Three individual track athletes and one relay team are first-place State and Federation champions, earning these honors at the NYSPHSAA and Federation Championships on March 6 and 7 at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island.
Senior Robert LaBarbera is the state and federation champion in the 600 meter run, with a 1:20.44 finish time.
Senior Maximillian Wickrath is the state and federation champion in the 55 meter dash with a :6.28 finish time. He shattered his one-week-old Minisink Valley record and ranks fourth nationally.
Senior Ella Michelitch is the state and federation champion in the high jump with a 5’ 11’ jump, defending last year’s state and federation high jump title and raising her Minisink Valley and Section IX record to 5’11”.
The boys 4x400 meter relay team of Maximilian Wickrath, Robert LaBarbera, Angel Mendez and Stetson Terpak are the federation champions in this event, and also finished in second-place in the NYSPHSAA 4x400 meter relay event.
Senior Delila Kronimus finished second in the state and federation pole vault event, equaling her school record of 12’ 0”.
Ella Michelitch also finished third in the state and federation long jump with a 18’ 2.75” jump.
The girls 4x400 meter relay squad of Chloe Beck, Lyla LaBarbera, Salma Samdaoui and Ferrah Hill (4:00.75) finished 10th in the state event.
Additionally, Ella Michelitch was selected by the Section IX head coaches as the girls representative for the NYSPHSAA Sportsmanship award.
Students from all 11 New York State sections, plus competitors from the AIS, CHSAA and PSAL, competed.
Minisink Valley athletes will now advance as club competitors to national championship meets, hosted by the Nike Track & Field Center at The Armory in New York City and The Track at New Balance in Boston, to be held March 12 to 15.