SECTION IV TRACK & FIELD: ROSSI EARNS TIOGA'S ONLY MEDAL ON DAY 2 OF STATE QUALIFIER; 400 RELAY NARROWLY MISSES PODIUM (8 PHOTOS) (2023-06-01)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportENDICOTT - Junior Valentino Rossi earned Tioga’s only medal on Day 2 of the Section IV Division 2 Track & Field State Qualifier here Thursday afternoon at Union-Endicott High School.
Rossi placed sixth in the triple jump with a hop, skip, and jump of 42-feet, 4-inches. He was fourth among Division 2 competitors.
"Valentino has his best jump of the season," said Tioga coach Eric Gutierrez. "(Coach) Jim Walsh has been working really hard with our jumpers, especially on their finishes.
"There are always other things you can work on, but to see (Valentino) nail the finish, where he’s actually reaching and getting it is really nice.
"It’s going to really show next year," Gutierrez added.
Gutierrez was pleased with his team’s performances at the two-day State Qualifier.
"We work all year for the best times (and distances) at the end of the season," said Gutierrez. "I the;; the kids, there will be times when kids beat you early in the season, but your times will drop to where you’ll be competitive with the top kids.
"And, that’s exactly where we ended," noted Gutierrez, "This is what we work for the entire season, these last couple weeks.
"The boys won our program’s first-ever Class D title last week," added Gutierrez. "Here, we had kids in the finals, and making the podium — this is exactly what we worked for, and what we expected … the kids delivered."
The foursome of junior Elyse Haney, freshmen Mia Hall and Ava Smolinsky, and 7th-grader Vida Rossi finished seventh in the 400-meter relay — missing the podium by 0,32 seconds. They were fifth among Division 2 competitors.
Hall no-heighted in the high jump at the opening height of 4-feet, 6-inches, and freshman Abbie Engelbert no-heighted in the pole vault at the opening height of 7-feet, 6-inches.
The Tigers only have one senior on the roster, and Gutierrez is excited for the future.
"We have one senior … losing Thomas (Hurd) will hurt. He’s a good competitor, and he works hard, but 99 percent of our team is 11th grade and younger … you look closer, and 50 percent of our team is 9th- and 10th-grade.
"Looking to the future, I’m really excited," said Gutierrez. "And when kids see school records being broken, and Valentino (Rossi) on the podium, they get excited and want to be part of it."
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IN PHOTO: Tioga’s Valentino Rossi. … PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY and CRISTINA ROSSI.
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