Track

Firsts in the first

Sullivan County winners in New Year’s first meet

By RICHARD A. ROSS

WEST POINT, NY — Among the billions of resolutions uttered to usher in the New Year were likely to be some bespoken by Sullivan County track and field athletes centering on their goals in the sport that occupies so much of their energy and passion.

But even if those goals were not on their minds as the glittering ball came down to ring in 2008, the desire to advance their individual and team causes came into clear focus on January 4 as the schools reconvened for their first meet of the new year.

While much of this newspaper’s track coverage centers on the celebrated track athletes’ improvement, which in our view deems them winners, for this initial meet the reportage is about those who finished first to afford readers a glimpse into the current leader board. What follows for each group is the event, the winning athlete’s name and school and time.

Sullivan West’s girls defeated Tri-Valley 172-168. It was the second upset by the Lady Bulldogs of the Lady Bears this season. One more win will give Sullivan West the Divisional Championship, something that has been a long time coming.

Girls’ indoor track

Group III

1,000:Jessica Fingers (Mont) 3:03.7; 3,200 relay: Monticello 10:26.2.

Group IV

1,500-meter walk: Olivia Seidl (SW) 8:55; 55 hurdles: Sara Alsdorf (SW) 9:59; 55 Elizabeth Peters (SW) 8.4; 3,000: Courtney Roosa (T-V) 10:58; 1,000: Roosa (T-V) 3:15.1; 300: Peters (SW) 46.99; 3,200 relay: Tri-Valley 10:59.5; 1,600 relay: Tri-Valley 4:42.8; 800 relay: Sullivan West 2:11.8; High jump: Agnes Pompeii (T-V) 4-6; Pole vault: Megan Hawkins (SW) 7-0; Long jump: Sabrina Mastogiovanni (L) 13-8; Triple jump: Kendra Barker (SW) 28-3½; Shot put Teahnyet Kahn (TV) 28-5.

Boys’ indoor track

Group III

3,200: Brendan Devine (Mont) 9:56.7; Pole vault: Brandon Beckman (Mont) 10-0;

Group IV

55-meter hurdles: Nate Coehlo (T-V) 10:01; 55: Malcolm Strother (L) 7:12; 3,200: Colin Seidl (SW) 10:15.1; 1,000: Seidl (SW) 2:51.5; 300: Coehlo (T-V) 39.22; 3,200 relay: Tri-Valley 9:45.2; 1,600 relay: Sullivan West 4:17.7; High jump: Strother (L) 5-9.; Pole vault: Brent Kaplan (L) 9-6; Long jump: Coelho (T-V) 17-8; Triple jump: Strother (L) 35-10½; Shot put: Tanzeel Kahn (T-V) 47-6—.

At the Southern Tier Invitational on January 4 held at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, Tri-Valley’s Garrett Grey captured the weight throw (61-2½). Teammates Bob Fiedler (55-6—) and Tanzeel Kahn (50-0) finished second and fifth, respectively.