Individuals show strength for track team

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whitehall’s track team won four individual events and had a bevy of top-three finishes in its first meet of the season held on April 3 in Whitehall.

Dave Rich, Zach Diekel, Caitlyn Sandford and Kassi VanGuilder all won events for Whitehall.

Rich won the pole vault, clearing the bar at 10 feet, VanGuilder and Sanford led the field in the girls high jump with leaps of four and a half feet, and Diekel swept the throwing events, easily outdistancing his opponents.

His throw of 125-08 was more than 26 feet further than the runner-up and he was the only competitor to clear 40 feet in the shot put.

Josh Hoagland also had a good day for Whitehall, finishing second in the 200 meters, third in the 100 meters and was part of the 4×100-meter relay team that finished second (his teammates included Rich, Brandon Steves and Tyler Perry).

Steves finished second in the triple jump, Justin Hoagland finished third in the high jump, and Tyler Sweener was second in pole vault.

Rebecca Lavin had a nice performance to open the season, recording a second-place finish in the triple jump and a third in the long jump. Marion Gendron finished third in the girls 400 meter and Olivia Sweeney and Janelle Cahee finished second and third, respectively, in the discus.

Despite the strong individual performances, both the girls and boys finished third behind Schuylerville and Stillwater.

Stillwater won the boys meet and Schuylerville won the girls meet.

The team competes again on Tuesday, April 17, in a meet against Granville and Hoosic Valley at Granville.