Pine Plains finishes third, sixth at track sectionals

PINE PLAINS — The Pine Plains indoor track team headed to West Point for their sectional meet last Sunday, Feb. 14. The boys came away with third place and the girls finished sixth, both in Class B and out of 14 teams.

The boys team earned 78 points. Individual achievements include: Casey Austin, third in 600-meter run; Ndue Palushi, third in 1000-meter run; Devin DeJoode, second in 1600-meter run and third in 3200-meter run; Alejandro Ayala, third in 55-meter hurdles; Besnik Palushi, second in pole vault.

Boys relay achievements include: 4x200 meter team of Anthony Synder, Aric Canevari, Eric Leubner and Besnik Palushi, second; 4x400 meter team of Ndue Palushi, Brandon Meccariello, Alejandro Ayala and Casey Austin, second; 4x800 meter team of Brendan Long, Connor Moore, Trevor Barr and Devin DeJoode, second.

The girls team earned 44 points. Individual achievements include: Julia Mizutani, first in 55-meter hurdles and second in pole vault; Skyler Nuccio, first in high jump and third in triple jump.

The 4x200 meter relay team of Skyler Nuccio, Robyn Downing, Julia Mizutani and Cassandra Inserillo finished third.

On the season, the boys are division champions with a 26-2 record, while the girls finished fifth with a 11-17 record. Senior captains were Inserillo and Nuccio for the girls and Austin and Barr for the boys. Two other runners, Leubner and Besnik Palushi, will also be graduating this year.

“Our team was so succesful this year because of those six seniors who helped to lead our team,� said coach Jeremy Weber via e-mail. “We also were succesful because of the newcomers that we had who came in and stepped up, plus we had a couple of returning athletes who improved greatly.�

Last year’s team of 30 increased by 10 this year. Weber explained that the Pine Plains track program is more than the indoor track season during the winter; it requires a combination of hard work and training throughout the year. Weber is assisted by coach Rick Willigan, and come spring the outdoor track coaches, Neil Murray, Rich Hereziak and Mark McGuire, will take over the reins.

“We aren’t one of the bigger schools, so our success comes from how hard our athletes and coaches work together to build something that we are all proud of.  I am just glad I have the opportunity to teach and coach in Pine Plains, which has a rich tradition of academic and athletic excellence,â€� said Weber, adding that last year more than half of his team had a 90 or above academic average, an achievement he hopes will continue this year.

Sectionals mark the final team competition, but on Feb. 26 and 27 individual athletes will compete for berths to the state meet in Cornell the following weekend.

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