South, North indoor track fare well in Cornell

Michele Bauman, far left, Kim Schueler, Kim Berus and Meredith Kirby of the Williamsville North girls 4x400-meter relay team took second place out of 25 teams at the Southern Tier Invitational held Jan. 5 at Cornell Universit y. The relay ran a time of 4:18.50.

The Williamsville South and Williamsville North indoor track teams hit the road for the second time in as many weeks, competing at the Southern Tier High School Invitational on Saturday at Cornell University.

The event featured 54 schools, 1560 athletes in track events and 600 in field events.

North and South each posted great times.

South, North girls

The Lady Billies' best event was the 55-meter hurdles.

In prelims, sophomore Allie Van Buren posted the fifth fastest time in New York State, 8.79, to take second. She was followed in third by senior Kristina Arcury with a personal best time of 8.95, the 10th fastest mark in the state. Eighth-grader Kailyn Arcury ran a personal best 9.42 to take seventh.

In the finals, Van Buren won in a personal best time of 8.58. Kailyn Arcury was seventh and Kristina Arcury came in eighth. North senior Sarah Mikulski finished fourth in 9.07.

In the 300, Van Buren took second in 43.16. Teammates Allison Ferenczy (53rd, 48.72) and Rachel Zucker (66th, 49.58) also competed.

North senior Meredith Kirby ran a personal best 44.14 for third. Junior Amy Loud came in fifth with a personal best and sectional qualifying mark of 44.40.

In the 600, South junior Ashley Ferenczy was seventh (1:44.26) and sophomore Amanda Breymeier was 10th (1:47.60). Sophomore Rachel DiVita was 77th (2:16.11).

Senior Michele Bauman (27th, 1:52.41), junior Caitlin Triantafillou (29th, 1:53.92) and sophomore Hannah Bachwitz (38th, 1:56.64) ran the event for North.

South sophomore Jenny Mooney ran her best time all season in the 1000, finishing 25th in 3:28.76. Sophomore Meagan Munroe took fought through bronchitis to take 60th in 3:53.71. Sophomore Rachelle Moyer was 67th in 4:02.05.

North junior Kim Berus took 18th out of 73 in the 1000 in 3:26.09. Junior Caitlin Curry was 46th in 3:46.14.

North senior Kim Schueler and eighth-grader Rachel Dorogi had personal best times in the 1500. Schueler ran 5:24.39 for 20th. Dorogi took 23rd in 5:25.15. Senior Dawn Hu was 58th.

South was led in the 1500 by senior Colleen Hurtubise, who went 5:35.57 for 34th place. Junior Laura Johnston came in 63rd. Sophomore Santana Coon ran a personal best 6:38.65 for 67th.

In the 55 dash, North's Jessica Little posted a 19th place time of 8.01. South's Skye McCellan was 30th in 8.11.

In the 3000, Hurtubise finished 29th in 12:22.84. Coon ran the race in a personal best 13:50.29 for 51st. North's Berus finished 37th in 12:39.88. Teammate Natalie Worley came in 45th in 13:11.84.

The North and South girls fared well in the relays.

In the 4x200 relay, the South quartet of McCellan, the Arcury sisters and Van Buren came in fourth out of 35 teams in 1:53.76. Mikulski, Little, Shelbey Gray and Loud were seventh for North in 1:56.18.

North's 4x400 relay of Bauman, Berus, Schueler and Kirby placed second out of 25 teams in 4:18.50. South's Breymeier, Ashley and Allison Ferenczy and Bethany Syracuse took sixth in a personal best time of 4:27.44.

North's 4x800 relay of Dorogi, Bachwitz, Mary Jones and Molly Mitchell took 15th out of 27 teams in 11:24.62. South's foursome of Munroe, Mooney, Hurtubise and MC Aungst were 24th in 11:45.07.

Both teams fared well in the field events. Breymeier and Kailyn Arcury high jumped 4-10 but Breymeier took fourth to Arcury's seventh because Breymeier had less misses. North's Emily Curry came in eighth at 4-8.

Curry also tied for 11th out of 63 competitors in the long jump with a sectional qualifying leap of 15-5.

South's Jennifer Lopez threw the shot put 31-10 for fourth. Lopez also triple jumped a personal best 27-4 for 41st. Teammate Francesca Cutrona threw the shot put a season-best 17-9.75.

North's Amanda Sheriff tied for 16th in the pole vault with a heave of 7-0.

North, South boys

North senior Steve Oehler broke a 23-year-old school record in the 55 hurdles.

Oehler ran an 8.13 to finish fourth. The old record was 8.34 set by Brett Davidson in the 1983-84 season.

In the same event, South's Richard Grampp ran a personal best 9.45 in preliminaries.

North junior Mike Thielman took 13th out of 61 runners in the 3200 in 10:32.50. South's Alex Podvezko came in 41st in 11:19.23.

Thielman came in 30th in the 1000 in 2:58.27. South's Peter Galbo ran a personal best 3:02.35 for 39th. North's Robert Golightly came in 40th in 3:02.57.

The only highlight from either team in the field event came from North senior Sean Felton in the triple jump. Felton triple jumped a personal best 42-2.25 for second place out of 57 competitors.

In the 300, North took 25th (Sinclair Johnson, 39.40), 29th (Oehler, 39.58) and 40th (Austin Benshadle, 40.20). South's Nick Helmick (72nd, 43.25) and Harrison Sinatra (90th, 45.98) hit personal best times.

Grampp went 88th in the 55 dash in 7.62. Nate Hall (7.98) and Sammy Hasan (8.45) also ran for the Billies. North's Collin Preston was 39th in 7.27 and Benshadle was 42nd in 7.28.

In the 600, South's John Stark was 52nd in 1:42.74 and teammate Bruce Hibler came in 60th in 1:43.81.

In the 1600, Stark was 44th in a personal best 5:10.89. Podvezko was 47th in 5:13.78.

North's 4x200 relay of Preston, Oehler, Evan Hughes and Johnson were 10th out of 35 teams in 1:42.19.

Amherst Central Brenna Symoniak and Dave Szymkowiak led the Tigers' cross country teams in the fall and have continued it in the indoor season.

At the Southern Tier High School Invitational on Saturday at Cornell University, Symoniak took third in the 3000 in 10:48.14. Szmkowiak was fifth in the 1000 in 2:44.97.

Sweet Home

At Buffalo State College on Saturday, Katie Niblock was a double winner, taking first in the 600 and 3000 in times of 1:48.4 and 11:25, respectively.

Three boys qualified for sectionals in the hurdles - senior Dan Miranda (9.05) and juniors Josh Blango (8.67) and Ken Anaya (8.99).

Sacred Heart

In other indoor track action, Sacred Heart dominated the first meet involving Monsignor Martin Association girls teams.

The Sharks won five of the nine events held last Saturday at Lancaster High School's Fieldhouse. The meet was not scored.

Senior Brittany Gibbons was a double winner, taking first in the long jump in 11-8 and the 600 in 1:50. Junior Ginamarie Mule won the triple jump in a leap of 26-1.50. Senior Kim Patterson took first in the 1050 in 4:02.

The Sharks' 4x150 relay team of Christine Loftus, Alyse Madison, Lyndsay Delgrosso, and Melissa Naab won in 1:34.4.

"They were ready to go," said Sacred Heart Athletics Director and coach Rod Sarkovics.

The next meet is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19 at Lancaster.