Voorheesville team could be coach rsquo s best ever
VOORHEESVILLE In the six years he has coached, Steve Relyea says this might be the best track team he has seen at Voorheesville.
The boys’ team has a 5-0 record as of last week and the girls’ team has a number of talented athletes.
“The boys’ team has won two league meets,” Relyea said. “Two weeks ago we handled Cohoes, Watervliet, and Waterford. Yesterday [Tuesday] we beat Schalmont and Cobleskill. The girls beat Schalmont, but lost to Cobleskill, 71-70.”
The Blackbirds are also competing well in invitational meets, Relyea said.
“We are getting individual success and success in the relays,” Relyea said. “Things are going really well.”
Boys’ team
As of last week, senior Mackey Lloyd was the top distance runner in Section II.
Lloyd has been dominant in the 3,000- and 3,200-meter races in the early season.
“He is having an excellent year in the distance events,” Relyea said.
Lloyd also teams up with senior Ryan Allison and juniors Nathan Bub and Ian Powell to form a superb 4x800-meter relay team.
“They are not just beating Colonial Council teams or Class CC teams,” Relyea said. “They are beating everybody. It’s nice for a small school to have a chance against larger schools. It shows the hard work that we do.”
Bub and Powell are also strong competitors in the 400- and 800-meter races. Allison is strong in the 800 and 1,600, Relyea said.
Senior Sean Fitzmaurice has shown a lot of improvement in throwing the discus this spring.
“Every time out, he’s getting a personal record,” Relyea said. “He’s breaking his own personal record. At our meet Tuesday, he threw the discus 25 feet, 7-and-a-half inches. He’s the best discus thrower they’ve had here in a long, long time. The Voorheesville record was set in the early ’70s. But Sean will be in the top 10 all-time.”
Josh Glover, a senior, is unbeaten in the pole vault in dual meets this season. He is also the top long jumper for the Blackbirds.
Senior Anthony Locciasano has been impressive in the triple jump this spring, Relyea said.
“He has been one or two in every meet,” the coach said. “Anthony is also our top high jumper.”
Pat Jones is working his way back from an injury to be one of the top sprinters in the area. He runs the 100- and 200-meter races.
“He is coming off of shoulder surgery,” Relyea said. “It has taken him awhile to get back. Out of the blocks, he’s not as fast as he was. But it’s starting to come back. He’s working hard to regain his spot as one of the top sprinters in the council.”
Junior Ryan Dimmitt is a newcomer to the team and competes in the sprints and jumps.
“It’s unfortunate that he has only come out for his junior year,” Relyea said. “If he had come out earlier and I had a chance to work with him, he would be one of the top jumpers in the area. Hopefully, we’ll do a lot this year and he’ll have a good senior year.”
Junior Will Miranda competes in the middle-distance running events.
“He has matured into a very good middle-distance runner,” Relyea said.
Newcomer Jason Slingerland, a freshman, is competing in the discus and sprints this spring.
“We’ve really got a good group of guys,” Relyea said. “After putting in long years from ninth grade, the seniors are seeing good benefits.”
The Blackbirds finished 8-1 last year in the Colonial Council, with the lone loss coming against Lansingburgh.
“We are looking to avenge that this season,” Relyea said. “We want to improve from third place in the Colonial Council and runner-up at sectionals.”
Girls’ team
The Lady Blackbirds are led by seniors Chantel Little and Hilary Edmunds.
Little is one of the best 400-meter runners in the area, Relyea said. Edmunds has been an outstanding distance runner for the Blackbirds the past four years, Relyea added.
With classmate Grace Giapaglia, they help form a strong 4x800-meter relay team.
Senior Lizzie Dawson is competing in the triple jump and the 400-meter hurdles.
Junior Seneca Gray is one of the best hurdlers in the section, Relyea said. She also runs a leg of the 4x400-meter relay. Little, Giapaglia and Carrie Gorka, a sophomore, are part of the relay and top 400 runners.
Ninth-grader Caitlin Abelseth is a newcomer to the team. She runs sprint races for the Lady Blackbirds but, because she is on the varsity softball team at Voorheesville, she can only compete at invitational meets on weekends.
“It’s unfortunate she can’t do dual meets,” Relyea said. “She is a great contributor at the invitationals.”
Junior Chelsea LeFevre has progressed in the long jump and has jumped over 15 feet, Relyea said.
Zoe Edmunds, a sophomore, competes in the distance events like her older sister, Hilary.
Laura Sowalskie, a ninth-grader, has moved up from the modified team and is competing in the pole vault as well as middle distance races.
Jane Pritchard, also a ninth-grader, competes in the triple jump and sprints.
Eighth-grader Michelyn Little runs the 1,500- and 3,000-meter races.
“The team this year is a lot deeper than it has been in the past,” Relyea said. “It is stronger than any other team I’ve had. It was a disappointing loss to Cobleskill, but we have been beating teams easily that we had problems with in the past.”
The Blackbirds on both the boys’ and girls’ side show much promise, Relyea said.
“The numbers, aren’t a great showing,” Relyea said. “There is a lot of great talent in our kids. This is not the largest team I’ve had. We are down a few in number, but the amount of talent we have is outstanding.”