Photos by Jacob Bergmeier/nodophotography.com
Lakeland/Panas’ Carissa Leonardi placed first in the pole vault in the state competition at Cornell University on Saturday.
GIRLS
Lakeland/Panas won two state titles at the New York State Track and Field Championships, which were held at Cornell University last Saturday.
Carissa Leonardi and Brie Roller both struck gold; Roller won the 600-meters, leading the race wire to wire and Leonardi won the pole vault by 9 inches with a height of 12 feet.
After winning the event, Leonardi asked that the bar be raised to a very high 12-7, which is the state record. She missed on her first attempt and just brushed the bar on the way down on her second attempt. On her third try, she stopped just before the take off point and broke the plane of the landing pit area.
“At first I was upset and disappointed at having the meet end that way,” Leonardi said, “but when I got up the medal stand, I thought, ‘This is so cool’ and I felt much better.”
After winning states with such a dominating performance, the future in this event is very bright for Leonardi.
“I have no set goal height right now,” she said. “I just want to jump well and be the best that I can be.”
Roller, the No. 3 seed, led from start to finish in the 600-meters. Her winning time was 1:35.75. She went out fast and extended her lead on each of the three laps in the race.
The junior was surprised that no one in her heat was close.
“I just kept going as fast as I could,” she said.
Roller will now compete at the National Championships where she will enter the meet ranked fourth in the country in the 600-meters.
Peekskill’s Nicole Cummings won two medals at Cornell, placing second in the long jump (leap of 18-6 ½) and fifth in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.29
Cummings is currently ranked third in the country with her best jump of the season of 19-6 ½.
Somers’ Crosby Tillman placed third with a very fast time of 7:13.10 in the 1500-meter racewalk. Her time was just one second off her best time.
Yorktown’s Amanda Borok, a junior, placed 11th in the 1500-meter racewalk with a time of 7:49.24.
Kennedy’s Jessica Kendzor placed 27th in the 1000-meters with a time of 3:09.90.
BOYS
Garcia takes home medal
Lakeland/Panas’ Jorge Garcia brought home a medal from the state championship meet at Cornell. He competed in the intersectional relay and the Section 1 team placed second in a time of 9:03.83. Garcia anchored the relay with a time of 4:36.0 for the 1600-meter leg. He went out fast in 2:08 for the first 800-meters in an effort to win the relay for the sectional team.
“Garcia went for the win and that’s all you can ask of an athlete,” Rebels Head Coach Ryan Johnson said.
Yorktown junior Carter Humphrey placed eighth overall in the Federation in the 600-meters and seventh among public school athletes with a time of 1:23.47. He was within a half second of a medal.
Husker Manu Kumar took 16th in the 1000-meter run in a time of 2:37.41. He posted the top Section 1 time in both the 3200-meter run and 1000-meter run this season.
Rebel Andrew Federowicz leaped 21-2 ¼ in the long jump to place 14th of 33 jumpers. He posted his second best jump of the season.
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