OCIAA Boys Indoor Track Championships

Flying colors

Fast times and long distances mark OCIAA boys championships

By RICHARD A. ROSS

WEST POINT, NY — The time is now for indoor track and field athletes to cash in on their work from winter developmental meets with peaking performances in the season-ending championship meets.

For the boys in the OCIAA, the chance to show their stuff began on a resounding note on February 2 at this year’s league meet. Pitting themselves against competitors from large and small schools alike, athletes sought to throw down the gauntlet in the first salvo of coming meets that will include this week’s Sullivan County Meet of Champions on February 6, sectionals on February 15 and 16, the state qualifier on February 23 and the New York State Championship at Cornell University on March 8.

This year’s league meet witnessed a stunning race in the 3200 won by Warwick junior Alex Leuchanka (9:29.43) who deployed a surprising kick in the final lap to best Monticello’s Brendan Devine (9:38.06). Devine had never lost to Leuchanka, who turned in a current New York State best time in the event.

The blazing pace led to a shattering of last year’s league meet winning time of 9:42.6 run by Warwick’s Terrence Prial. Devine was second a year ago to Prial with a time of 9:44.5. Leuchanka was third in ’07 with a time of 9:44.9.

Prior to this race, Leuchanka was already sitting atop of the Section Nine leader board with a 9:39.42 time turned in at the Hispanic Games at the Armory on January 5.

Devine’s time in this race topped that mark but it wasn’t enough to best Leuchanka. Devine’s lifetime best is 9:32 and he’ll get another crack at Leuchanka at sectionals.

Many of this year’s crop of athletes bettered the performances registered at the 2007 league meet in a number of running, throwing and jumping events. Among those was O’Neill’s Robb Quiller who pole-vaulted an impressive 14-6. The winning height in last year’s league meet was 11-9 recorded by Warwick’s Ben Brunjes. Pine Bush’s Zavior Brown’s winning times in the 55 (6.78) and the 300 (36.00) surpassed last year’s marks, as did Middletown’s Wayne Lewis’ high jump of 6-6 that bested last year’s height by four inches. Other events that saw marked improvement were the 600, 1000, long jump, 4x800 and 4x400 relays.

In addition to Devine, a number of Sullivan County athletes turned in fine performances. Tri-Valley’s Tanzeel Khan won the shot put with a heave of 49-09-50 that kept the title in the hands of a Sullivan County thrower. Last year, Fallsburg’s Matt Moore won with a throw of 49-1. A year ago, Khan tossed it 42-6.5 Teammates Garrett Grey (45-10.50) and Bob Fiedler (43-06-50) took fourth and sixth respectively in this year’s meet.

Grey finished second in the weight throw with a mark of 56-09.5. Fiedler (56-03) took third. Liberty’s Matt Arielly (42:00.25) took second in the triple jump and was fifth in the high jump, tying his personal best mark of 5-10. NFA’s Donald Cooper took second with a jump of 6-4.

In the unseeded 55, Liberty’s Saeed Robinson (7.20) placed fourth just ahead of Sullivan West’s Will Schlott (7.30). Liberty’s Matthew Strother (7.37) took eighth as he is still nursing a sore hip flexor. Liberty’s Ethan Meadow placed 14th in the pole vault with a leap of eight feet.

Monticello’s Robert Venditti (2:54.20) took 15th place in the 1000. Eldred’s Joey Counts (9.88) was fifth in the unseeded 55 hurdles. Teammate Ian Halloran (10.04) was ninth.

Sullivan West’s Colin Seidl (4:40.20) was seventh in the 1600. A year ago Seidl had one of his best outings taking fourth in the league meet with a time of 4:33.3. Monticello’s Dave Wilbur (4:40.94) took eighth in this year’s 1000.

This year, he stayed out of the 3200 in an attempt to get a good time in the 1000, but Warwick’s Leuchanka, Ackerman and Mike Fox swept the top three spots.

The girls league meet will be held at West Point on February 9.

Visit www.riverreportersports.com for complete results and an album of pictures.

Tri-Valley makes an impact at Engineer Games

RENSSELAER, NY — Tri-Valley throwers fared well at the Engineer Games held at Rensslaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on February 3. In the boys shot put, Tanzeel Khan took 5th (46-2) in the shot put. Garrett Grey (45-9) took sixth. Brandon Mariner (40-0) and Kirk Daoci (38-2) recorded lifetime bests in the event.

In the weight throw, Grey (57-3.5) took second. Bob Fiedler (52-9) garnered third place and Kahn (48-6) nailed down sixth.

In the girls weight throw, Danielle Darcy (25-10) captured third place.

Tri-Valley graduate and national standout Heather Iatauro, now a senior of Princeton, came in first among 25 runners at the Armory Great Dane Classic in the 1000 with a time of 2:52.26. She was first among 26 runners in the Princeton Invitational 800m run (2:14.26) and second at the Penn State Invitational mile run with a time of 4:53.69.

All the above qualify for the Division I ECAC Championship at Reggie Lewis Arena in Boston.