The Inside Track
Sunday February 1, 2009

Sunday February 1, 2009: One of the goals for Coach Stadtlander’s Boys Indoor Track team this season was to win the Suburban Council Championship. They reached that goal on Saturday with their first Indoor league title since 2001. A well balanced team effort led to 116 points and a victory over the second place Shen team (76 points) and the rest of the Suburban Council field. Individual winners for Shaker were Alvin Porter (55M), Chris Herman (600M) and Mike Ofosu (TJ) along with a first place from the 4x200M relay team of Letourneau, Feinman, Dustin and Porter. They were joined as top point scorers by second place finishes from Ebube Abara (300M), Brendan Dolan (55M hurdles), Prince Abban (LJ) and the 4x400 relay team of Dolan, Dustin, Herman and Conti. Several other team members contributed valuable points to help assure the victory for Shaker.

The Shaker Girls team finished 6th in the Suburban Council Championship meet with individual points earned by Molly Nephew (HJ), Katie Crodelle (TJ) and Megan Matan (300M) along with all three relay teams finishing from 2nd – 4th.

The Section 2 Boys Leaderboard should include a Shaker runner in the top five of almost every regular indoor running event including the relays. Shaker just won its 4th consecutive Suburban Council Boys Frosh Championship and the depth and talent developed by the coaches over the last few years is really starting to pay off in the team results.

While not scoring individual points in the Suburban Council (Varsity) Championships, several young athletes had performances that will move them among the top grade performances in New York State this season. According to armory track.com, Sterling Green’s 5’8” high jump tied him for the best leap among NYS 9th graders this year. The 5:03.4 in the 1500M by Morgan Wojtusik would put her 5th this season among 8th grade girls in NYS. Jon Vallecorsa’s performance in the 1600M put him in the top 20 of 9th graders in NYS this year only a week after moving into the top 10 for his grade in the 3200M last week. These are just three of many examples of the rising talent that is expected to keep Shaker teams as serious contenders for the next several years.

The Great Dane Classic will be held this Sunday (2/8) at UAlbany beginning at 8:00AM except for the Pole Vault and Shot Put that were held this past Saturday.

The Spring Sports Information Night for Parents is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24th at 7:00 PM at Shaker High School. Parents of any athletes competing in Outdoor Track should plan on attending.

The Boys Indoor Track Banquet will be held Wednesday, March 25th in the Taft Cafeteria from 6-8 PM. More details will follow.