CICERO — Brooke Christensen smiled as she picked up her shot and walked towards her family.
A month ago, Christensen never envisioned competing for a state title in a sport that isn’t even her favorite one. But the joy that came from competing at states far outlasted her ultimate finish.
Christensen had finished the previous two seasons in seventh place and then fifth place at the state qualifier but wasn’t able to garner postseason success until winning the Division 1 state qualifier May 31 in Alden. But her final toss at states was the difference in going home and reaching the Division 1 podium and competing for an overall state championship.
A career-best toss of 38 feet, 6 ½ inches led her to third place in Division 1 Friday, placing her into the finals. The Grand Island junior then finished eighth overall and third among public school throwers at 36-2.5 in the NYSPHSAA Track and Field Championships Saturday at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.
“I’m just super excited, just about this weekend in general,” Christensen said. “I was just happy to make it today. That was like the main goal. And I didn’t think it was going to happen, especially after my first five yesterday. So, to have that big one yesterday to get me here felt really good.”
The Section VI and Niagara Frontier League champion, Christensen entered the states seeded 10th out of 12 Division 1 competitors. And during the Division 1 finals, Christensen primarily bounced between sixth and seventh place as her first four attempts were 34 feet or less before she threw 35-1.25 on her fifth attempt.
But it was her personal-best toss of 38-6.5 to secure a spot in the finals that easily became her highlight of the entire tournament. Hesitant due to a slow recovery from a biceps injury suffered in the fall, Christensen pushed the ball with all her strength.
“I had absolutely nothing to lose, only things to gain,” Christensen said. “So, that could have been my last throw of the season. So, I just wanted to give it everything I had and it worked out in my favor.”
While this was her first appearance at outdoor states, Christensen had experience competing on big stages, including the New Balance Indoor Nationals in March. But on Saturday, her tosses came up shorter than anticipated.
Christensen’s other tosses were 35-10.75 on the first, 35-11.25 on the third and 34-7 on the fourth and final attempt. Outside of her personal best on the second attempt, Christensen’s other remaining three distances were three of the four shortest tosses among the eight finalists.
Miller Place’s Jillian Scully won the overall state title with a toss of 46-11.50, just three months after becoming the indoor state champion. Wellsville’s Kaylee Oswald finished runner-up at 41-10.25 after a fourth-place finish last year, while Maine-Endwell’s Panayiota Anastos at 41-4.75 rounded out the top-three coming off a third-place finish at indoor states.
“These are the best girls in the state and shot put is not my best event,” Christensen said. “… So, just seeing these girls compete was absolutely amazing. But it’s also like, whoa, these girls are crazy. So, it was just really cool to compete against people that are much better than you.”
Lew-Port’s Clark shakes nerves for top-20 finish in 1,600-meter
Leo Clark tried to visualize the atmosphere of states as best as he could before the 1,600-meter run began. But arriving at the track and seeing the stands only enhanced the moment in front of the Lewiston-Porter junior.
The farthest Clark had reached in either cross country or outdoor entering this year was a fourth-place finish at the state qualifier in the 1,600 last year. And after clinching the NFL title, setting the school record and becoming the runner-up at the state qualifier, Clark was seeded seventh in the second of three heats, with a field of 35 reaching for a top-six spot on the podium.
Clark finished his junior year placed 16th overall in the 1,600 with a time of 4 minutes, 23.32 seconds and a fourth place finish in his heat. Clark was in third place heading into the final lap of the heat when Pearl River’s Jayden Lloyd McKenna moved from fifth to jump up two spots.
“He decided he had a little bit more left than him and I didn’t have that,” Clark said. “… I’m really not mad about that, because he was, of course, placed ahead of me, so, I can’t be mad with fourth place overall.”
Before losing his pace on the final lap, Clark kept climbing up the standings. After placing sixth after the first lap at 1:05.22, Clark moved up two spots to fourth to stay at a 2:11.84 pace.
On the third lap, Clark moved up to third with a time of 3:17.80, less than a minute behind Waterville’s Logan Baker, the eventual runner-up.
“I went hard just to stay with the group,” Clark said. “And really, my goal was just to get better than what I was placed. … I think I did a really good job staying with the team (and) keeping a strong pace.”
Also his first time at states, Clark wasn’t sure how the state format would go. As a result, Clark felt stressed, leading up to the race.
But once the race began, Clark focused on what was ahead of him. Having the experience and the lay-out of the event gives Clark a new goal to chase next year while acknowledging what he was feeling.
“I had some nerves in the locker room, waiting to be called out,” Clark said. “And some nerves, just the pre-race nerves. Nothing crazy. But, yeah, definitely some nerves today. … It always disappears. Once you start the race, you kind of get that locked in, your flow state, all of that.”