HILLSDALE COUNTY — The Hillsdale Academy Colts track and field team will be the host school for the Region 35 championship meet. The meet will be held at Hayden Park Friday afternoon and evening, with field events kicking off early. Running finals are scheduled for around 5:30-6 p.m.
There are multiple girls track and field athletes competing for back-to-back or their first-ever regional championships. Some athletes will be key to their teams competing for a team regional title. In addition, many local athletes will look to compete for state qualifying times and field results.
Let’s take a look at some of the top regional contenders from local schools, as well as preview the state qualifying standards for several events. In order to qualify for the state finals, athletes must place first or second in their respective event or beat/equal the qualifying standards.
Girls Track Contenders
Relay teams subject to change on finals day. Athletes may not compete in every event they are ranked.
The 100 and 200-meter dashes will largely be contended for by Reading junior Abigail Spencer, who ranks fifth in the 100 and second in the 200 after this season’s event times. Spencer’s 27.37 in the 200 is within qualifying standards. The 100 sees her best time this season at 13.46, and the qualifying standard for the D4 girls track state finals is 13.40. On the outside looking in for the 100 is Academy sophomore Lucy Cote (13.67), and in the 200 the next-best time is SCAA East champion and Camden-Frontier sophomore Zailey Conroy (28.25).
Pittsford senior Ava Mallar is third in 400-meter times recorded from regional athletes, a time of 1:02.59. This is above the qualifying standard of 1:03.60. Athletes also within that range from season results include Lucy Cote, Hillsdale Academy senior Caroline Roberts, and Zailey Conroy. Conroy won this race at the SCAA East finals.
In the 800-meter dash, Caroline Roberts has already qualified with the early EQ with her season-best time of 2:19.05. The state qualifying standard is 2:31.50. Roberts has been the fastest runner in the region this season. Ava Mallar’s 2:27.87 time this season is third in the region and above the qualifying standard. Also meeting the standard (if they match or beat their times) is Academy senior Madison Sallows and Academy sophomore Allie Miller.
SCAA East winner Caroline Roberts is also an early qualifier in the 1,600 and is first in the region with a time of 5:20.60. 5:39.0 is the state qualifying standard. Just on the cusp of that time is Ava Mallar, who ran a 5:39.08 earlier this season.
There were no early qualifiers in the 3,200-meter dash. However, Hillsdale Academy teammates Evelyn Meyer (12:22.99) and Ella Walton (12:30.09) have ran the fastest times this season in the region standings. Their times are above the qualifying standard of 12:44.0.
Academy sophomore Lucy Cote has run the second fastest times in the region in both the 100 hurdles (16.06) and the 300 hurdles (44.72). Cote is an EQ state qualifier in both events. She ranks in the top five in the state in each event. The regular state qualifying standards for each event are 17.60 and 51.40. Both Ava Mallar (48.15) and Madison Sallows (50.51) are within the qualifying times in the 300 hurdles. Mallar’s 17.19 time earlier this season in the 100 hurdles would qualify for states. Sallows’ best 100 time so far is 17.63.
Relay Contenders
Hillsdale Academy’s 4×100 relay team of Madison Sallows, Lucy Cote, Cate Gaetano and Ella O’Grady was a SCAA East title team. Their time of 54.01 is second-best this season in the region, which is three seconds behind the fastest team from Lenawee Christian. The state qualifying standard is 54.60. The next closest local team is the Reading squad of Caylee Whinnie, Lindzey Penza, Emma Gerth and Abigail Spencer (55.04).
The 4×200 qualifying standard is 1:55.20. The Academy team of Cote, Sallows, O’Grady and Roberts has the second-best region time with 1:52.26. The next best local team is the Reading squad of Caylee Whinnie, Aleana Monahan, Emma Gerth and Abigail Spencer. If the team can match their 1:55.18 time or beat it on Friday, they will be state qualifiers.
The Academy 4×400 relay team of Cote, Sallows, Roberts and Georgia Whalen is the fastest on-paper in the region with a time of 4:14.54, several seconds ahead of the team No. 2 in the standings. The qualifying standard time-to-beat is 4:29.0. The Colts are already qualified on EQ time. Just outside that standard qualifying time from events this season was the Pittsford team of Anna Newell, Brielle Clark, Ana Camila Salazar and Ava Mallar (4:30.82).
The Academy 4×800 relay team of Sallows, Anne Gray, Roberts and Ella Walton (time of 10:08.33) has been the fastest in the region heading into the finals. That time captured on April 25 made them an early qualifier (10:15.0 EQ). The regular state qualifying standard is 10:50.0.
Field
The state qualifying standard in shot put is 32-feet 1 inch. Reading senior Abby Affholter (34-feet, 1 inch) is second this season in results from region athletes heading into the finals. The state qualifying standard in discus is 97-feet, 10 inches. Affholter leads all region athlete results this season with a throw of 105-feet, 6 inches.
The state qualifying standard in high jump is 4-feet, 10 inches. Several local athletes have finished near this mark earlier this year. Pittsford senior Riley McCumber has the second-best jump (5-feet) in region standings. Just behind her is Academy freshman Amelia Heath with a jump of 4-feet, 10 inches. Camden-Frontier senior Averil Miller had a jump of 4-feet, 9 inches to win the SCAA East meet.
The state qualifying standard in pole vault is 8-feet (9-feet EQ). Pittsford senior Chloe Fowler had a clearance of 10-feet, 1 inch to win the SCAA East and become an early qualifier. She is the top athlete in region standings heading into the finals. Academy junior Anne Gray met the EQ qualifier of 9-feet with her clearance height at the SCAA East meet. They are 1-2 in the current standings.
#Previewing #Region #girls #track #field #contenders #potential #state #qualifiers
