CICERO – Over the next two days, 15 Chenango County Athletes will be competing for their shot at a New York State championship at Cicero-North Syracuse High School for the NYSPHSAA High School State Championships.
Some of these athletes, like Zack Race, Eric Conant, David Berger, Julia Oglesby and Caroline Stewart, have been on the stage before, while others are taking the trip for the first time.
Been there before...
Just a year ago, Race, Conant and Berger were teamed up with Ky’Sawn Veale and the Purple Tornado foursome came away with second place finish in Division-II. This season, with Veale graduated, a spot was open on one of the fastest teams in New York.
Scott Tomanocy was called on to fill the fourth spot. And it was a good call by Norwich head coach Shaun Horan.
This season’s 4x100 meter relay team has broke the school record set by last year’s group not once, not twice but three times throughout the last few months. Most recently, the four broke their record at the State Qualifier with a time of 43.08 for the race, securing their spot in the biggest meet of the season.
Berger sets the tone early, taking on the first turn of the one lap race. Berger then hands the baton off to Race. Many times the season, the race has been considered over as soon as the hand-off occurs, as Race seems kick it into another gear down his straight away.
Race passes the baton to Tomanocy, who handles the final turn in stride before giving it to Conant. Conant, like Race, turns his speed up to notch not many other runners have as he races to the finish line.
The four have yet to be really tested this season but will see some tough competition this weekend.
The teams from Ardsley and Cleveland Hill are seeded higher than the Purple Tornado sprinter––but anything can happen at the championships.
“We look at the seeds then toss them,” said Horan. “There are so many upsets that happen at the state meet. You can never have any expectations. We really just try to go and run our best races. That is our biggest goal.”
Record breaking 4x400 team 
Another team that has continued to break records through out the season is the Norwich 4x400 boys relay team.
Also setting a school record at the State Qualifying meet, the team of Conant, Tomanocy, Gabe Gawronski and Noah Bufalini have set themselves up as the ninth fastest team in Division-II throughout the state for the event.
Each of the four racers run one full lap around the track. With a time 3:28.36 currently, their fastest time of the season, the Purple Tornado runners will look to surprise the teams a head of them.
The last team who will be heading north to compete for the top prize is the 4x100 meter girls team of Delilah Geislinger, Riley Marsh, Hailey Colabelli and Stewart from Norwich.
A week ago, the group ran a 50.90––their fastest posted this season to give them a third place finish overall at the qualifying meet. The time also set them up as the fastest team in Division-II to come out of Section IV as well as a 10th seed going into Friday’s prelims day.
The teams head of the fastest Section IV team are separated by fractions of a second with the top four teams being just a second head of the Lady Tornado sprinters. A second is achievable to overcome, but runners will tell you it feels like a lifetime.
Individually speaking...
Race, Stewart and Unadilla Valley’s Julia Oglesby will have full slate of events to compete in.
Being in nearly the same spot from a year ago, Race will be competing in the 100 meter and 200 meter dashes.
His finishes last year – a third in both events for Division-II – were not up to the standards Race holds for himself; he wants the top spot on the podium every time he steps onto the track.
With this season being his final shot at a state title, Race is running at a whole new level. And on a knee that is 100-percent healthy. But Race is not leaving the excuse of his injury on the table. His fastest time of the year in the 100 meter dash is a 10.7, a school record as well as a personal best for Race.
In the 200, Race ran his fastest time last season with a 21.85. This year, his fastest is 21.93 but a time that can be improved each time Race steps onto the track.
Gawronski siblings reach states together
Gabe Gawronski is racing at his first state championships of his running career in the 800 meter race.
A week ago, before the qualifying meet, Gawronski and Coach Horan were see-sawing on whether he would compete in the 400 meter dash or the 800. Horan believed his best shot of reaching Cicero-North Syracuse was going to be in the two lap event.
Gawronski was unsure of the decision as he had been struggling in the race in the final few weeks of the regular season but he went with his coach’s decision.
It paid off.
Gawronski was off to a great start of the race, running with three fastest participants of the event for the entirety of the first lap.
As he heard the bell ring, signaling the final lap, Gawronski took the race over as he pushed to the front. With a pace like no other runner, Gawronski grew his lead with each stride he took and made it look like he was just out for a jog compared to his opponents before crossing the finish line ahead of everyone else.
Gawronski finished with a time of 1:54.54, a personal best and two second shy of the school record. His time has now set him up for a 10-seed in the event for the state championship race. The top seed is two second faster but the 2-9 seeds are all separated by less than a second.
Kid sister Katie Gawronski will take her first shot at the 400 meter hurdles on the big stage as a 13-seed.
A week ago, Katie stood at the top of the podium for the event at the fastest hurdler to come out Section IV. Her time of 1:06.92 became a personal best for the youngster. As a sophomore, Katie will look to win her first state championship in the race she has turned all of her focus on.
Katie was running in the 100 meter hurdles earlier this season. She set a personal best at the REK Invitational, but turned all over her training efforts to the longer distance.
Katie and Gabe come from a multi-generational family of runners. Their mother, Shannon Gawronski (formally Heath) holds six school records at Greene High School. The Gawronski’s aunt, Irene DeJager (former Scone) holds four in the same school district.
Shannon and Irene’s father, Larry Heath, held the 100 yard dash record at Chenango Forks High School before the event later turned to meters.
Stewart’s final trip
Norwich’s Stewart is no stranger to New York State Championships. In fact, she has been a part of seven state championships – four outdoor, one indoor and two for tennis.
In her final year, Stewart will be competing in both the long and triple jump events.
Stewart has stood on the podium in both events before in her long-standing career. A year ago, she placed sixth in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump.
This year, she came out of the State Qualifier as the top triple jumper from Section IV with her distance of 36 feet-2 inches, the furthest this season. Her longest distance of the long jump this season was 17 feet-5.25 inches.
Both events had the top seeded jumper with a distance more than two feet past Stewart, but like Horan said earlier, anything can happen.
“This may be the most athletes we have set to the states in Norwich school history,” said Horan. “I have been impressed with how hard these kids have worked. And it’s just been the goal that the teams have had coming into each season. What we have done this season has just showed the type of kids we have on our team.”
Competing against Stewart in the long jump event is Julia Oglesby of UV.
Oglesby looks for title to cap off season
Oglesby has done great things this season, picking up where she left off last year. She saw the state championship meet a season ago but for just one event. However, this year she has set a different tone and set waves throughout the state.
Oglesby goes into the long jump and the high jump at the four seed in both events. Her furthest jump of the season in the long jump was 17 feet-11 inches. She has jumped a height of 5 feet-6 inches but shows promise of being able to clear higher.
Oglesby will also see the track for the 100 meter dash. She is seeded ninth in the event with a time of 12.56 seconds.
“Julia met her goal of reaching states in more than one event [100, long jump and high jump],” said Unadilla Valley coach Steve Pelosi. “She is one of the most versatile athletes our area has seen. “
Her school teammate Molly Avolio will see the state meet for the first time in her career in the shot put event.
Avolio tossed the shot put 34 feet-8.50 inches at the meet a week ago, placing her at the 13th seed for the state meet.
“Molly built off of her great indoor season and achieved her goal of throwing shot in the mid 30s,” said Pelosi.
He continued by saying, “Along the way both Julia and Molly have set new school records and hope to add to them this weekend. Both girls are two of the hardest working and dedicated scholar-athletes that I have worked with and represent a team that is full of hard workers and high achievers.”
Also headed to states out of Section III from the county are Amberlyn Robertson in the 200 meter dash and Lincoln Owen in the 100 meter dash. Both runners are from the Sherburne-Earlville district and making the first state championship appearance.
Robertson is seeded 10th with her time of 25.93 seconds. She is separated by 1.66 seconds from the fastest runner of Division-II.
Owen also has a 10-seed in the 100 meter dash. His fastest time of the season is 11.21 seconds and currently .5 seconds off from the state’s top runner in the event.
All athletes who have qualified will state their races today at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Championship Meet, which will be held on Friday, June 8 and Saturday, June 9 at Cicero-North Syracuse High School in Syracuse.
The first day of action will start for field events at 11 a.m. and on the track at 1:30 p.m. on for mostly semifinals. The 800 meter, 3000 meter, 3200 meter and the hurdling portion of the pentathlon will have finals on Friday.
At 10 a.m. on Saturday, both track events and the field events will start for Championship Saturday.
Tickets for the event can be purchased before the event online at www.nysphsaa.org/Sports/Track-Field-Outdoor or at the gate on the day of the meet. Each day costs $8 for all in attendance.