VALLEY SPORTS REPORT: ATHENS' HUTCHISON LEADS 'SUPER 7' AS GIRLS TRACK & FIELD "ATHLETE OF YEAR" — SAYRE'S HANEY, ATHENS' STACKPOLE, BARTLOW, WAVERLY RELAY ALSO EARN TOP HONORS (2019-06-13)

Valley Sports Report
THE VALLEY "” Athens senior Rachel Hutchison earned a bit of sweet redemption this spring, running to a PIAA gold medal to earn the moniker of Valley Sports Report's 2019 Girls Track & Field "Athlete of the Year."

Athens junior Cassidy Stackpole is the "Field Athlete of the Year," while Sayre freshman Roz Haney is the "Newcomer of the Year," Athens freshman Olivia Bartlow is the "Field Newcomer of the Year," and Waverly's 3,200-meter relay is the "Relay of the Year."

Hutchison, who started running the 300-meter hurdles midway through her junior year, fell on the first hurdle at the state meet last year, but returned for her senior season on a mission.

She won the 300-meter hurdles nearly every time out this season, and was one of the Lady Wildcats' top point-getters during the regular season, racking up first-place finishes in all the sprint events..

At the NTL Championships, Hutchison won the 300-meter hurdles, as well as the 100- and 200-meter sprints, and was on the winning 1,600-meter relay team.

At the District 4 Championships, she won the 300 hurdles and was on the state-qualifying 1,600-meter relay team. She finished third in the 200 dash and the 400-meter relay.

At the PIAA Track & Field Championships, Hutchison ran the second-fastest time in the preliminaries, then ran a school-record time of 44.69 seconds in the finals to win a gold medal. She also ran on the 10th-place 1,600-meter relay at States.

Stackpole won a gold medal at the NTL Championships with a personal-best javelin throw of 123-feet, 5-inches. She went on to hit the state standard and finish third at the District 4 meet, then finished 13th at States.

Haney burst on to the scene for the Lady Redskins this season, collecting points in nearly every meet in the sprint events.

At the NTL Championships, Haney won the 400-meter dash, finished second in the 200-meter dash, and was third in the 100-meter dash.


Waverly's 3,200-meter relay team - juniors Cora Smith, Sheridan Talada, and Elizabeth Fritzen, and freshman Olivia Nittinger - won the IAC gold in a time of 10:06.98, then won the Class B Championship in 10:08.5.

At the State Qualifier, the foursome won the Division II gold in a time of 9:49.97 - 17.01 seconds faster than their seed time. They went on to better their time at States, besting their own school-record time to win a sixth-place medal in a time of 9:45.54.

The "Girls Track & Field Super 7" is:
Rachel Hutchison, senior, Athens: See above.

Cora Smith, junior, Waverly: Smith was a dominant distance runner and big point-getter for the Lady Wolverines all season.

At the IAC Championships, Smith won the 1,500-meter run and 3,000-meter run, and was on winning 3,200-meter relay. She finished third in the 800-meter run.

Smith also won the 1,500 and 3,000 at the Class B Championships, and also ran on the winning 3,200 relay.

Smith  the 3,000 at the State Qualifier in a school-record time of 10:24.64, and ran on the state-qualifying 3,200 relay. She finished seventh in the 1,500.

At States, Smith earned a sixth-place medal in the 3,200 relay, and finished 18th in the 3,000.

Ariana Gambrell, senior Athens: Gambrell returned to the PIAA Championships in the 100-meter hurdles. She narrowly missed the finals in the 100 hurdles and finished ninth for the second consecutive year.

At the District 4 Championships, Gambrell finished second in the 110-meter hurdles, and fourth in the long jump and the shot put. She was on the third-place 400-meter relay team.

At the NTL Championships, Gambrell won the 100 hurdles, the long jump, and the shot put. She finished fourth in the triple jump.

Cassidy Stackpole, junior, Athens: See above.

Melina Ortiz, junior, Waverly: A veteran of State competition during the indoor track season, Ortiz made her first trip to the New York State outdoor championships this spring. She finished eighth in the 400-meter dash.

Ortiz won the 400-meter dash at the State Qualifier, and finished fifth in the 200-meter dash.

Ortiz also won the 400 at the Class B Championships, and was fifth in the 200. She was also part of the second-place 1,600-meter. and fourth-place 400-meter relay teams

At the IAC Championships, Ortiz won the 200, finished third in the 400, and was fourth in the long jump. She was also on the third-place 1,600-meter relay.

Roz Haney, freshman, Sayre:  See above.

Kennedy Wheeler, senior, Waverly:  Wheeler consistently collected points for the Lady Wolverines in the discus and the shot put.

Wheeler won the discus, and finished second in the shot put at the IAC Championships.

At the Class B Championships, she won the shot put, and finished fifth in the discus. She wrapped up her career with a fifth-place finish in the shot put at the State Qualifier.

"”"”"”"”"”"”