Track

Working class heroes

OCIAA meet brings out champions, record breakers, honorees and lifetime bests

By RICHARD A. ROSS

WARWICK, NY - Undaunted by rain and chilly temperatures, athletes from 22 schools in the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) convened to conclude this year’s two-day league championship meet on May 19.

The format, which pits all schools against each other regardless of size, clearly favors the larger schools with greater talent pools. Consequently in terms of final team standings, it came as no surprise that host Warwick, the region’s most storied track program, garnered first in the boys meet with 142 points. Pine Bush was second with 94 points; Washingtonville had 59.

Sullivan West made an impressive showing by placing seventh with 29 points paced by Alan Ackermann’s first-place win in the discus (165-2), Colin Seidl’s school-record-breaking run in the 3000 steeplechase (9:53.4), which broke Mike VanWagenen’s mark of 9:57, and Kienan Garn’s lifetime-best long jump of 20-4 that earned him a fifth place finish in a most competitive field. The long jump was won by another lifetime best jump turned in by Pine Bush’s Celestino Rivera (22-2).

For the smaller schools, such as most of those from Sullivan County, the meet had less to do with team standings than with athletes taking advantage of the extremely competitive field to try and evince their best performances. One of those came from Monticello’s Brendan Devine who ran a lifetime best school-record-shattering 9:32 in the 3200. He bested a school record set in the early ‘80s and broke the 9:35 threshold, something he has striven to do for years.

And there was no shortage of those.

A number of other under-the-radar performances are worthy of mention. Eldred’s Max Gunther took fourth in the pole vault with a season’s best leap of 12 feet. Liberty’s Jeff Simpson was fifth with 11-6. He also took fifth in the high jump (5-8). Monticello’s Brendan Devine took third in the 3200 with an impressive time of 9:32.2, while Tri-Valley’s Sean Messenger took fourth in the 400 intermediate hurdles with a stunning 57.3 and a third in the 110 hurdles with a speedy 15.4. Both races were won by Warwick standout Jesse Fuca in 14.1 and 56.0 respectively. Ackermann took second in the shot put (48-3), one place in front of a resurgent Matt Moore of Fallsburg (44-11—).

Locals did well in the discus, placing behind Ackermann. Tri-Valley’s Garrett Grey took third (141.9). Other event medallists included teammate Tanzeel Khan, Sulllivan West’s Eric DiLaurencio and Moore.

Warwick, Cornwall and Pine Bush, with 135, 103 and 62 points respectively, were the leaders of the girls meet. But athletes from the smaller local schools left their mark. Sullivan West’s Rianne Erlwein won the unseeded 3000 with a lifetime best of 11:09. Her time was 26 seconds faster than any the diminutive dynamo has turned in to date. Teammate Sara Alsdorf ran a 16.6 in the 100 hurdles semifinals, which was her lifetime best, while Lindsey Murphy’s 17.1 was her speediest ever. Eldred’s Christina Watts was fifth in the 100 (13.0), while Tri-Valley’s Courtney Roosa took seventh in the 2000 steeplechase with a time of 7:43.4.

Monticello’s Jessica Fingers led the pack in the unseeded 800 with a time of 2:24.26, her best ever.

The day also featured sportsmanship honors given to Washingtonville’s stellar pole vaulter Stephanie Duffy and Middletown’s Matt Gowers. Retiring legendary coaches Hugh Cauthers of Monroe-Woodbury, known to many as “the father of girls pole vaulting,” received a plaque for his three decades of service to Section Nine track. Retiring Monticello athletic director Ken Garry was honored as well. Garry received a plaque from Section Nine’s head track official Mary Onken, honoring him for 30 years of service. He also received a plaque from Warwick athletic director John Russo for 30 years of service to OCIAA. Russo closed his complimentary remarks about a man long engaged in the sport with the words, “Godspeed to our Irish friend.”

A number of schools, including Tri-Valley, were missing some of their seniors due to the senior trip and the evening’s prom.

Given the closeness in time between the Meet of Champions fray and the ensuing sectionals, several Sullivan County coaches have said they may put less emphasis on the annual individual-only scored Meet of Champions and hold back their athletes’ best endeavors for the sectionals.

Visit rivereportersports.com for an album of pictures and complete OCIAA championships results.