Our Blue Devils Battle Cold, Rain to Shine at Gerry O
On a cold and ultimately rainy afternoon at the 28th Annual Gerry O’Donnell Invitational in Windsor, the Blue Devils didn’t just compete, they turned in a series of strong performances despite difficult conditions.
Leading the way was 8th grader Arianna Hepler, who delivered one of the most impressive performances of the meet. Hepler opened her day by winning the 1500 meters in 5:04.16, a time that now places her Eighth All-Time in Chenango Forks Track and Field History, just behind 1991 graduate and retired Air Force Colonel, and former AFOSI regional commander, Renae Bartolone.
Less than an hour later, Hepler returned to the track and did it again.
Battling fatigue, cold, and rain, she captured the 800 meters in 2:33.78, completing a demanding double that defined the day.
The Blue Devils’ distance strength was on full display throughout the meet. The 4x800 meter relay team, made up of fellow 8th graders Michaela Wood, Avery Raab and Grace Hogan, along with sophomore CeCi Kasmarcik, powered through the conditions to take first place in 11:02.66.
The sprints also delivered strong efforts. CeCi Kasmarcik placed 5th in the 400 meters, followed by junior Grace Harkness, who finished 6th.
The youth movement continued across the distance events. 8th grader Rebecca Yahner placed 6th in the 3000 meters, while Michaela Wood added a 4th-place finish in the same event. 10th grader Katherine Yahner took 6th in the 1500 meters, and 8th grader Sawyer Kasmarcik, fueled by an energized crowd down the stretch, ran to a personal record in the 1600 meters.
Freshman Joseph Rullo continues to close in on a major milestone, moving ever closer to breaking five minutes in the mile, a benchmark every distance runner chases.
In the field events, Jillian Howell, who has swept both the shot put and discus in every dual meet this season, placed 3rd in both events (78-1 in discus, 28-1 in shot put), continuing her run of consistent top finishes against a deeper invitational field. On the boys’ side, Jacob Robinson recorded a personal record in the discus, while Jacob Miner added a personal record in the shot put.
Lincoln Raab delivered the meet’s top sprint performance, capturing first place in the 200 meters (22.65). This is his second invitational win in a row in the event!
A shout out also goes to freshman Madison Andreula, who competed in her first invitational since suffering a hurdles injury in the opening meet of the season!
Our Blue Devils return to the same Windsor track on Tuesday for a non-league meet, this time, hoping for more favorable weather conditions.
