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SECTION IV TRACK & FIELD: WAVERLY SPRINTERS SET UP FOR BIG DAY THURSDAY AT STATE QUALFIER; BOYS' 400 RELAY LOWERS SCHOOL RECORD AGAIN (24 PHOTOS) (2023-05-31)

Valley Sports Report
ENDICOTT — Waverly did not win any medals here Wednesday on Day 1 of the Section IV Track & Field State Qualifier, but the Wolverine sprinters put themselves in position to bring home a large haul of them on Thursday.

Junior Ralph Johnson qualified for Thursday’s finals in the 100- and 200-yard dashes, while senior Kayleb Bechy qualified for the 100 finals, and senior Jerrell Sackett will run in the 200 finals.

Waverly’s 400-meter relay teams — boys and girls — also qualified for Thursday’s final, with the boys quartet once again lowering their school-record time.

“Ralph Johnson and Kayleb Bechy ran great trials in the 100-meter dash to get them into (Thursday’s) final — they will be seeded 2 and 3, respectively,” said Waverly coach Dave Hogan. “The  same can be said for Ralph Johnson and Jerrell Sackett in the 200-meter dash; they will be seeded 2 and 5, respectively.

“In both races, all of those athletes have already hit the state super standard and need only compete (Thursday) to guarantee a trip to the state championship next week in Middletown,” added Hogan.

Johnson ran the second-fastest time in the 100-meter dash, clocking in at 11.07, edging out Bechy, who was third-fastest at 11.11 seconds. Johnson City senior Dayzin Legare ran the fastest qualifying time at 10.7 seconds.

Johnson also ran the second-fastest qualifying time in the 200-meter dash, clocking in at 22.28 seconds, while Sackett was fifth at 22.47 seconds. Legare was again the fastest at 21.52 seconds.

Johnson, Bechy, Sackett, and junior Micah Chandler ran the fastest qualifying time in the 400-meter relay, clocking in at a school-record 42.47 seconds, which moves them within two-tenths of a second of the Section IV record.

“The boys 4x100 relay broke their own school record of 42.76 by going 42.47 today in prelims,” said Hogan.  “This puts them just a mere 0.16 seconds off of the Section IV record of 42.31. 

“Their time also secures the top seed entering in (Thursday’s) final. 

“Section IV has now posted amazing times in this event — the three top seeded times going into the final — Waverly, Johnson City,  and Norwich — put these teams in first, second, and third places, respectively, in New York State Division 2.”

The Lady Wolverine foursome of sophomores Ally Barrett and Kiley Stillman, and seniors Abigail Knolles, and Natalie Garrity ran the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the 400-meter relay, clocking in at 52.32 seconds to advance to Thursday’s finals. They were third among Division 2 competitors.

“We were also really pleased with our girls 4x100 relay going 52.32 to seed them fourth going into the final,” said Hogan. “They've dealt with some adversity in recent days, and have been able to produce positive results in spite of it.”

After three events in the heptathlon, senior Ryan Clark is in 10th place with 1,165 points. Clark placed fourth in the shot put at 10.37 meters, was ninth in the high jump at 1.46 meters, and was 11th in the 110-meter hurdles in 20.69 seconds.

The long jump and 1,500-meter run round out the events on Thursday.

Eighth-grader Makenzie Olmsted finished 11th in the 800-meter run with a personal-best time of 2:33.89, and sophomore Harper Minaker was 17th in 2:38.78.

“Makenzie Olmsted hit a nice PR in her 800-meter run, and managed to pass a number of girls in the last 100 meters of her race in doing so,” said Hogan.

Senior Treyton Moore finished 13th in the 400-meter dash in a time of 53.39 seconds, and junior Jake Benjamin finished 14th in the discus with a toss of 115-feet, 1-inch.

Barrett finished 15th in the 200-meter dash in a time of 28.26 seconds, and freshman Mira Kittle finished 17th in the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 18.68 seconds

Senior Oscar Williams was 22nd in the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 1:06.42, and sophomore Payton Fravel no-heighted in the pole vault.

Action resumes Thursday at 5 p.m.

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IN PHOTO 1: Waverly’s Ralph Johnson prepares to take the baton from Micah Chandler. … PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.


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