The top step of the awards podium at Cicero-North Syracuse this weekend likely won't be visited by any of the 18 area athletes headed to the New York State High School Track and Field Championships.
So smaller goals such as breaking school records, setting personal bests and simply reaching the podium should be on the minds of the local contingent.
"They'll have their work cut out for them," Oneonta High coach Dave Forbes said of the six Yellowjackets girls who'll compete this weekend. "It'll be tough for them, but we haven't had this many girls go to the state meet in a long, long time. I'm not sure when the last time we sent six girls to the state meet was and they deserve to be there."
The two-day meet begins at 12:30 today and continues at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The busiest of the area athletes will be Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton freshman Julia Knapp, the reigning The Daily Star Female Track Athlete of the Year. Knapp qualified in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles, as well as the long jump.
"Last year, she was only in one race and it was all on that one race," B-G/A coach Robb Munro said of Knapp, who placed sixth among Division II athletes (enrollments of 600 or fewer) in the 400 hurdles in 2011 state meet. "This year, if she has an off race, she has others to think about. Being a freshman is also nice in that you don't have to worry that the world is on your shoulder. She'll have other chances."
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Knapp is seeded fifth for the 400 hurdles, with a time of 1:05.72. Top-seeded Bailey Walker of Bayport Bluepoint has a seed time of 1:02.80.
Munro said he'd like to see Knapp break Bethany Norris' school record of 1:05.44.
"I've told her if you break the school record, the place will take care of itself," Munro said. "It's easier to focus on your race and break the school record than it is to race the other girls. Hurdles are dangerous if you pay attention to what other girls are doing. That's when you hit a hurdle."
She's the seventh seed for the D-II 100 hurdles, at 15.55. The girls seeded immediately above her _ Mikey Maxwell of West Canada and Mallory Honan of Northeast Clinton _ have seed times of 15.52 and 15.54, respectively. The top seed, Harley Allen's Isabel Hirtelen-Booker, has run a 14.54.
"The goal we talked about there is to make it back to the second day for the Division II final," Munro said.
Knapp is seeded 10th in the long jump with a distance of 17 feet, 1.75 inches, which may have contended for a D-II title in other years. But this season, 14 girls have jumped 17-0 or better and two have exceeded 18 feet. Seeds 3-14 are separated by 6 inches.
Kaitlyn Lopez of Immaculata and Cora Butler of New Paltz top the listm, at 18-6.5 and 18-1, respectively.
Munro said he'd like to see Knapp break the school record of 17-5.5, set by Nikki Nesbit in 2004.
Munro's other qualifier, senior Connor Fuller, is seeded ninth overall in the 3,000 steeplechase. His seed time is a school-record 9:40.62, which Fuller set at the Section Four State Qualifiers last Thursday at Ithaca High. Syracuse CBA's Brendan Smith has the top seed time, at 9:20.23.
Fuller, who'll run for Division I Monmouth next year, finished fifth among D-II athletes in last year's steeplechase, in 9:43.85. This year, he's seeded fourth in D-II.
"His workouts have looked great," said Munro, adding that Fuller has a close eye on his coach's Midstate Athletic Conference record of 9:39.4 _ a time Munro ran for Sidney in 1996. "I think he's ready to run a great time."
Oneonta's 3,200 relay team of senior Kim Scofield, eighth-grader Taylor Hitchcock, sophomore Missy Emilio and junior Fable Booker is seeded 27th overall and 13th in D-II, at 9:50.09. Forbes said the school record of 9:42.0 _ set about a decade ago _ is probably out of the question.
"I don't think it's impossible," Forbes said, "but at bare minimum I'd like to see them PR _ maybe a 9:47 or 9:46,"
Scofield also is seeded 16th in the triple jump, at 34-7.
"She's been looking for that 35-footer," Forbes said.
Junior Natalie Vanderlaan-Meyering and sophomore Brittney Herrick of OHS are among three area girls who'll compete in the high jump. Cooperstown sophomore Lucy Ford is seeded 20th overall at 5-2. Vanderlaan-Meyering and Herrick each cleared 5-1 last week and are seeded 22nd.
Forbes said clearing 5-2 would be a reasonable goal for his athletes.
Walton seniors Molly Maguire and Kevin Flaherty likely will have personal-bests on their minds.
Maguire is making her second state-meet appearance and her first since her freshman year, when she competed in the 3,000. This year, she's seeded 24th overall and eighth in D-II for the 2,000 steeplechase, at a school-record 7:33.97.
"She has a great competitive head on her shoulders and she can definitely go in the 7:20s," Walton coach Rich Michalski said of Maguire, The Daily Star's Player of the Year for girls soccer in 2011. "I think her soccer skills have made her quick getting over the barriers. She pushes off nicely."
Flaherty is seeded 10th (15.46) in the 110 hurdles. The top five seeds have broken 15 seconds.
"Realistically, that's where we'd like to be. Anywhere in the top six would be great," Michalski said of an event won by Cooperstown graduate Alec Silvera the past two seasons.
Three sprinters from the Tri-Valley League will try to bring home some hardware.
Milford senior Brett Smith and Cherry Valley-Springfield junior Isiah Montgomery are seeded 11th and 20th, respectively, in the 100. Smith, who'll compete for SUNY Delhi next season, has a seed time of 11.22. Montgomery's seed time is 11.39.
Gilbertsville-Mount Upton/Morris senior Eddie Ray Cotton has the 10th seed in the 200, at 22.81.
Delhi will send a pair of athletes to the state meet. Justin Hasbrouck, a senior, is seeded 22nd with a high jump of 6-2. Classmate Jessica Plance will take the No. 6 distance of 110-5 into the D-II discus, which also will feature ninth-seeded G-MU/M freshman Christina Hawkins (108-8).
Sidney senior Asia Revis is the 12th seed for the D-II shot put. Her seed distance is 35-5.
Rob Centorani can be reached at rcentorani@thedailystar.com or 607-432-1000, ext. 209.
TRACK AND FIELD STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Seedings and event times for area athletes competing in the state track and field championships Friday and Saturday at Cicero-North Syracuse.
AREA BOYS SEEDINGS
100 meters: 1, Aaron Omon (St. Dominic's-10) 10.91; 11, Brett Smith (Milford-12) 11.22; 20, Isiah Montgomery (CV-S-11) 11.39.
200: 1, Taylor Colucci (Stony Brook-12) 21.93; 10, Eddie Ray Cotton (GMU/Morris-12) 22.81.
110 hurdles: 1, Jay Hebert (Ticonderoga-10) 14.07; 10, Kevin Flaherty (Walton-12) 15.46.
x-3,000 steeplechase: 1, Brendan Smith (Syracuse CBA-12) 9:20.23; 9, Connor Fuller (BGA-12) 9:40.62.
x-High jump: 1, Mark Jackson (Longwood-12) 6-9; T22, Justin Hasbrouck (Delhi-12) 6-2.
x-seedings include Division I and Division II athletes.
AREA BOYS FRIDAY SCHEDULE
1:40 p.m.
110 hurdles (D-II qualifying): Kevin Flaherty, Walton sr.
1:50 p.m.
100 (D-II qualifying): Brett Smith, Milford sr.; Isiah Montgomery, CV-S jr.
3:30 p.m.
200 (D-II qualifying): Eddie Ray Cotton, G-MU/Morris jr.
AREA BOYS SATURDAY SCHEDULE
10 a.m.
3,000 steeplechase (Federation): Connor Fuller, Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton sr.
11 a.m.
100 (D-II final): Brett Smith, Milford sr.; Isiah Montgomery, CV-S jr.
Noon
110 hurdles (D-II final): Kevin Flaherty, Walton sr.
12:25 p.m.
200 (D-II final): Eddie Ray Cotton, G-MU/Morris jr.
12:45 p.m.
High jump (Federation): Justin Hasbrouck, Delhi sr.
1:30 p.m.
110 hurdles (Federation): Kevin Flaherty, Walton sr.
1:40 p.m.
100 (D-II qualifying): Brett Smith, Milford sr.; Isiah Montgomery, CV-S jr.
2:25 p.m.
200 (Federation): Eddie Ray Cotton, G-MU/Morris jr.
____
AREA GIRLS SEEDS
100-meter hurdles: 1, Isabel Hirtelen-Booker (Harley-Allen.-11) 14.54; 7, Julia Knapp (BGA-9) 15.55.
400 hurdles: 1, Bailey Walker (Bayport-Bluepoint-11) 1:02.80; 5, Julia Knapp (BGA-9) 1:05.72.
x-2,000 steeplechase: 1, Brianna Nerud (North Shore-12) 6:30.73; 24, Molly Maguire (Walton-12) 7:33.97.
x-3,200 relay: 1, North Shore 9:03.51; 27, Oneonta (Kim Scofield-12, Taylor Hitchcock-8, Melissa Emilio-10, Fable Booker-11) 9:50.09.
Long jump: 1, Kaitlyn Lopez (Immaculata-12) 18-6.5; 10, Julia Knapp (BGA-9) 17-1.75.
Triple jump: 1, Molly Shapiro (Emma Willard-12) 39-0; 16, Kim Scofield (Oneonta-12) 34-7.
x-High jump: 1, Kaitlin Whitehorn (John Glenn-12) 5-9; T20, Lucy Ford (Cooperstown-10) 5-2; T22, Natalie Vanderlaan-Meyering (Oneonta-11) 5-1; T22, Brittney Herrick (Oneonta-10) 5-1.
Shot put: 1, Erica Williams (Batavia-12) 45-4; 12, Asia Revis (Sidney-12) 35-5.
Discus: 1, Jordan Collins (Bayport-Bluepoint-12) 135-9; 6, Jessica Plance (Delhi-12) 110-5; 9, Christina Hawkins (GMU/Morris-9) 108-8.
Note: Lauren Ward-12 and Mary Buzzanca-10 are listed as alternates for Oneonta High in the 3,200 relay.
x-seedings include Division I and Division II athletes.
AREA GIRLS FRIDAY SCHEDULE
12:30 p.m.
Triple jump (D-II final): Kim Scofield, Oneonta sr.
1:30 p.m.
100 hurdles (D-II qualifying): Julia Knapp, Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton fr.
2 p.m.
Shot put (D-II final): Asia Revis, Sidney sr.
3:50 p.m.
400 hurdles (D-II final): Julia Knapp, Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton fr.
4 p.m.
Long jump (D-II final): Julia Knapp, Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton fr.
5 p.m.
Discus (D-II final): Christina Hawkins, G-MU/Morris fr.; Jessica Plance, Delhi sr.
AREA GIRLS SATURDAY SCHEDULE
10 a.m.
2,000 steeplechase (Federation): Molly Maguire, Walton sr.
High jump (Federation): Natalie Vanderlaan-Meyering, Oneonta jr.; Brittney Herrick, Oneonta soph.; Lucy Ford, Cooperstown soph.
Noon
100 hurdles (D-II final): Julia Knapp, Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton fr.
1:30 p.m.
100 hurdles (Federation): Julia Knapp, Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton fr.
1:45 p.m.
Discus (Federation): Christina Hawkins, G-MU/Morris fr.; Jessica Plance, Delhi sr.
Long jump (Federation): Julia Knapp, Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton fr.
2:15 p.m.
400 hurdles (Federation): Julia Knapp, Bainbridge-Guilford/Afton fr.
2:35 p.m.
3,200 relay (Federation): Kim Scofield, Oneonta sr.; Taylor Hitchcock, Oneonta 8th; Missy Emilio, Oneonta soph.; Fable Booker, Oneonta jr.
2:45 p.m.
Shot put (Federation): Asia Revis, Sidney sr.
Triple jump (Federation): Kim Scofield, Oneonta sr.
