By Head Coach Nicholas Burk:
So far the Batavia indoor track team has had a very competitive season in the Monroe County league this winter. Both the boy's and girl's teams have had solid performances across the board and are gearing up for the Championship meets in the final month of our season.
On the boys' side, the Blue Devil throwers have once again asserted themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Currently Batavia has four of the top ten performances in the Shot Put with Senior Austyn Fernandez currently seeded 2nd (43'-7"), Senior Dan Saeva seeded 3rd (42'-0"), Junior Parker Kleinbach seeded 5th (41'-6"), and Senior Abel Hammer seeded 7th (40'-5") in our A2 Sectional classification. In the Weight Throw Batavia has six athletes with current top ten performances listed. Senior Luke Geiger is seeded 2nd (49'-9"), Austyn Fernandez is seeded 3rd (49'-2"), Abel Hammer is seeded 4th (48'-8"), Dan Saeva is seeded 6th (45'-11"), Junior Matthew McWethy is seeded 8th (44'-1"), and Parker Kleinbach is seeded 9th (43'-3") in class A2. The top 16 in each event will qualify for the Sectional meet later this winter, so the Blue Devils will be well represented in these events.
The Batavia boys are off to a great start in the distance events as well with five athletes currently having Class A2 top ten performances. Junior Cody Harloff is ranked 5th in the 1600m (4:49.26), 6th in the 600m (1:30.58), and 5th in the 1000m (2:47.05). Junior Nate Canale is ranked 4th in the 1000m (2:46.89), 6th in the 1600m (4:49.26), and 6th in the 3200m (10:50). Sophomore Donavin Solis is ranked 5th in the 600m (1:30.34), while Senior Carter Havens is ranked 10th in the 600m (1:32.81) and Junior Dom Grillo is ranked 10th in the 3200m (11:01.65). Junior Noah Pickard is currently ranked in the top 16 in the 1000m and the 1600m and will contribute in our team's relays this season. All of our distance athletes have been putting in the work and are committed to success in the final weeks of our season. They are a tough and competitive bunch and I'm excited for their progress.
The Sprint crew is very young but has had some tremendous performances so far this season. Junior Fabian Vazquez is having an incredible season to date with the current fastest time in Class A2 in the 55 Hurdles (8.21). He is also currently seeded 4th in Long Jump (20'-5"), and 8th in the 300m (37.56). Junior Ifran Armstrong is seeded 4th in the 55 Hurdles (8.77) and Senior Jesse Reinhart is seed 10th in the 55 Hurdles (9.59). Jesse is having a tremendous season in the High Jump as well, currently seeded first (6'-0") as the defending champion. Carter Havens is seeded 6th in the Triple Jump (38"-11") and 10th in the Long Jump (18'-11"), and Junior Lucas Crater is currently seeded 8th in the High Jump (5'-8"). In the Pole Vault , Batavia has five athletes currently seeded in top 10 led by Senior Noah Burke in 2nd (10'-6"), Junior Tyler Umlauf in 3rd (10'-6"), Sophomore Owen Halpin in 6th (9'-0"), Freshman Cooper Konieczny in 8th (8'-6"), and Freshman Trevor Tryon in 10th (8'-0"). Other Sprinters that are contributing and will be vital for our team in relays at our championship meets are Juniors Aidan Anderson and Mekhi Pask-Richardson, and Sophomores Parris Price and Cole Grazioplene.
The Girls Indoor Track team is also having much Success this winter... Our top individuals are spread amongst the different events and we have exhibited significant improvement through the first half of the season. Freshman Campbell Riley is having a great season and is currently ranked 2nd in the 1000m (3:13.24), 3rd in the 600m (1:43.12), 4th in the 3000m (11:37.73), and 3rd in the 1500m (5:15.67). These are tremendous results so far and she will be vital to our team's success at the end of the season.
Our Throwers are led by Senior Emma Radka who is currently seeded 1st in the Shot Put (31'-0") and 6th in the Weight Throw (27'-9"). Not to be outdone, Freshman Zenallah Simmons is ranked 2nd in the Weight Throw (31'-3") and 6th in the Shot Put (27'-3"). The Girls and Boys Blue Devils throwers are amongst Section V's best every season under Coach Dan Geiger. They will have ample opportunities to score in our big meets!
Other Girl runners who have top results are Freshman Nicole Doeringer who's seeded 7th in the 600m (1:48.85), and 6th in the 1000m (3:20.17). Junior Abby Moore is seeded 7th in the 55 Hurdles and Izzy Scott is seeded 6th in the 3000m (11:51.17). Also, Kayleigh Mayeu is currently seeded 5th in the 1500m Racewalk (8:55.30).
In the field events, Sophomore Isabella Walsh is ranked 4th in High Jump (4'-11") and 8th in Triple Jump (29'-1"). 8th Grader Ella Shamp is ranked 9th in the High Jump (4'-7"). Senior, Gavin Konieczny is the defending Sectional Champion in the pole vault and is looking to repeat this season while currently ranked 2nd in our class for Sectionals (8'-6") and is also ranked 10th in Triple Jump (28'-4"). Junior, Sydney Konieczny is ranked 6th in Triple Jump (29'-7").
Additional girls who will contribute this season in our relays are Seniors Makayla Andalora, Noelia Ventura, Olivia Hussar, and Doreace Higgins, Sophomore Jadyn Boyce, Freshman Leigh LeFevre, and 7th grader Mallory Boyce. Our girls team has shown quality effort each day in practice and has been improving all season long. They will be very competitive in our championship meets to close out this winter season.
The 2021/22 Blue Devil Indoor Track team is a very strong and balanced group and have shown the ability to compete with any team in the Section. Coming up on the schedule in the next few weeks are the Monroe County Championships on January 29th and The Sectional Championships on February 19th. All updated results can be found at: http://www.yentiming.com/
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Photos by Steve Ognibene
