Blue Devils Shine at Corning Fast Times Invitational

Chenango Forks Track and Field traveled to the Corning Fast Times Invitational on Friday night and turned in one of the most encouraging team performances of the season. With prom keeping a number of athletes home, the Blue Devils who did compete made the night count, racking up personal records across nearly every event group and putting together one of the strongest collective showings of the year.

The weather was beautiful, the meet had great energy, and the Blue Devils took full advantage.

Distance Group Leads the Way

The boys distance group had the night of the season. Joe ran a massive personal record in the 3200m, finishing in 10:33.73 and dropping well over 30 seconds from his previous best. Logan joined him in the 3200m with his own PR, breaking 12 minutes for the first time at 11:59. Porter posted a personal record in the 1600m at 5:18.55, continuing his steady upward trajectory all season.

Jackson James turned in a gutsy performance finishing 6th in the 3000m steeplechase in 11:46.50. It was his first time ever running a steeplechase race, and it certainly will not be his last. Michaela also made her steeplechase debut, running the 2000m steeplechase in 9:48.00 and looking like a natural at the event. Both deserve real credit for stepping into a new race that takes most athletes a season or two to get comfortable with.

Arianna competed in the 1500m and ran 5:05.47, finishing 6th in a competitive field. The time put her right at her season best. Becca and Sawyer also turned in solid 1500m and 1600m efforts as well.

The girls 4x800 relay team of Arianna, Avery, Grace, and Becca finished third in a very competitive field.

Sprint Group Brings the PRs

The boys sprint group put together a PR-filled night despite running shorthanded. Tyler posted personal records in three events, dropping a PR in the 100m, another in the 200m at 24.34, and matching his season best in the 400m with a 54.77. Tyler was one of the only athletes in the entire meet to run a PR in the 100 facing a nasty headwind.

Abdul ran his own PR in the 200m at 23.66 and finished 6th in the event.

Lily ran a PR in the 200m at 29.65, continuing the strong season she has been building one race at a time. The underclassmen boys and girls keeps stacking PRs and turning in performances that suggest the future of the Blue Devils sprint program is bright.

Field Events Cap the Night

The field events delivered some of the biggest individual results of the meet. Olivia jumped a personal record in the long jump of 13-11.25, just three quarters of an inch from cracking 14 feet. Lily added a triple jump personal record of 26-3.5, adding to her PR collection on the night. Dylan jumped a long jump PR of 16-10.5.

In the throws, the program saw personal records from Jackson Perhach in the discus, Jackson Miner in the shot put, and Tyler Couchman also in the shot put. Multiple throwers stepping up in the same meet is exactly the kind of group momentum you want heading into the championship phase of the season.

Looking Ahead

What stood out most about the Corning Fast Times Invitational was the breadth of the success. PRs came from the sprint group, the distance group, the field events, and the throws. Two athletes made successful steeplechase debuts. A small group of athletes will be competing Monday at Johnson City. Our conference championship meet is Wednesday at 4 at Vestal.