VOORHEESVILLE — The Voorheesville track team this year had its best season in the five years that Steve Relyea has been the coach.

He only expects things to get better.

It’s hard to imagine how the boys’ team can improve on an 8-1 record and a second place finish in the Class CC Section II meet. And the girls’ team doesn’t need much to improve on a 5-4 Colonial Council mark and sixth-place finish at the sectionals.

Both teams finished third in the Colonial Council. The boys were behind Albany Academy and Lansingburgh and the girls behind Holy Names and Lansingburgh.
"Third place is the best we’ve accomplished in the past five years," Relyea said. "These are the best records we’ve had in the last five years. We’ve really turned the boys’ program around. Five years ago, they were 1-8."

It is the second year in a row that the boys’ team has finished second in the sectional meet. In 2006, the Blackbirds were the runners-up at the Class B meet.
"We were up last year in the B’s," Relyea said, "but the competition is tougher in the CC’s than the B’s."

Girls take off

There were a number of key performers on the girls’ track team at Voorheesville this spring.

Seneca Gray ran the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles this spring. She finished second in the 100 hurdles with a time of 17.35 seconds.

Alison Vogelien was outstanding in the high and triple jumps this season, Relyea said. Vogelien won the long and triple jump at the sectional meet and finished third in the high jump.
"She was off in the high jump," Relyea said. "All the jumpers were going four feet, 10 inches. She has been over five feet consistently."

At sectionals, Vogelien won the long jump at a distance of 14 feet, 10-and-three-quarters inches. Her best leap in the triple jump was 33 feet, 7-and-one-quarter inch.

She surpassed that jump with a 34 feet, 5 inches at the State Qualifier meet a week later. The leap set a school record.

Vogelien also ran a leg on the 4x100-meter relay team.

Chantel Little won the pole vault at the Colonial Council championship. She also ran the 400-meter race and had a best time this season of 1:05.01.

Carrie Gorka was outstanding in the 400 meters as well this season, Relyea said. She finished fourth at the Colonial Council meet with a time of 1:04.77

The Lady Blackbirds also had some good distance runners in Grace Giampaglia, Hilary Edmunds, and Zoe Edmunds.
"We were strong in the 1,500-, 3,000- and the 2,000-meter steeplechase," Relyea said."We were placing in those events at the council championship."

Eighth-grader Michaela Conway is a runner with a strong future, Relyea said. She ran the 2,000 steeplechase.
"We had an outstanding year," Relyea said of the girls’ team. "We got over the .500 mark. It’s unfortunate that we lose Alison to graduation, but the rest will be back. I expect to have a strong season next year. We have modified runners that we’ll move up and we can have a better season. We can keep going up."

The boys

Pat Jones was one of the fastest runners in the area as he ran 11.57 seconds in the 100-meters dash at the Class CC sectional meet. He also ran the 200 meter this spring.

The strength of the Blackbirds was in their middle-distance and distance runners.

Nathan Bub, Ian Powell, Ryan Allison, and Macky Lloyd teamed up to set a school record in the 4x800-meter relay. The foursome ran 8:19.58 with each runner averaging less than 2:05 in his heat. The relay team won the Class CC championship.

Individually, Bub had a good season running the 400 and Powell and Allison ran the 800. Lloyd ran the 1,600 meters and the 3,200 meters. But Lloyd’s best race was the steeplechase, in which he won the sectional and league titles and had a best time of 10:20.61.

Matt Miller won the high jump and finished third in the long jump at the Colonial Council meet. Josh Glover won the pole vault and was sixth in the long jump.

Anthony Loccisano was the Colonial Council champion in the triple jump and finished second in the high jump.
"We’ll lose a few athletes to graduation," Relyea said, "that were contributors to the team. But all of our core runners and the guys that were placing in the council championships are underclassmen. Next year is looking really good."
"Good numbers"

The season finished with 35 competitors on the boys’ team and 30 on the girls’ team.
"Those are very good numbers," Relyea said. "We have a lot of kids that go out for track and that allows for the returning athletes to keep getting better and we have quality athletes that keep getting better.
"We had a great year," Relyea added. "I’m looking forward to next year. We had a quality modified team and we’ll have eighth-graders that will be moving up to varsity and they will be good for the next few years."