Bombers track team wins Class C Division IX title

PINE PLAINS — Following a tough competition in the Mid-Hudson Athletic League (MHAL) Championships during the weekend of May 18, the Pine Plains varsity spring track team bounced back by beating Millbrook during a home meet on Monday, May 20. The win gave the Bombers the Class C Division IX title for 2019.

Held on the track behind Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School, the Lady Bombers track team defeated Millbrook 86-35 while the Pine Plains boys beat Millbrook 105-25.

Pine Plains athlete Maddy Michetti finished the 100 meter dash in first place with 13.4 seconds, followed by Millbrook athlete Madison Chomyey in second place with 13.6 seconds and Bomber Meredith Michetti in third place with 14.2 seconds. Maddy Michetti also finished the 200 meter dash in first place and earned second place for the triple jump while her sister, Meredith, won first place for the high jump and earned second place in the 200 meter dash. Pine Plains student Brianna Blackburn won the 400 meter dash, followed by fellow Pine Plains athlete Cameron Decker in second place. Blackburn also came in second place in the 800 meter dash while Patience Tindall from Pine Plains came in first and teammate Keara Nielsen came in third. 

Sabrina Morgan of Millbrook won the 1,500 meter dash, followed by Tindall in second place and Nielsen in third place. Meanwhile, Millbrook athlete Dalia Rios came in first place for the long jump, triple jump and 100 meter high hurdles. Also from Millbrook, Jackie Stickton won the 400 meter hurdles while Destiny Darnell won the discus event. Jules Losee won the pole vault for Pine Plains.

Competing in the relay races, Pine Plains celebrated its victories over Millbrook, including both Michettis, Samantha Haines and Emily Mason on the 4 x 100 relay team; Mason, Blackburn, Cameron Decker and Emma Hall on the 4 x 400 relay team; and  Tindall, Blackburn, Nielsen and Decker on the 4 x 800 relay team.

Running in the 400 meter hurdles, Josh Bay came in first place with a distance of 109 meters, followed by Matt Leach in second place with 119.2 meters and Adolfo Lopez in third place with 119.3 meters, all from Pine Plains. Lopez also came in second place in the 400 meter dash with 64.6 seconds while TJ Roach came in first place with 58.6 seconds. Additionally, Bay earned first place in the 110 meter high hurdles. For the 100 meter dash, Pine Plains student Bryce Stracher earned first place with 11.3 seconds, followed by fellow Pine Plains athlete Kyle Stratcher in second place with 11.4 seconds and Millbrook athlete Mike Tipping in third place with 11.7 seconds.

As a victory for Millbrook, David Sager came in first place in the 1,600 meter dash with 524.6 seconds (8.74 minutes), followed by Nick McPherson from Pine Plains in second place with 526.9 seconds (8.78 minutes) and Landon Fitzgerald from Pine Plains in third place with 600.6 seconds (10.01 minutes). Sager also placed second in the 800 meter dash while Kieran Reilly from Pine Plains came in first place. Pine Plains athlete Christian Aldana came in first place for the 200 meter dash, followed by Bryce Stracher in second place and Tipping in third place.

Jahaziel Jimenez from Millbrook won first place in the shot put while his teammate, Tom Fitsmaurice, won first place for the triple jump and second place for the long jump. Adam Hess from Pine Plains earned first place in the high jump while teammates Ben Hambleton won the pole vault, Bryce Stracher won the long jump and Evan McCarthy won the discus.

Pine Plains achieved first place victories in the meet’s relay races, including both Stachers, Roach and Aldana for the 4 x 100 relay; Lopez, Reilly, Roach and Bay for the 4 x 400 relay; and McPherson, Reilly, Leach and Landon Fitzgerald for the 4 x 800 relay.

For the 2018-19 season on the track, both the Pine Plains girls and boys track teams scored an overall record of 6-1 in dual meets and 4-0 in their track division. According to Pine Plains Coach Jeremy Weber, both teams won the division for 2019, marking their second victory in a row.