Valley Sports ReportMIDDLETOWN, N.Y. — Tioga is sending three boys — senior Andrew Earley and juniors Gavin Albrecht and Dominic Palmer — to the New York State Division C Track & Field Championships here this weekend, and longtime coach Eric Gutierrez isn't sure if the Tigers have ever sent that many to States before.
"I have been coaching almost 20 years, and assistant coach Jim Walsh was coaching in the '90s, and neither of us have sent three to States," said Gutierrez.
"So, it has been at least 30 years and I don't know that we've ever had this many before," he added.
It's also been nearly a decade since a Tioga boys brought home state hardware. The last Tiger medalist was Jonny Polo Rankin who finished sixth in the 400-meter hurdles in 2017.
Albrecht, the Section IV champ in the pole vault, will be making his second trip to States.
Albrecht is the sixth seed at 14-feet, 9-inches.
Warwick Valley junior Luke Beattie is the top seed at 16-feet, 8 1/2-inches, and Minisink Valley's Logan Schupner is the second seed at 16-feet.
Last year, Albrecht was the seventh seed last year at 13-feet, 9-inches, but struggled, clearing 13-feet for a 29th-place finish.
"Having been to States last year gives Gavin a huge boost for this year," said Gutierrez.
"He learned a lot from the experience and how a giant meet like this goes.
"He is a lot more confident and has been able to plan and prepare better than last year," Gutierrez added.
This is the first trip to States for Earley and Palmer.
Earley is the sixth seed in the 400-meter hurdles with a seed time of 56.91 seconds.
The top seed is senior Ethan Zacarolli of Taconic Hill in a time of 55.06 seconds. The third seed (55.97 seconds) is less than a second faster than Earley's time.
Palmer is the 30th seed with a seed mark of 2,944 points.
The top seed is junior Nathaniel Johnson of John Jay at 3,604 points. The eighth seed is at 3,218 points.
"This may be Dominic's and Andrew's first time at States, but they have been laser-focused this week," said Gutierrez.
"There are procedural things that they need to be aware of, but they prepare well for their events and are tough competitors," he added. "It is going to be great watching them compete."
Gutierrez believes having teammates at States will be beneficial to all three Tigers.
"It is nice to have multiple athletes going to States at the same time, compared to being solo, it is a big help," said Gutierrez.
"These guys encourage each other and are good friends," Gutierrez noted. "Having another athlete with you helps with confidence and cuts down on nerves.
"Even though these guys are going to compete in very different events, they are pulling for one another and that goes a long way," he added.
Gutierrez is hoping this trio will be a boost to the program.
"We have a great group of seniors this year, who will be missed, but we also have two of the three state contenders coming back and some underclassmen who have been working hard on improving," he said.
"I would love to see more come into the program looking to follow in theses guys footsteps," added Gutierrez.
Day 1 of the New York State Championships begins at 1 p.m. Friday at Middletown High School.
