ITraceresults

(Click on Competition for Team Results/Summary/Outstanding Performances as they become available)

The Wildcats opened their 2004 season on a cool, breezy, overcast day(no rain though!) at the Newark Relays. It was a largely successful day of 'finding the legs,' and getting comfortable with events. The team enjoyed a number of top-6 finishes:

Danielle Scott's 8'6" pole vault effort was tied for the best effort of the day and also set a new School Record. Nichia Horvath also vaulted to a PR. West Genesee had only two runners in the 3-person 2000m Steeplechase but made the most of them. Liz Kratz finished 6th and Elizabeth McMahon won the event in her first-ever steeplechase with the current Section III-best and state top-10 time of 7:34.1.

Windy, cool conditions made it tough on the runners, but the Wildcats enjoyed a distinct advantage in the running and field events as they won decisively their only home contest of the season. The team won 97% of the middle distance points and 66% of the sprint/hurdle points in the contest.

With a number of key members not in attendance due to the Junior Prom, many freshman and sophomores enjoyed the opportunity to strut their stuff. The curse of the winds continued with stiff breezes in the backstretch adding seconds to each lap for distance runners and adding resistance to many field event efforts. Eye-opening performances were notched by Katie Knowlton, who added several feet to her TJ personal record and an iron-double by Elizabeth McMahon, who ran a 2000m Steeplechase PR for fourth place, then stepped back on the track shortly after to notch one of the section's best 1500 meter times.

The Wildcats took it on the chin not once but twice in a double-dual meet with sectional powers CNS and Liverpool. Both of those teams dominated the sprint, hurdle and weight events, holding the 'cats scoreless. In field events, WG managed a presence only in the long jump where Kristin Bentley took second overall. The distance crew managed to hold their own despite losing the 4x800 to both opponents. Erin Hennigan gutted her way to a 3rd in the 3000m(2nd against both opponents). Elizabeth McMahon continued her solid spring with a 2nd place overall in the 1500 and by winning the 800m with an exciting tactical race in which she sat behind the pack until the 300 meter mark. The 'cats' will take their 1-2 dual meet record to RFA next Wednesday for another tough match-up.

With the emphasis on individual and relay performances, the Wildcats journey to Rome and competed in a rain-delayed, prolonged meet. Many athletes meet their goals of securing Sectional Championship and State Qualifier Meet standards. Erin Hennigan ran a seasonal PR to place 9th in the 3000m. Another solid PR performance was registered by Stephanie McGrath in the 800. The 4x800 relay of Stephanie Bartlett, Erin Hennigan, Sarah Kibby and Stephanie McGrath secured a State Qualifier berth for the 'cats with their 10:25.99. Step-up efforts were registered by Maggie Nealer in the 1500m and Katie Rothenberg in the 1500m. Both lowered their PR's by over 10 seconds. One of the most stunning races of the day occurred when Elizabeth McMahon stepped up for the 2000m Steeplechase. McMahon battled top state runner, Emily Malinowski of Bethlehem, placing a close second and running an impressive 7:09.2, the second fastest time in Section III history.

The Wildcats learned a lesson in the notion of 'team effort' in a tough loss to a good RFA team. The weight squad ran into the sections best in RFA and were unable to score. The distance squad pulled off an important goal in winning every distance point plus contributing runners to winning 400m and the 4x400 relay. That was not enough, however, to offset RFA's domination in the weights and field events.

The annual meet/music conflict was again visited on the Wildcats, with a team effort impossible. Athletes, instead, focused on individual efforts to score and meet Sectional Championship standards. Summer also made a surprise visit with sun and high temperatures. Individual top-6 performances were registered by Erin Hennigan(6th) in the 3000m, Danielle Scott(4th) in the pole vault, Lindsey McConnelee(3rd) in the pentathlon and Elizabeth McMahon(3rd) with a stunning 4:50.8 in the 1500m, one of the top 5 times in the Section and a state top-20 time. The 4x800 relay began coming together with a 3rd place effort while the 4x400 relay placed 6th.

Though taking only select athletes, the 'cats' charged to enough top-6 medal finishes to put them in the middle of the pack with team scoring. Youth definitely has begun to be served at WG, with freshman Maggie Nealer continuing a string of fine races with a 6th place in the 3000m and 8th grader Katie Rothenberg doing the same with 6th in the 1500m. Junior Danielle Scott got off an 8 foot vault in windy conditions to take a third place. PR's were hard to come by in the cool, then rainy conditions that put parts of the track under water by mid-afternoon. Freshman Elizabeth McMahon was able to beat the rain in her 800m event. She raced to third with an excellent personal record 2:22.12 800m. And at meets end, the Wildcats mustered up a 2nd place effort in the 4x400 relay.

Hoping for a sweep and a winning season, the Wildcats again suffered from an incomplete team performance and took away a 1-1 split. The up side was the number of personal records set in competition conditions that were, for once, nearly perfect. Significant 'step-up' improvements were registered by Maggie Nealer in the 1500m, Andrea McCarthy in the 400m and the 4x100 relay which lowered its PR by over a second to qualify for the Sectional Championship. A gracious host, Oswego presented graduating seniors from all three teams with flowers and then hosted a pizza party after the meet.

The Wildcats brought some of their best performances to this meet and came within a few points of a hoped-for top-6 finish. Three just-out-of-the-money 7th place finishes and two 8th places cost them the needed points, however. Outstanding efforts were recorded by Katie Rothenberg(see Athlete-of-the-Week below) and Elizabeth McMahon and the very young 4x800 Relay(two 8th graders, a 9th and an 11th) which scored an exciting come-from-behind second place finish. Congratulations to Wildcats that qualified for the 5/27 Open Qualifier Meet: Elizabeth McMahon, Erin Henninger, 4x800 Relay.

A small group of Wildcats competed at the Liverpool State Qualifier Meet. Erin Hennigan placed 11th in the 2000m Steeplechase. In a preview of seasons to come, two 8th graders(Sarah Kibby, Katie Rothenberg), freshman Stephanie McGrath and junior Stephanie Bartlett placed 5th in the 4x800 with the team's best performance of that event this season. Freshman Elizabeth McMahon powered her way to States in the steeplechase with a personal record and the best in Section III this season: 7:07.92.

Elizabeth McMahon raced in the fast heat of the 2000m Steeplechase. Her 7:12.99 was off her previous PR, but she placed 10th in the state overall, 8th in Division 1, this despite a training injury the previous weekend that kept her less than 100%. Elizabeth will compete in the steeplechase at the National Championship. She may also compete in the Freshman Mile event for which she is qualified.

Elizabeth McMahon traveled south to compete in two national events for which she qualified--the 2000 meter Steeplechase and the Freshman Mile. Temperatures at race time were brutal, in the nineties with track temperatures even higher. Elizabeth distinguished herself with a national 9th place finish in the steeplechase. Given the choice to forego or compete in the mid-afternoon Freshman Mile several hours later because of the heat, Elizabeth decided to compete. She ran a gutsy 15th place, capping a very accomplished freshman year.

Athletes-of-the-Week

April 5-11

Danielle Scott - Following an up-and-down Indoor Track season of pole vaulting, Danielle opened her Outdoor campaign in a big way at the Newark Relays by vaulting a full foot above her previous PR and setting the West Genesee PV record at 8' 6".

Elizabeth McMahon - Running in her first-ever 2000m Steeplechase, Elizabeth was understandably nervous. That did not last long. By the first back straightaway, she took the lead and never relinquished it, winning the event with a Section III-leading and state top-10 time of 7:34.1.

April 19-25

Katie Rothenberg - High winds during a dual meet with Henninger didn't keep Katie from winning her first dual meet event, the 1500 meter run, in personal record time. Several days later, at the Liverpool Invitational, Katie again faced the wind plus an elite 3000 meter field that included the 2003 State Champion, Nicole Blood of Saratoga. Katie raced to a 10th place, a Sectional top-10 time and the best for Section III 8th graders.

Katie Knowlton - After hovering around the 29 foot mark in Triple Jump since the Indoor Championship season, Katie leapt over two feet further at the Liverpool Invitational. In an event typically ruled by experienced upper classman, freshman Katie placed 10th.

April 26 - May 1

Elizabeth McMahon - Lopping an astonishing 25 seconds off her previous 2000m Steeplechase PR, Elizabeth nearly beat one of the state's best steeplechasers and clocked Section III's 2nd fastest time ever(7:09.2).

May 2 - May 8

Distance Squad - To have any chance of beating RFA, the team knew it had to score as many points as possible with the strong distance squad. Coach V. drew up a plan that would do what the distance team had never done--sweep all its events. And that's exactly what the distance squad did, running 1-2-3 in the 800, 1500 and 3000 meter events while its members also won the 4x800, the 4x400 and the 400m event. Though an exciting effort, theirs was not enough to overcome RFA's strength in the weight and field events.

May 9 - May 15

Elizabeth McMahon - In one of the best consecutive 1500/800 meter efforts, Elizabeth first ran WG's second fastest 1500m(4:50.8) at the OHSL Championship. In cool, breezy conditions several days later, she clocked another PR in the 800m at the CNS Invitational(2:22.12). Both are among the top times in Section III for the season.

May 16 - May 22

Katie Rothenberg - 8th graders are not supposed to race this well. With previous excellent PR's of 11:29.6 and 5:11.30 in the 3000m and 1500m events, Katie stepped to the Sectionals track with the best of Class A 3000m runners. Anything but shy, Katie clocked her first 1600 in 5:44, then raced to a superb 11:04.33, a WG 8th grade record and the best grade-level performance in Section III.