NTL TRACK & FIELD: ATHENS' BURGESS, SAYRE'S MALANOSKI LOG WINS AT KIRBY RELAYS CLASSIC (24 PHOTOS) (April 3, 2026)


WILDCAT GIRLS PLACE THIRD, BOYS FOURTH IN TEAM STANDINGS

Valley Sports Report
CANTON — Athens senior Abby Burgess and Sayre Hudson Malanoski earned the only first-place finished for Valley athletes Thursday at the Ron Kirby Classic Relays, with both Athens teams recording top-four finishes in track & field action.

ATHENS GIRLS PLACE THIRD IN 12-TEAM FIELD
“Tonight’s meet was another step in the right direction for us," said Athens coach Mike Bronson. "I’m really happy for the girls to finish third as a team behind two very strong teams. It was our first time at the meet and the Canton coaching staff put on a really nice meet .

"All of the girls really competed well," he noted. "Abby Burgess had a really good meet, she ran great anchor legs in the both the 4-by-100 and 4-by-400, had a solid win in the 200 and ran on the winning co-ed 4-by-1 relay.

"Annika  Lezak threw great in the javelin, Elizabeth Denlinger has been really consistent vaulting and Ava Hughes ran a really strong 3,200 meters," said Bronson. "Kaitlin Leonard had a good night in the long jump and it was good to have Lizzie Gorsline fully healthy back in the 300 hurdles.

"We also had a bunch of girls PR tonight, Maleah Hadlock in the shot, Marlene Roelle in the 800, and Alissa Vough in the 3,200.

"We still have a lot of work to do before the end of the season, but tonight showed that the work the girls are doing is paying off and we’re getting better as a team each week,” added Bronson.

Burgess won the 200-meter dash in a time of 26.27 seconds, while junior Kaitlyn Leonard was eighth in 30.22 seconds, and freshman Bilikula Wennie was ninth in 30.54 seconds. Sayre's Lillyana Colon was 22nd in 33.32 seconds.

Sophomore Annika Lezak placed second in the javelin with a throw of 106-feet, and senior Alivia Learn was 14th at 66-feet, 4-inches.

Senior Ava Hughes placed second in the 3,200-meter run in a time of 12:20.16, and sophomore Alissa Vough was fourth in 12:35.33.

Senior Elizabeth Denlinger placed second in the pole vault at 8-feet, 6-inches, and senior Fiona Coniglio was seventh at 6-feet, 6-inches.

Athens' 1,600-meter relay foursome of Burgess, senior Lizzie Gorsline, junior Marlene Roelle, and freshman Eden Fedorchak finished second in 4:37.19.

Athens' 400-meter relay foursome of Burgess, Wennie, Fedorchak, and Leonard finished third in a time of 53.73 seconds.

Sayre senior Emma Cole placed fourth in the discus with a toss of 87-feet, 9-inches.

Cole also placed seventh in the shot put with a heave of 29-feet, 1 1/2-inches, and Athens sophomore Maleah Hadlock was 11th at 27-feet, 10-inches.

Gorsline placed fifth in the 300-meter hurdles in a time of 52.45 seconds, and sophomore Savannah Boyles was 13th in 58.37 seconds.

Leonard placed fifth in the long jump at 14-feet, 2 1/2-inches, while Boyles was 12th at 13-feet, 2-inches, and Denlinger was 15th at 13-feet, 1-inch. Sayre junior Maryze Rivera was 33rd at 9-feet, 1-inch.

Vough placed seventh in the 1,600-meter run in a time of 5:46.84, while Hughes was eighth in 5:53.26, and freshman Stella Unger was 10th in 5:58.2.

Fedorchak finished 10th in the 400-meter dash in 1:13.18, and junior Haylie Horton was 15th in 1:17.47.

Roelle finished 11th in the 800-meter run in a time of 2:42.59, and senior Penelope Grubb was 16th in 2:56.74.

Denlinger finished 12th in the high jump at 4-feet, 2-inches, and Leonard was 12th in the triple jump at 30-feet, 2 1/2-inches. Sayre' Rivera was 25th at 22-feet, 2 1/2-inches

ATHENS BOYS PLACE FOURTH, SAYRE 10TH IN 12-TEAM FIELD
Malanoski won the shot put with a heave of 47-feet, 2 1/2-inches, and Athens senior Brenden Comstock was third at 44-feet, 8 1/2-inches

Comstock placed second in the discus with a toss of 134-feet, 4-inches, and Malanoski was 13th at 87-feet.

Senior Chase Ingram placed second in the pole vault at 11-feet, while junior Holden McKeever and Sayre junior Austin Quattrini tied for 14th place at 7-feet, 6-inches.

Athens' 1,600-meter relay foursome of seniors Ryan Cook and Alex Thompson, junior Patrick Umber and freshman Avery Gorsline finished second in 3:38.8.

Junior Graham Wanck placed third in the 1,600-meter run in a time of 4:36.06, while junior Lucas Persun was ninth in 4:56.63, and junior Matt Rossettie was 11th in 4:59.22.

Graham Wanck also placed third in the 3,200-meter run in a time of 10:11.8, while senior Parker Wanck was sixth in 10:52.83, Persun was eighth in 11:08.31, and junior Alex Arcesi was ninth in 11:17.73.

Umber placed third in the 400-meter dash in a time of 53.45 seconds, while Thompson was fourth in 54.61 seconds, Avery Gorsline was fifth in 55.27 seconds, and junior Brayden Westbrook was ninth in 58.11 seconds.

Athens' 400-meter relay foursome of Umber, Westbrook, Cook, and junior Ryder Morley finished fifth in a time of 49.44 seconds.

Umber placed sixth in the 200-meter dash in a time of 24.43 seconds, while Cook was seventh in 24.53 seconds, and Westbrook was 16th in 25.82 seconds.

Junior Zach Fisher finished eighth in the javelin with a throw of 118-feet, 7-inches

Freshman Shayan Ankam finished 10th in the 300-meter hurdles in 49.74 seconds, and sophomore Jacob Gorsline was 13th in 51.44 seconds.

Junior Christopher Moore finished 10th, and freshman Izaiah Bailey was 11th in the high jump at 5-feet, 2-inches.

Ingram finished 10th in the triple jump at 35-feet, 3/4-inches, while Bailey was 11th at 34-feet, 1/2-inch, and freshman Cy Yeager was 13th at 33-feet, 5 1/4-inches. 

Yeager finished 10th in the long jump at 16-feet, 9 1/4-inches.

Rossettie finished 12th in the 800-meter run in a time of 2:13.05, and Sayre's Quattrini was 27th in 2:47.09.

ATHENS, HUGHESVILLE TIE FOR TOP SPOT IN CO-ED TEAM STANDINGS
The Wildcat quartet of Burgess, Wennie, Morley and Cook won the mixed 400-meter relay in a time of 47.87 seconds.

The Athens foursome of Lezak, Learn, Fisher, and Comstock finished third in the throwers' 400-meter relay in a time of 56.15 seconds, and Sayre's foursome of Malanoski, Cole, Cole and Zach Cross was 10th in 1:11.24.

—————————

PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING.

Print Friendly Version