Track

	TRR photos by Richard A. Ross. Graphic design by Pat Carullo (Click for larger image)

Bulldog boys capture Division IV title

The run for glory

Boys: Sullivan West 73, Liberty 63
Girls: Sullivan West74, Liberty 63

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LIBERTY, NY — There was high drama on the track for the final Division IV meet. Recent meets had exacted their toll in injuries but there would be no excuses. That said, the timing of this meet on May 20 could not have been worse.

The rescheduling of the encounter between the Bulldogs of Sullivan West and the Indians of Liberty fell three days after the league meet and two days before sectionals. If Sullivan West were to lose this meet, they would fall into a three-way tie with Liberty and Tri-Valley. Both teams were confident and aggressive. Despite fatigue, there would be no holding back.

The meet lived up to the hype with the score staying tight all day. Liberty managed to pile up early points in field events with Renauld Buck taking first in the shot put (44-7), the discus (133-7) and the triple jump (36-5). Buck, the winner of the Outstanding Field Athlete plaque at the Monticello Games on May 10, is a superior athlete. Teammate Chris Goldsmith took first in the high jump (5-2) to add another five points to the Indians’ total.

To counteract Liberty’s field events advantage, the Bulldogs used their depth on the track. Jeremy Morgan ran first in the 110 hurdles (16.4) and the 400 hurdles (1:02) despite nagging knee troubles. Ian Parnett dusted Liberty’s Matt Manzi in the mile (4:38) and Mike VanWagenen won the two mile (11:03.9). Art Ward, Dave Abram and Jim Erlwein added nine points to the total with a one, two, three punch in the 400.

The sweep in the 400 by Ward (58.6), Abram (1:01.3) and Erlwein (1:03.2) turned out to be key as the outcome of the meet that was decided by a mere ten points.

Some late field-event placing by Sullivan West put the team over the top. These included a second and third place in the high jump by Scott Peters (5-2) and Ian Parnett (5-2). When athletes tie at a certain height, the winner is the athlete who achieved that height in the fewest attempts. Brent Rose took third in discus (99-7), and in the pole vault John Kitson took first (10-6) and Dave Abram took second (10-6). Rob Kautz got third in the long jump (15-1/2).

At the end of the day, Sullivan West edged Liberty by a slim ten-point margin of 73-63 to capture the Division IV title. It capped off a 7-0 league season and set the stage for the sectionals, state qualifiers and the state meet still to come.

Coach Ron Bauer, extremely proud of his team, said, “We did really well today. This meet came right down to the wire.” Bauer reeled off name after name of teammates who contributed. “It’s been a lot of hard work, but it paid off today,” Bauer said.

See more images from the race here.

Sullivan West girls outpace Liberty to finish the season at 6-1

The girls’ team put in a fine effort in defeating Liberty 74-63. The 3200-relay team of Amanda Ward, Kim Parks, Vanessa Houghtaling and Jamie Clifford set the tone for the meet with a winning time of 11:57.3.

Jessica Wagner ran a 13.5 to take first in the 100. She finished just ahead of Kelly Mullally who ran a 13.7. Like the case of the boys’ meet, Liberty seemed to be stronger in field events. Andrea Kavleski, who also won the Outstanding Field Events Athlete plaque at the Monticello games on May 10, racked up points with first in shot put (31-1) and the discus (100-9). Liberty also took first in pole vault with Lauren Michaud’s jump of 6-0. Megan Baxter edged Ashley Relyea in the high jump with a 4-8. Relyea’s second place jump was 4-6.

Back on the track, the Bulldogs posted wins in the 400-relay run by Jessica Wagner, Ashley Relyea, April Ackerman and Kelly Mullally. Their time was a 55.0. Ackerman took first in the 400 with a 1:04.2. Clifford came in right behind her with a 1:06.4. Amanda Ward won the 400 hurdles (1:15.9) and Jessica Wagner took first in the 200 with a 28.0. The later events of the day featured a strong victory in the 3000 by Amanda Ward (12:12) and the 1600 relay run by Ackerman, Houghtaling, Wagner and Ward in 4:34.5.

Coach George Shakelton was pleased with the outcome of the meet. “We were missing some people today but we did a really good job. I am very pleased with our performance,” he said. It was a terrific season for the young team which is loaded with freshmen and sophomores. Sectionals, state qualifiers and the state meet are bound to feature more fine performances by the relay teams and individuals. The young team comprised of mostly freshmen and sophomores will be back next year to capture more headlines.

Class D track sectionals

Anthony, LaPut, Hallock and VanTuyl are champs in Section 9 Class D

By RICHARD A. ROSS

	Contributed photo The Eldred boys’ track team came in second in the Class D meet just behind John A. Coleman. Several girls also had outstanding performances at the meet. (Click for larger image)

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY — By virtue of placing in a significant number of events, Eldred took second in the Section 9 Class D meet. Kyle Anthony won the triple jump (41-7). Tyler LaPut captured the title in the pole vault (8-0). Tim Hallock took first in the shot put (42-10) and Steve VanTuyl won the discus with a throw of 119-6.

The Yellowjackets racked up 190 points, which left them just seven points shy of winning Coleman.

Kelly Brodmerkel won the pentathalon with a score of 1,240 points. Eldred will send its best track athletes to the state qualifier but will have to compete against Class C and the smaller Class B schools, including Sullivan West. Only the winner of each event goes on to states. Other Eldred team members who placed in the Section 9 meet were:

Boys: 400: 2. Catlan Sardina (56.9), 400 hurdles: 3. Kyle Steimle (1:09.6), 800: 3. Kyle Anthony (2:10.1), 3000 steeplechase: 2. Charles Chandler (45.4), 3200: 2.Kieran Pierce (11:12.2), 400 relay 3. (51.3), 1600 relay: 2. (4:20.8), 3200 relay: 2. (49.5), and Discus: 3.Tim Hallock (114-0).

Girls: 3200 relay: 2. (13:59.9), High Jump: 2. Becky Hallock (4-2), Pole Vault: 2. Becky Hallock (5-6), Shot Put: 3. Kayla Bozan (26-2 ¼), and Discus: 3. Becky Bruning (70-1).

Class B track Sectionals

Morgan and Van Wagenen are Section 9 Class B champs

	TRR photo by Richard A. Ross Jeremy Morgan won the Section 9 Class B 400 hurdles against Liberty in a dual meet. (Click for larger image)

KINGSTON, NY—Jeremy Morgan won the Section 9 Class B 400 hurdles in 56.9 seconds. He appears to be an excellent contender for the state qualifier this week. In order to go to states, he would have to come in first.

Mike VanWagenen took first at the Section 9 Class B meet in the 3000 steeplechase with a time of 10:10. VanWagenen is a strong steeplechase contender for the state qualifier meet.

Coaches Ron Bauer and George Shakelton plan to bring Ian Parnett, the 4x100 team, pole-vaulters John Kitson and Dave Abram and long distance runner Trevor Kreznar to the state qualifier. The Sullivan West team was matched up against all Class B schools at sectionals. At the state qualifier, the larger B schools will compete against the A schools. Sullivan West is considered a small B and will therefore compete against other small B schools as well as the C and D schools.

In the girls’ meet, the 4x800 team of April Ackerman, Jessica Wagner, Jamie Clifford and Kim Parks came in third. Red Hook, a team the Bulldogs will have to contend with at the state qualifier, won the 4x800. Big schools such as Cornwall, Roundout and Goshen will be grouped in Division I with the A schools but Tri-Valley is a C school. That means the Bulldogs will have to contend with Heather Iaturo running a leg in the 4x800 in addition to her longer events.

	TRR photo by Richard A. Ross Mike VanWagenen won the Section 9 Class B 3000 steeplechase. Here, he is at the start of the 4x800 relay in the meet against Liberty. (Click for larger image)

Coach Shakelton still feels that the 4x400 and 4x800 teams could qualify. Kelly Mullally will run in place of Kim Parks in the 4x800 event. He also likes Amanda Ward’s chances in the 3000 steeplechase. Ward ran a personal best time in the 3000 with a time of 11:35, which was faster than the previous mark set by Ackerman. Jamie Clifford ran a personal best in the 1500 with a 5:15 mark. She had previously run a mile and an 800 race within a short period of time that morning.

Ashley Relyea placed third in the pentathlon. She scored 1,853 points. The Lady Bulldogs took fifth place in the meet with 31 points.

Regardless of the outcome of the state qualifier, the Bulldog track team has had a sensational year. Next year, the vast majority of track team members will return.

	TRR photo by Richard A. Ross Liberty’s Andrea Kavleski and Renauld Buck won plaques for being the outstanding field athletes at the Monticello Games on May 10. It was the first time two students were chosen from the same school. (Click for larger image)

Liberty track stars win a plaque and rule their events at sectionals

MONTICELLO, NY — For the first time in OCIAA history, the outstanding field athlete awards for a male and female went to students from the same school. Liberty junior Andrea Kavleski and senior Renauld Buck won plaques for their performances at the Monticello games on May 10. Participating coaches voted to honor them with the award.

Kaveleski won the discus and hammer throw. She threw the discus 109 feet, 11 inches and tossed the hammer 129 feet, two inches. She also placed second in the javelin (75 feet, 4 inches) and shot put (29 feet, 2 inches) and third in the national championships at the Armory Track Center on March 15. She was ranked eighth in the country during the indoor season.

Buck won the discus, javelin and shot put events. He threw the discus 126 feet, 2 inches; the javelin 138 feet, 6 inches and the shot put 49 feet and one half inch.

Both Liberty stars were successful in their events in the final league meet against Sullivan West on May 20. Buck also ran a strong leg in the 4x100. Sullivan West won the meet but the performance of both Buck and Kavleski was noteworthy.

In the sectional Class C meet on May 23, Buck became sectional champion in the triple jump (37-2), the shot put (50-1 1/4), and he ran a leg in the winning 4x100 relay. Kavleski won the shot put (34-9) and the discus (117-0 1/2).

Golf

Semenetz qualifies for states

By RICHARD A. ROSS

KIAMESHA LAKE, NY — Sean Semenetz of Sullivan West was one of three Sullivan County golfers to qualify for the state golf championships to be held June 1 to 2 at Cornell University in Ithaca.

Semenetz finished sixth overall with a two-day total score of 159 at the Concord Monster golf course. On May 19, Semenetz shot a 78 and on May 21, he shot an 81.

Doug Novogrodsy of Fallsburg shot an 80 in the first round but came back strong with a four-over-par score of 76 in the second round. Novogrodsky’s total of 156 earned him a fourth place overall.

Justin Bowers of Roscoe was the third state qualifier from the county. Bowers came in ninth to earn the final qualifying slot. He shot an 82 in the first round and an 80 in the second for a final score of 162.

Local players who missed the cut included Lonnie Ackerly of Roscoe (85), John Poplawski of the Family School (85), Peter Fernandez of Fallsburg (88), Henry Bosch of Eldred (91) and Blake Kilcoin of Fallsburg (91).

Scholarship golf fund tournament scheduled

CALLICOON CENTER, NY — The Western Sullivan United Teachers and School Related Personnel (WSUT and SRP) golf tournament will be held on Sunday, June 1 at Tennanah Lake Golf Course. The fundraiser will benefit a new union scholarship fund for Sullivan West graduates continuing their education.

Prizes will be awarded, including a car donated by Buddenhagen’s Ford. The cost is $65 per player or $15 for the barbecue only. The public and the school community are welcome, and businesses and community members are invited to support the scholarship with $100 gold, $50 silver or $25 bronze sponsorships.

The new WSUT and SRO Scholarship Fund builds upon the tradition of union scholarship funds established by the Jeffersonville-Youngsville Faculty Association (est. 1958) and the Delaware Valley Faculty Association. Last year, over $7200 in scholarships were awarded to students of the former districts.

To register, call 845/482-4610, Ext 233.

Gymnastics

Monticello gymnasts will exhibit their skills

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONTICELLO, NY — The Monticello School of Gymnastics will hold its annual exhibition on Friday, May 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the Monticello High School. Come out to see a great evening of tumbling, dance routines, floor exercise, parallel bars, high bar, rings and balance beam skills. Students from all of the classes will perform, as will the members of the boys’ and girls’ gymnastics teams.

Tickets are $4 for adults and $3 for children.

Baseball

Eldred finishes with a win

Eldred 11, Livingston Manor 6

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — The future of the Eldred baseball team resides in its youth. One strong part of that component is freshman hurler Mike Prunka, who guided his team to a season ending win over the Wildcats in the May 22 game. Prunka showed good control and mechanics throughout his first year as a Yellowjacket. He registered four strikeouts in the closeout win.

Walter Kreidel hit a two-run pinch-hit single in the sixth inning. Senior Tim Schneider went 3-for-5 in the Division VI game under a steady drizzle. Coach Frank Kean was upbeat about his team’s play in the latter part of the season. “I look for progression as the season moves along. We had Florida 5-4 in the sixth inning before losing to them. We hit the ball really hard in the last few outings,” Kean said. His young team will be back in force next year without seniors Devin Weyant, John Martin and Tim Schneider.

Prunka will however be joined on next year’s staff by Walter Kreidel and Patrick Kean. Manor senior Brian Will went 4-for-4 for Manor. Senior Brian Smith added two hits for the Wildcats. Eldred finished the season at 3-11, 2-5 OCIAA, while Manor ended up at 5-9, 3-5 OCIAA.

Bulldogs prepare for sectionals

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY—With the glory of the Division IV title behind them, the Bulldogs practiced this week to prepare for a first round match-up against rival Ellenville at sectionals, which begin on May 27.

Sullivan West should be well rested and will have their seniors back from a trip to Disney World. The Bulldogs lost the first game against Ellenville in the last inning but rebounded with a strong win in the second game late in the season. For seniors Everett Saul, Mike Compton and Jake Sauer-Jones, the sectionals will provide an opportunity to add to the happy memories of this fine season.

Softball

Bulldogs gear up to face Ellenville in sectionals

Sullivan West 17, Fallsburg 3

By RICHARD A. ROSS

	TRR photos by Richard A. Ross Eldred players cheer each other on at the start of an inning versus Liberty. (Click for larger image)

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY—Welcome to the second season, that brief twilight wherein the exuberance of making the sectionals can fade quickly. Teams have little time to learn the lay of the land. Win and advance or lose and go home. The competition is tough and the atmosphere is tense. In other words, nothing could be more fun.

By virtue of last week’s win over Goshen, the Lady Bulldogs enter the sectionals with the same goal as their first round competitor: every pitch, fielding opportunity and at-bat matters far more. There is no tomorrow.

The last tune up before sectionals featured yet another strong pitching performance by Erin Rosenberger who continued to pose problems for opposing hitters. She struck out eleven Comets while scattering only three hits. Her teammates staked her to an early lead by plating two runs in the first and eight runs in the second. An encouraging sign for coaches Ellmauer and Meyer was that the team was active on the base paths taking advantage of steal opportunities and passed balls to move runners up into scoring position. Those instincts are likely to be the difference between winning and losing when opponents are more daunting than some of the regular season adversaries.

Madeleine Arqueta’s two-run triple in the seventh inning was part of a five run seventh that closed the file on this game. Jessica Lederman had a good day with two hits and an RBI. The Bulldogs finished the regular season at 8-4 while Fallsburg packed it in at 1-13. Their first round sectional match-up is against Ellenville on May 27, and the winner will move on to the semifinals on May 29. The final game will be played at Pat Burke field on May 31.

Eldred finishes a winless season with losses to Liberty and Tri-Valley

Liberty 6, Eldred 2
Tri-Valley 27, Eldred 8

LIBERTY, NY—The game between the Liberty Indians and the Eldred Yellowjackets on May 21 was a match between experience and youth. The Indians’ well seasoned team features seven seniors including star hurler Kate Yaun, Christine Warhya, Rebecca Cohen, Nicole Daurio, Chelsea LaGatttuta, Jamie Hopkins and Andrea TerBush. Fine pitching, crisp hitting and tight fielding have marked Liberty’s last few games. Despite a recent loss to Tuxedo, the Indians enter the sectionals peaking and confident.

Eldred, on the other hand, is a youthful bunch. With a team made up of predominantly freshmen and sophomores, the Yellowjackets have had to chalk this season up to a learning experience. It’s been a season in the school of hard knocks.

The good news is that next year promises to be different for pitcher Megan Shafer, who improved throughout the year. She plans to work on her mechanics in the off-season.

Watching Yaun on the mound offered Shafer an opportunity to witness a seasoned pitcher who is totally locked in. Yaun surrendered only one hit, a single by Jessica Cherry late in the game. Yaun has a series of one-hitters under her belt this season. Her riser was tough for the Yellowjackets to catch up with. Despite the ongoing losses, the Eldred bench continued to cheer their teammates on.

The Yellowjackets’ season ended with a battering by Tri-Valley. Heather Bachman had two hits and four RBI in the non-league game at Eldred. The win was not enough to propel the Bears (5-6) into sectionals. Brittany McNamara had two doubles and three RBI. Jene Shafer and Jenny Haas contributed two hits and two RBI for Eldred who finished their season at 0-15.