Linnea Neureuther of Springville wins Fed pentathlon title

The Springville senior had the chance to become a Federation pentathlon champion Saturday morning at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

She entered the 800 meters in second place, 83 points behind, and needed a victory in the race to win the Division II and Federation championships. With a time of 2:22.21, Neureuther, a member of the University at Buffalo, achieved his dream in his final high school competition.

“It’s really very rewarding and fulfilling,” Neureuther said. “Obviously you win small state titles, but you look at the big picture and you’re like, ‘Damn.’ Becoming overall champion is really awesome. It was a challenge, but I saw the finish line and the gold medal and I said to myself, “I want this more than them.” » »

Neureuther also won the 100 hurdles (14.86 seconds) and the long jump (5.46). She placed sixth in the high jump (1.50) and eighth in the shot put (8.40). Due to her performance in the high jump, Neureuther woke up Saturday crying because she thought she could have performed better and that it had cost herself a Federation title.

Doubt set in, but she knew the event wasn’t over until someone crossed the finish line one last time. She made sure it was really her.

When she won, Springville coach Mark Heichberger shed a few tears. He first discovered it when Neureuther was in fifth grade. Neureuther claims she ran the 400 in 59 seconds and that he visited Lulu Belle’s Gifts, the store his mother owns, and told her, “Your daughter is going to be on my team.” »

Seven years later, Neureuther has become arguably Springville’s most decorated athlete. She won the Division II state triple jump and 100 hurdles as a junior, and added a Federation championship to her hardware collection Saturday.

“I know they were tears of joy,” Neureuther said. “I know we still have a few tears to cry after my last high school race, because it’s the last time I wear this Springville jersey. It’s sad, but it’s an incredible journey with him, and I wouldn’t want anyone else to be my coach.

Frontier’s Lillie Bogdan won the Division I and state women’s 2,000-meter steeplechase title. She won by 13 seconds with a time of 6:39.09.

“I was really excited to go out there and have fun,” Bogdan said. “I had to see how things played out, and I was really happy with how things turned out.”

Bogdan’s victory marks the third consecutive season that a Section VI girl has won the Federation steeplechase title. Angelina Napoleon of Allegany-Limestone won the event in 2022 and 2023. She currently competes for North Carolina State.

Bogdan believes the races she competed against Napoleon prepared her to take the next step and become Federation champion.

“I was really happy to have girls like Angelina to help me move forward,” Bogdan said. “She’s definitely been an inspiration for steeplechase, and I’m grateful that she’s kept me going and I’m happy where it’s taken me today.”

The Division II 100 boys got off to a weird start. Waverly’s Ralph Johnson, who had the fastest preliminary time, along with Peru’s Sawyer Schlitt, were disqualified due to false starts and Rochester Academy’s Raziel O’Meally was scratched.

With three finalists, that left an opening for Maryvale’s Sohel Ahmad Peran, who was expected to run with Johnson and Schlitt alongside him. Instead, he had no one to his left or right and he had the highest preliminary time among the remaining riders.

It was an opening that Peran seized, winning the championship in 10.95 seconds.

“It feels good, I’ve been working for this for a year,” he said. “It was unnatural and I can celebrate that because it feels good. I felt like I wasn’t racing against anyone and that there was only someone around. I said to myself, “Who am I running against?” but it felt good and I felt like I had no competition.

Peran also finished fourth in the 200m in 22.15.

Cheektowaga’s Myonna Smith won the Division II girls’ 100 hurdles in 14.84 seconds, beating Dalton School’s Nyla Blake-Soden, who finished second in 14.87 seconds.

“It hasn’t been addressed yet,” Smith said. “It took me a long time to get here, and it’s very hard, but I worked to get there, so I’m proud of myself. At the start of the race I was a little nervous, but once I got to the middle it got better, but once I got towards the end it got difficult again. But in the end, it paid off. This isn’t going to happen until I get home.

Addie Miller of East Aurora took third in 15.14 seconds and Braeann Stender of Lake Shore placed fourth in 15.29.

Here’s a look at how other Western New York athletes performed:

Starpoint’s Timothy Lukasik placed 13th in the 1,600 in 4:25.68.

Clarence’s Noah Holden finished 23rd in the 3,000 steeplechase in 10:05.59

Hamburg (Andrew Donner, Kristopher Mihallofski, Alan Whittemore and John Neudeck) finished 14th in the 4×800 in 8:13.50.

Sweet Home’s Brenton Baker finished fourth in the high jump at 6 feet, 6 inches.

Anthony Mancabelli of Orchard Park came in 15th in the pole vault with a 13-0 record.

Randolph’s Roan Kelly, a Virginia Tech signee, finished fifth in the 1,600 in 4:21.74. Leo Clark of Lewiston-Porter was sixth in 4:23.32, and Bishop Timon-St. Jude’s Padraig Hart finished 16th in 4:46.56.

Julius Arias of Lackawanna took third in the 110 hurdles in 15.22. Cole Silliman of the Iroquois finished seventh in 16 seconds.

Frewsburg’s Cody Kent finished 24th in the 3,000 steeplechase in 10:11.82.

Dunkirk’s Michael Hanlon (56.60) placed third in the Federation 400 hurdles, and Southwestern’s Declan Kennedy (56.62) was fourth.

East Aurora (Ryan DeFries, Max Fraser, Gus Hoak and Owen Rung) placed second in the 4×800 in 8:06.18. Bishop Timon (Padraig Hart, Alex Rudnicki, Joseph Enko and Tim Moore) finished 15th in 9:06.07.

Nathan Carlson, Hanlon, Lucas Lawrie and Johnee Thomas led Dunkirk to fifth place in the Federation 4×400 in 3:29.10. Randolph (Maverick Adams, Domanik Clark, Gavin Stearns and Talon Rowland) finished eighth in 3:38.33. Dunkirk and Randolph were the only Division II teams in the race against Division I schools. Randolph won the Division II title on Friday.

Maple Grove’s Jonah Foley finished seventh in the high jump with a 6-0 record. Gordon Young of Medina tied for eighth with a score of 6-0. Daniel Richardson of Cheektowaga took 13th place with a score of 5-10. Foley finished third in the triple jump with a score of 42-4.25.

Dutchman Ryan Oleksy finished second in the discus (167-1).

Seth Wyzykowski of Iroquois took third in the pole vault (14-0). Randolph’s Caden Inkley was seventh at 13-6 and Falconer’s Nathan Bailey was 13th at 13-0.

Melia Kupchanko of Williamsville North (4:40.70) was 12th in the 1,500.

Brooke Christensen of Grand Island took third in the shot put (36-2.50).

Aria Catrabone of Williamsville North was fifth in the triple jump (38-2.25).

Mia Finch of Health Science was second in the 100m in 12.59 seconds. Tyyetta Herman of Franklinville was fifth in 12.66 seconds. Finch also finished fourth in the 200 in 25.46 and Herman third in the 400 in 58.57.

In the 1,500, Kirsten Melnik of Springville placed third (4:39.30) and Ella Krumpek of West Seneca East was 12th (4:51.23).

Orchard Park (Annabelle Czekanski, Anneliese Henrich, Alexis Sanelli and Noel Barlette) finished eighth in the Division I 4×800 in 9:29.82.

Southwestern (Emma Lewis, Kate Miller, Tryniti Card and Marlana Cresanti) took third in the 4×800 in 9:32.59. East Aurora (Kailyn Houghton, Emilia O’Leary, Hope Owens and Reiley Pierce) finished fourth in 9:37.62.

Jada Cole of Chautauqua Lake was second in the high jump (5-5). East Aurora’s Addie Miller was seventh (5-2) and Kaleigha Kosek was 10th (5-2).

Nyla Wilson-Epps of Tapestry took fourth place in the discus (112-4). Elizabeth Price of Franklinville was fifth (109-4).

Janee Long of Tapestry was second in the long jump (18-6).