By Erik Smith, Assistant Track and Field Coach
Edited: Mar. 27, 2018
While most track and field programs in the northeast were canceling this weekend, the Hudson Valley Men's and Women's teams traveled to Wesleyan College in Connecticut. The meet venue was changed to an inside meet because of the snow covered conditions on the outdoor facility. It was an exciting occasion for all as it marked the first time in over 20 years that Hudson Valley has competed in a track and field meet.
Both the men's and women's programs competed with purpose as the athletes and coaches were eager to put Hudson Valley back on the map as a contender. In all, Hudson Valley came away with 13 top-10 finishes, and numerous athletes positioned themselves as potential Region 3 Championship qualifiers.
The Vikings wasted no time collecting their first win on the day as Ryan Moon (Colonie/Colonie) pulled away from teammate Holden Maynard (Rotterdam/Mohonasen) on the last lap in the 5000m to win with a time of 18:23.59. Devin Kipp (Hudson/Hudson) added another first-place finish after winning the 100m event with a time of 11.87. Kipp also added a 5th place finish in the shot put with a throw of 11.88m. Miles James (Rochester/Churchville-Chili) won the 200m in a time of 23.50. James also collected a second-place finish in the 400m event with a time of 51.64.
Other top-10 finishes on the day included Elijah Washington (Ballston Spa/Ballston Spa), who finished fourth in both the Shot Put (12.01m) and Weight Throw (12.24m). Christian Otorubio (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./David Thomas) finished fifth in the 100m with a time of 12.04. Steven Lindsay (Rotterdam/Voorheesville) also placed fifth in the 5000m with a time of 19:10.32 and Shawn Buerker (Guilderland/Guilderland) crossed the line in 10th place in the 800m (2:20.41) and ninth place in the 1500m (4:50.14).
In the high jump, Jamison Jarosz (Schaghticoke/Hoosic Valley) and Noah Vice (Rotterdam/Voorheesville) finished third and sixth with jumps of 1.73m and 1.68m, respectively. Jarosz also finished 10th in the long jump with a leap of 5.31m and Isaac Brightbill (Rensselaer/Rensselaer) added a third place finish in the long jump event with a jump of 3.50m.
All of the women had great performances on the day. Jasmine Minick-Seldon and Alexis Holmes paced the women's team with an eighth and ninth place finish, respectively in the 20lb Weight Throw with distances of 6.60m and 6.52m. Several of the athletes were competing for the first time ever in track and field, and several were competing in events that they have never competed in. All of the women positioned themselves as potential Region 3 Championship qualifiers
The Men and Women will be competing again in two weeks as they travel to participate in the Smith College Pioneer Classic on Saturday, April 7 at 11 a.m.