The greater Niagara region crowned seven champions at Wednesday’s Section VI Class AA track and field meet at West Seneca West, led by double winner Gianna Glovack of Niagara Wheatfield.
Glovack swept the throws for the Falcons, who placed third in the girls team scoring with 67 points, trailing only Williamsville North (163) and Frontier (78). The senior’s heave of 126 feet in the discus was 12 ½ feet farther than that of Lancaster’s Isabella Jackson. Glovack’s winning toss of 34 feet, ¼ inches in the shot put bested Hamburg’s Isabella Caparco (33-6.5).
Niagara Wheatfield also won the girls 4×800 relay in 10:00.49, 1.38 seconds ahead of Lancaster, and had Brielle Peterson (2:22.76) finish as the runner-up in the 800 behind Melia Kupchanko of Williamsville North, who won in 2:20.05.
In other girls events, Starpoint’s Shannon Zugelder took second in the 1,500 (4:43.46), and Niagara Falls’ 4×400 relay team placed second (4:16.77).
Bishop Palmer led the Niagara Falls boys (45 points) to a fourth-place finish behind Clarence (107), Sweet Home (87) and Jamestown (69). Palmer’s winning leap of 6 feet, 1 inch in the high jump topped Sweet Home’s Brenton Baker by 1 inch.
Niagara Wheatfield had Nicholas Morgan capture the 800 (1:56.31) with over 4 seconds to spare.
Starpoint’s Timothy Lukasik took first in the 1,600 (4:29.25), beating Clarence’s Thomas Roty by 1.13 seconds.
Lockport’s Matthew Towns was the triple jump champion. His leap of 44 feet, ¾ inches bested Niagara Falls runner-up Dylan Hinks (42-10).
Niagara Falls also had Donovan Jackson place second in the 110 hurdles (15.65), just 0.04 seconds behind Thomas Cycon of West Seneca West.
The area’s best will next compete in the Section VI state qualifier Friday and Saturday at Falconer High School.
CLASS A
Leo Clark was a double winner as Lewiston-Porter placed fourth in the boys standings Saturday at Iroquois. The Lancers tallied 52 points, behind Iroquois (81), Kenmore East (79.5) and Pioneer (56).
Clark won the 800 in 1:59.84, nearly 5 seconds better than West Seneca East runner-up Pablo Ortiz. Clark’s 1,600 time of 4:21.96 was nearly 6 seconds better than the rest of the field. Clark and Lew-Port were also second in the 4×800 relay (9:05.69).
Lew-Port’s Casey Fetzner also won two events on the girls side. She captured the discus championship with a throw of 111 feet, topping Lake Shore’s Stevieanna Seneca by more than 15 feet. Fetzner also won the shot put (32-8), again beating Seneca by a foot.
CLASS C
Liam Betteridge had a big day to help Newfane boys place third Friday at Falconer.
The Panthers recorded 55 points, ½ point better than Royalton-Hartland and behind Tapestry (120) and Southwestern (98.5).
Betteridge won the 800 in 2:03.62, nearly half a second ahead of Silver Creek’s Benjamin Bock. He also took second in the 800 (4:41.7), 0.09 seconds behind Southwestern’s Donavin Brown and third in the 3,200 (11:04.88).
Payden Wightman was second in the high jump (5-10), losing to Silver Creek’s Nathan Mays on jump attempts. Jaxon Dembrowski was also second in the pole vault (12 feet).
Roy-Hart’s Braden Ricker swept a pair of sprints. He won the 100 in 11.22 seconds, beating Tapestry’s Jayvon Funderburk and Newfane’s Brandon Aldridge by 0.01 seconds. Ricker also won the 200 (22.73) by nearly half a second.
Tysen McCaa placed second in the triple jump (41-3). The Rams took second to Tapestry in the 4×400 (3:39.7) and 4×800 (8:44.19) relays.
Jayde Jerge paced the Newfane girls by winning the 800 in 2:26.83, winning by nearly half a second.
CLASS D
The Wilson boys placed third in the team standings, but Ryan Hough was the big winner Thursday at Randolph.
The Lakemen recorded 84 points, behind Maple Grove (94) and Clymer/Sherman/Panama (87). But Hough won three individual events.
Hough won the 110 hurdles in 16.15 seconds, nearly a full second faster than Maple Grove’s Ty Kraft. He also won the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 8 ½ inches to beat teammate Isaiah Schearer (19-9).
The junior also captured the triple jump with a leap of 43 feet, ¾ inches, beating Barker’s Anthony Taliaferro by 3 feet. Jaydan Ruble was second in the steeplechase (10:28.01).
The Lakemen also won the 4×100 relay in 44.06 seconds. Barker’s Wyatt Payne won the discus with a toss of 139 feet, 10 inches, a throw that won by more than 3 feet.
Wilson also placed third on the girls side with 67 points, behind Clymer/Sherman/Panama (155.5) and Frewsburg (91).
Bella Thrush won the long jump with a leap of 15 feet, 10 inches, besting Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s Milka Woodring (15-7.5). Savanna Jones was second in the 100 (12.93), behind Frewsburg’s Grace Lennon (12.75), while McKenzie Elia was second in the 400 (1:03.68) behind Cattaraugus-Little Valley’s Emma Gassman (1:01.44).