Cazenovia girls take 5th at NYSPHSAA State Championships

The Cazenovia girls cross country team capped a historic season of competition for the program with a fifth-place finish at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Championship Meet on November 12 at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill.

The Lady Lakers scored 147 points to finish fifth in a competitive field that featured the Class C champions from every section in NYS, plus the top five individual runners from each section. East Aurora, the defending Class B champion, earned another state title with a total of 53 points.
Sophomore Olivia Ruddy earned her 14th first-place finish for the team in 14 races this season with a personal course record performance of 21:01.8 to capture 27th in the state. Her time was 35 seconds faster than last week despite the wet conditions caused by steady rains the day before the meet.

Junior Dinah Gifford ran one of her best races of the season to place second for the team, capturing 52nd in a time of 22:00.3, also a personal record on the course. Freshman Maeve McGreevy earned 60th place in 22:07.8, slightly off her best at Sectionals but more than two and half minutes faster than her time at the VVS Invitational in September, a testimony to her exceptional improvement throughout season.
Senior Captain Faith Wheeler (81st at 22:47.4) earned fourth for the team while Junior Zoey Gagne was 90th at 23:09.3, another personal best time on the course.

Freshman Haylee Stearns (106th in 23:48) and Senior Captain Bonnie Pittman (114th at 24:15) each ran personal bests to round out the Laker field in their number six and seven spots for the team.

The top-five finish at the NYSPHSAA championship capped a memorable 2022 campaign for the Lady Lakers that included the Section 3, Class C title and Onondaga High School Liberty League Meet Championship. The girls also earned an undefeated regular season and the OHSL Liberty-National league title.

Following the race, the squad earned another honor, as Faith Wheeler was recognized with Section III’s Class C Sportsmanship Award. The distinction is given to a Senior competing at the State Meet who has represented the Section with sportsmanship along with athletic and academic excellence.