Parkhurst Invitational
Despite another cold, rain-soaked day — the fifth consecutive meet contested in difficult weather conditions — the Chenango Forks Blue Devils continued to battle Saturday at the Parkhurst Invitational at Ty Cobb Stadium in Endicott.
Leading the way was the Girls 4x800 relay team of Ari Hepler, Ceci Kasmarcik, Clara Little, and Avery Raab, who captured first place with a time of 10:26.55. Competing against many of the top distance programs in the region in miserable conditions, the quartet delivered one of the most impressive relay performances of the meet. The squad now stands as the fastest Small School time in Section IV this season and the second fastest overall time in all of Section IV, regardless of classification.
The Girls 4x100 relay team also turned in one of the day’s biggest accomplishments. The team of Lilly Packard, Olivia Dobbish, Maya Padmanabhan, and Grace Harkness qualified for the finals in an exceptionally competitive sprint field — a major achievement at a 27-team invitational loaded with talented relay squads from across the region. After Olivia Dobbish suffered an injury, Grace Hogan stepped in during the finals, helping the Blue Devils continue to compete despite the adversity.
In the field events, Maya Padmanabhan added another milestone performance to her season in the pole vault. With her vault Saturday, Padmanabhan now moves into 9th All-Time in Chenango Forks school history — an impressive accomplishment made even more difficult given the wet and cold conditions athletes have faced throughout the season.
Jillian Howell continued her strong season in the throwing events by placing 4th in the shot put against a deep and talented field, adding another major performance for the Blue Devils on a difficult day for field event athletes.
The Blue Devils also saw several athletes achieve personal records on the day. Tyler Andrews turned in a PR in the 400-meter dash, continuing a strong season of improvement, while Dylan Raab recorded personal bests in both the long jump and triple jump despite the difficult runway and jumping conditions caused by the rain.
Week after week, the Blue Devils have refused to let the weather define their performances. While times and marks across the state have been impacted by one of the roughest stretches of spring weather in recent memory, Chenango Forks athletes have continued to compete with toughness, energy, and determination.
Against another full day of rain, the Blue Devils once again proved they are willing to embrace the conditions rather than make excuses.
