet but is not sure of her competition.

Brenna Symoniak, Amherst's other champion, upset West Seneca East's Amanda Solly by 14 seconds. Solly got revenge in the 1500, beating Symoniak, 4:51.5 to 4:53.17.

Amherst's 4x100 (51.33) and 4x800 (10:02.98) each took fifth.

Williamsville North

Sarah Mikulski was not the only Lady Spartan to have a great day.

Senior Kim Dohn closed out her high school career setting a school record in the 400, finishing in 58.77. The old school record was 59.3 set by Kim Cross in 1984.

Ashley Redino, the team's other senior, was fourth in the 400 hurdles in 1:08.88 although her personal best time in the event came in preliminaries with a 1:08.19. She also was sixth in the 100 hurdles in 16.42.

The 4x400 relay of sophomore Laura Triantafillou, juniors Meredith Kirby and Michelle Bauman, and Dohn ran a 4:09.29 for third place. The quartet broke the school record earlier in the season.

The 4x100 relay of freshman Jessica Little, Mikulski, Redino and sophomore Amy Loud were sixth in a personal-best 51.51.

Junior Emily Curry was 11th in the triple jump (32-4.75) and high jump (4-8) and ninth in the discus (90-4).

Sarah Khan came in 16th in the pole vault with a 7-6.

Loud was eighth in her heat in the 200 semifinals (28.09) and seventh in a 100 hurdles semifinal heat (17.51). Kirby was seventh in a 400 semifinal heat (1:02.65).

Sweet Home

Freshman Katie Niblock placed third in the 800 (2:19.6). Older sister Megan, a senior, was fifth in the triple jump (33-7.25) and sixth in the steeplechase (7:51.1).

Merissa Criswell took sixth in the 100 (13.14) and 200 (26.89) as did Bianca Smiley in the long jump (15-11.5).

Williamsville East

Seventh grader Kala Allen capped off a wonderful first year of outdoor track with a fourth place in the 400 (59.6) and fifth place in the 100 (13.1).

Senior Kaitlyn Roseti came in seventh overall in the pentathlon. The 4x100 team of Allen, sophomore Kendra Durden, junior Rosie McAfee, and senior Maureen McCarthy took eighth overall in a time of 52.1.

Boys

Amherst Central

Besides his first place triple jump, Willie Jones finished sixth in the long jump in 19-9.75.

Junior David Szymkowiak came in fourth in the 1600 in a personal-best 4:33.2 and ninth in the 800 in 2:00.

David Robinson-Gault was eighth in the triple jump (41-5.25)

DeShawn Hough and Viron Hale went third (16.07) and fourth (16.41), respectively, in the 110 hurdles. Hough was also sixth in the 400 hurdles in 1:01.4.

Sweet Home

Senior Jacob Hagen took third in the 1600 in 4:30 and classmate Ryan Poley came in sixth in 4:34. Poley, Hagen, Mike Bakowski, and Ryan Hughson joined forces to place third in the 4x800 relay, recording a time of 8:20.

Sophomore Matt Cross went 52.22 in the 400 to earn sixth.

In the shot put, junior Andrew Hopkins threw 47-11 for fourth followed by junior Nick Christman in fifth with a 47-3.75. Dan Miranda took eighth in the pentathlon.

Williamsville East

Three Flames took home individual honors.

Junior co-captain Greg French was second overall in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.5, senior Sean Lanighan was fourth overall in the 800 in 1:57.9, breaking his own school record that he set one week previously, and senior Andy Heim blazed home first in the last event of the pentathlon, the 1500, in a personal-best time of 4:33 to lock up fourth overall.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com