Track

Won by one

Liberty boys edge Sullivan West in Division IV gem; Lady Bulldogs on verge of Division title with strong victory over Lady Indians

By RICHARD A. ROSS

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — In a world largely defined by sound bytes and cryptic text messages, much is abbreviated these days including the name of the jewel of spring sports: track and field, which most people refer to as track.

But it was the field events that propelled Liberty’s boys to a stunning 71-70 win over defending Division IV champion Sullivan West on April 24. The Indians counteracted Sullivan West’s 52-35-point advantage on the track with a 36-18 margin of victory by combined jumping and throwing efforts in the field to extract the meet victory by the narrowest of margins.

The 71-70 score was, ironically, the same as that turned in by Sullivan West’s girls in their historic win over Tri-Valley that broke the Lady Bears’ 129-dual-meet streak just one week prior.

Liberty’s arrival, with two busses of athletes, was a clear sign of the sport’s resurgence, another step forward in a year in which Liberty’s athletics has been elevated to a newfound level of respectability.

Credit athletic director Jason Semo for creating a new mindset that re-emphasizes excellence in athletics, academics and character.

A year ago, Sullivan West’s boys trounced Liberty 114-27. But this year, Liberty’s newfound strength in its sprinters and jumpers turned the tide from Carolina blue to Ruby red. One season after Liberty turned the tables on Sullivan West in basketball, its track and field team continued the trend with its gritty win. Next fall, the two teams will be in the same football division as the rivalry heats up. Liberty bested the Westies in boys soccer this fall to boot. Soon, the two teams’ baseball teams will square up for an epic battle for supremacy.

Speaking of recent history, this past winter, Class B Liberty was Section Nine runner up in indoor track and they did that without Dashawn Williamson and Ivan Rivera, who were helping Liberty’s boys basketball team reach the sectionals for the first time in eight years. This spring, those two came out for track and field in an attempt to reinsert Liberty into contention. With jumping/throwing coach Adrian Tyndell monitoring their technique, Liberty’s boys have made major strides and are a legitimate threat to capture the Division IV title.

With Sullivan West’s recent win over Tri-Valley, a Liberty victory over the Bears at a dual meet at Ellenville on May 8 will afford Liberty the Division IV crown. Once sectionals roll around, though, Class B Liberty will part ways with Class C Tri-Valley and Sullivan West, leaving them to vie for the Class C title currently held by the Bears.

During indoor season, Matt Arielly’s dominance in the long and triple jump piled up points for Liberty. But on this day, the stalwart senior was sidelined with a tight hamstring. Still, Liberty never missed a beat as they took an 8-1 point advantage in the long jump with Tim Burgio (19-6½) in first and Williamson in second. Sullivan West’s Eric DeLaurencio broke up the sweep with a third in the event.

In the triple jump, it was Burgio (39-—) and Malcolm Strother with first and third. Will Schlott got second for the Bulldogs.

Liberty’s Nelson Saravia (40-4) won the shot put. DeLaurencio and Vaughn Schlott minimized the damage with second and third. Indoor track pole vault veterans Brent Kaplan (11-6) and Gregory Castro, who matched the height with more misses, gave Liberty an 8-1 edge in the event. Austin Erlwein (9-0) took third.

In the high jump, the day’s last event, Strother (6-0) took first and drew cheers galore as he tried to best his own personal best of 6-2 and set a new school record at 6-3. Williamson got third in the event. Major props were earned by Sullivan West freshman Anthony Nicoletti, who took second with a personal best of 5-8.

DeLaurencio won the discus and Vaughn Schlott got third for the only field event in which the Bulldogs prevailed. Saravia took second.

On the track, Sullivan West wasted no time in showing off its advantage in distance running. The 3200-relay team of Colin Seidl, Matt Layman, Dallas Ripley and Russell Bryan (9:25) got the day’s first win. Ripley (2:18.9) won the 800 and Layman took third. Liberty’s Scott Kaplan took second. Seidl won the 3000 (11:56) and Bryan took second. Liberty’s Kirk Madison took third, garnering what may well have been one of the meet-breaking points.

After the meet, Sullivan West coach Ron Bauer rued not inserting a third runner into the event to try for the sweep, something the Bulldogs got in the 1600 (5:09), as Ripley and Bryan took second and third behind Seidl.

But hindsight is always 20-20 and at that juncture it was hard to predict how things would turn out.

Liberty showed its strength in the sprints and middle distance. Strother (11.3) won the 100, with Saeed Robinson taking second. Robinson’s outstanding soccer play in the fall was followed by his great contribution to indoor track this winter. Now the speedy senior offers his quickness to the spring track team. Will Schlott took third in the event. Robinson (24.2) bested Schlott in the 200 and Williamson took third.

In the 1600 relay, another key event, Robinson made up a 40-meter deficit as he took the baton for the anchor leg, catching and passing Erlwein. Robinson had done the same thing as he blew by Layman in the final 75 meters of the 400 for the victory.

Liberty speedsters Burgio, Steve Hewlitt, Strother and Rivera had already given the Indians a victory in the 400 relay (47.3).

By day’s end, Liberty’s speed and field prowess afforded the Indians a slight edge over the Bulldogs for the win.

Sullivan West girls roll on

Looking to add another division banner to the one that they garnered in indoor track this past winter, Sullivan West followed up its iconic one-point win over Tri-Valley with a 91-50 win over the Lady Indians. Sullivan West’s distance runners Chelsie Schadt, Stephany Robison, Katey Dnistrian and Kasi Pilny (11:22) garnered an easy win in the 3,200 relay. Schadt (5:24) won the 1500. Rianne Erlwein took second and Liberty’s Kim McKay took third

A year ago in the meet against Liberty, Schadt broke the 5:20 mark for the first time in her career by posting a 5:19.4 time in the event.

Erlwein (2:46.5) sped to a win in the 800, with teammate Kendra Barker taking second and Dnistrian in third for the sweep.

Robison (13:59) was tops in the 3000, with Erlwein and Schadt right behind for another nine points in the Dawgs’ ledger.

Lindsey Murphy (17.5) won the 100 hurdles. Morgan Hawkins took second in the event and then came back to win the 400 hurdles (69.8). She and McKay tied in the pole vault, with equal leaps and misses, topping out at 8-6.

In addition, Hawkins ran a leg in the winning 1600 relay with Katie Manzi, Pilny and Barker (4:33). Pilny won the 400 (67.3). Katrina Graby (4-4) took the high jump swept by the Lady Bulldogs, as Dnistrian and Barker took second and third. Brittany Reddish won the shot (27-4—) and the discus (80-1).

Liberty garnered points in the 400 relay with Jessica Dunnigan, Sabrina Mastrogiovanni, Sara Hazelnis and Stefani Davidson (56.8). Dunnigan (12.8) was victorious in the 100 and in the 200 (28.2). Liberty swept the 200 as Mastrogiovanni and Hazelnis took second and third. Dunnigan took first in the triple jump with a mark of 32-7¼.

Mastrogiovanni won the long jump (13-8—). Teammate Taylor Lorino took second and Graby got third in the event.

Sullivan West improved its league record to 4-0 with the win and needs only to defeat short-handed Fallsburg to garner the Division IV title held for the past two years by Tri-Valley.

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of meet pictures.