Girls 4x800 relay books ticket to state championship

STATES BOUND: Our girls 4x800-meter relay pushed through 40-mph winds and some stiff competition this afternoon at the Section V State Qualifiers at Caledonia-Mumford to take first place in the event and punch their ticket to the New York State Championships next weekend at Webster-Schroeder! 

The girls ran a time of 9:43.83 to secure the win, more than 6 seconds ahead of second place finisher Williamson, who’s also headed to the state championships. 

Senior Maria G. led things off with a split of 2:29.06, which put the Hawks in 3rd place after the first 800 meters. From there, junior Sophia P. took the baton, running a 2:35.39 to keep the Hawks in third place. Eighth grader Emma G. ran her leg in 2:22.55, likewise holding the Hawks’ 3rd place position heading into the race’s final 800 meters. 

But eighth grade anchor Kaelyn M. wasn’t to be denied. 

After taking the baton from Emma, Kaelyn started to close the gap, little by little, until she pulled ahead in the final 200 meters and crossed the finish line first with an absolutely BLISTERING split of 2:16.85. 

Heading into the state championships, our girls team is ranked 6th in the state in Class C. 

“We couldn’t be more excited and proud of these girls,” said Head Coach Samantha Walker. “A lot of happy tears were shed today, that’s for sure!”

Congratulations, ladies - can’t wait to see what you can do at states!

Photos courtesy of Samantha Walker and Kelly Montague