Several WNY athletes double up on entries to state track and field meet (2024)

Several Western New York athletes took advantage of the Section VI state qualifier meet Saturday at Alden High School to secure their spots in multiple events for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Track and Field Championships next Friday and Saturday at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

There were three ways for athletes to qualify for the state meet: win an event, achieve a super standard mark or achieve an at-large qualifying standard. Athletes may have qualified earlier in the season, as well.

Here is a look at the athletes who qualified on Saturday:

Boys

Division 1: Sweet Home junior Niear Patterson pulled out a victory in the 100, running a time of 10.95 seconds. He edged Orchard Park junior Maxim Bliemeister, who qualified with a super standard mark of 10.96. In the 200, Sweet Home junior Brenton Baker won in 22.17, while Bliemeister was second in a super qualifying time of 22.23. Jamestown senior Noah Burch won the 400 in 49.85, and Starpoint junior Timothy Lukasik took the 1,600 in 4:27.46.

West Seneca West junior Thomas Cycon won the 110 hurdles in 15.25 and the 400 hurdles in 56.78. Clarence senior Noah Holden was victorious in the 3,000 steeplechase with a time of 10:00.53. Williamsville East senior Surya Avasarala won the pentathlon with 3,051 points.

Sweet Home won the 4x100 relay with a time of 42.67, Lancaster took the 4x400 relay in 3:25.16 and Hamburg captured the 4x800 relay in 8:04.42.

In the triple jump, Lockport junior Matthew Towns won with a leap of 45 feet, 1 inch. West Seneca West senior Cameron Whittaker took the shot put with a heave of 52-2.5. Sweet Home’s Baker won the high jump at 6-10.

Orchard Park junior Anthony Mancabelli captured the pole vault at 13-7.

Division 2: Maryvale senior Sohel Ahmad Peran won the 100 with a time of 10.93, and Williamsville South sophom*ore Auralleus Hicks was second in 11.00, a super standard mark. Hicks won the 200 in 22.03, and Roy-Hart junior Braden Ricker was second in 22.57, an at-large standard time. Randolph senior Talon Rowland captured the 400 in 49.06. Randolph’s Roan Kelly was first in the 1,600 in 4:20.82, and Lewiston-Porter’s Leo Clark was second at 4:22.28, an at-large standard time.

Iroquois senior Cole Silliman won the 110 hurdles in 15.02, and Lackawanna senior Julius Arias was second with an at-large qualifying time of 15.22. In the 400 hurdles, Dunkirk senior Michael Hanlon was first in 56.22, and Southwestern senior Declan Kennedy was second with an at-large time of 57.02. Frewsburg junior Cody Kent won the 3,000 steeplechase in 9:57.93. Southwestern senior Neves Hoose won the pentathlon with 3,004 points, and Allegany-Limestone senior Joshua Nolder achieved an at-large score of 2,956.

In the 4x100 relay, four teams qualified for the state meet. Williamsville South won with a time of 42.93, Tapestry was second in 43.16 and Randolph was third in 43.54. Williamsville South and Randolph achieved super standard marks, and Maryvale was fourth with an at-large time of 43.78. Dunkirk won the 4x400 relay in 3:22.80, and Randolph was second in 3:26.59, a super standard time. East Aurora won the 4x800 relay in 8:10.71.

Maple Grove senior Jonah Foley won the triple jump at 43-10.5. Lewiston-Porter senior John Robinson captured the shot put at 51-5, and Southwestern sophom*ore Leo Kavic was second at 50-11.25, an at-large qualifying mark. In the high jump, Foley won at 6-2, and Medina junior Gordon Young was second, also at 6-2, which was an at-large qualifying mark. Iroquois senior Seth Wyzykowski was first in the pole vault at 13-3, and Falconer junior Nathan Bailey was second at 12-9, an at-large qualifying mark.

Girls

Division 1: In the 100, Frontier freshman Gianna Conti won with a time of 12.41. Grand Island senior Hailey Martinez was second in 12.55 and qualified with an at-large standard time. Conti also captured the 200 with a time of 25.02. Kenmore West senior Aniyah Mungo was second in 25.68, an at-large qualifying time.

Gianna Tuzzolino, a Williamsville East senior, won the 400 in 56.87. Williamsville North sophom*ore Melia Kupchanko, who won the 800 on Friday, captured the 1,500 with a time of 4:46.83. Sweet Home junior Kimaya Hall won the 100 hurdles in 15.37, and Lockport junior Amari Germany captured the 400 hurdles in 1:04.79.

In the 2,000 steeplechase, Frontier junior Lillie Bogdan took first with a time of 6:32.51, and Orchard Park senior Noel Barlette was second with an at-large qualifying time of 7:01.38. Hamburg sophom*ore Natalie Farrell won the pentathlon with 2,948 points.

Niagara Falls won the 4x100 relay in 49.72, and Williamsville East captured the 4x400 relay in 3:59.36. Frontier was second with an at-large qualifying time of 4:01.28. Orchard Park was first in the 4x800 relay in 9:24.84.

Three athletes qualified in the long jump. West Seneca West sophom*ore Jayden Ecker won with a leap of 18-7.25, and Lockport senior Melia Towns was second at 18-6. Niagara Falls junior Jhonnea Harris finished third in 18-3.75. Towns and Harris each achieved a super standard mark. Towns won the triple jump Friday.

Niagara-Wheatfield junior Gianna Glovack was victorious in the discus with a toss of 118-7, and Hamburg sophom*ore Chase Chudoba won the high jump at 5-4.

Division 2: Franklinville senior Tyyetta Herman won the 100 in 12.33, followed by Health Sciences senior Mia Finch (12.40) and Cheektowaga senior Amiya Verse (12.64). Finch qualified with a super standard mark, and Verse qualified with an at-large standard mark. Finch won the 200 in 25.41. In the 400, Herman won in 57.01, and Southwestern senior Alexis Grijalva was second with an at-large time of 58.34.

Springville junior Kirsten Melnik won the 1,500 in 4:40.94. Three athletes qualified in the 100 hurdles as Cheektowaga sophom*ore Myonna Smith won in 14.82, followed by Lake Shore junior Braeann Stender (15.36) and East Aurora freshman Addie Miller (15.67). Stender and Miller each achieved super standards. Iroquois senior Samantha Current won the 400 hurdles in 1:06.96. Southwestern freshman Emma Lewis captured the 2,000 steeplechase in 7:20.30. Springville senior Linnea Neureuther won the pentathlon with 3,351 points.

Cheektowaga won the 4x100 relay in 49.14, and Tapestry was second in 49.78, a super standard time. Southwestern captured the 4x400 relay in 4:02.13, and Portville qualified with a super standard time of 4:04.62. East Aurora was third and qualified with an at-large time of 4:06.69. East Aurora won the 4x800 relay in 9:23.14, and Southwestern was second with a super standard time of 9:31.44.

Tapestry Charter’s Nyla Wilson-Epps, a junior, qualified for the state meet in a second event by winning the discus with a mark of 129-1. Franklinville junior Elizabeth Price was second (120-10), and Lewiston-Porter junior Casey Fetzner was third (120-4). Price and Fetzner achieved super standard marks to qualify. Southwestern sophom*ore Mikayla Johnson also qualified with an at-large standard of 113-5. Like Wilson-Epps, Johnson also will compete in the shot put.

In the long jump, Tapestry junior Janee Long won with a leap of 18-6. Medina senior Madelynn Rutledge was second (18-2), and Cheektowaga sophom*ore Myla Scott was third (17-9). Rutledge and Scott each achieved a super standard, while Alden freshman Katherine Erhardt finished fourth with an at-large standard of 17-2.5.

Chautauqua Lake junior Jada Cole won the high jump at 5-6. She will be joined at the state meet by East Aurora’s Miller, who also cleared 5-6, and Springville senior Aaliyah Sansone, who cleared 5-5, a super standard mark. Iroquois freshman Kaleigha Kosek met the at-large qualifying mark of 5-2.