Niagara Gazette — Sophia Tasselmyer lived up to her billing in the New York State Cross Country Championships, held Saturday morning at Elma Meadows.
The Starpoint freshman, ranked the No. 5 girl in Class B statewide, finished in that exact spot, running one of the best times in Section VI history at the course. She finished at 18:32, the third-fastest any girl from the section has ever run at Elma Meadows.
She'll now advance to the New York Federation Championships next Saturday in Poughkeepsie.
"Federation races are a lot different," Starpoint coach Brian Lasher said. "They combined all the classes together into one race and all the private schools come, too. It really puts the best runners in the state in one group against each other."
Tasselmyer's teammate, junior Livia Chase, was the next-highest local finisher at states. She finished 22nd overall at 18:59, which was good for top 20 all-time in Section VI.
Fellow Spartan Matt Prohaska rounded out the Starpoint representation at the State Championships, running a 17:07 for 58th overall in boys Class B.
All three Starpoint runners either met or exceeded their pre-race rankings.
There was also a large Lockport contingent at the race.
Sophomores Abby Lang and Hannah Kurbs, finished 54th and 65th, respectively, in the girls Class A race. Lang ran a 19:33, while Kurbs crossed the finish line at 19:53.
The Lions also sent three representatives to the boys Class A race.
Junior Mitch Loiacano led the pride, finishing 71st at 17:00. Senior Matt Kaczmarek placed 90th at 17:27, and junior Dan Jones finished 99th at 17:43.
Niagara-Wheatfield's Jack Jibb rounded out the local representation at the meet. The sophomore finished 80th in boys Class A, running a 17:15 in his first taste of state competition.
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