Academy’s Henkel sets section mark in repeat
Brayden Henkel of Albany Academy won the Federation title in the 100-yard breaststroke for the second straight year at the boys’ swimming and diving championships Saturday in Ithaca.
Henkel’s time of 54.33 seconds is a new Section II record and also an automatic All-America time. The All-America qualifying time is 55.65 seconds.
Henkel also placed second in the public school division (third in the Federation) in the 50 freestyle with a school-record time of 20.86 seconds. The time qualifies him for All-America consideration.
Henkel was the only area athlete to win a state swimming title this year.
Other swimmers to earn spots in championship heats included Christian Jerome of Hoosic Valley who finished fourth in the 100 butterfly, Ryan Karaca of Burnt Hills who placed eighth in the 200 individual medley, Liam Marshall of Burnt Hills who finished fifth in the 100 breaststroke and Finn McFarland of CBA-Troy who placed fourth in the 500 freestyle.
Indoor track and field: Albany Academy’s Bashir Praileau topped the field with a 23-foot, 4.50-inch leap to take first place in the boys’ long jump at the State Championships in Staten Island. Praileau just missed a second first place finish and had to settle for second in the boys’ 55-meter hurdles. Freeport’s Jordon Quinn took the top spot with a time of 7.42 seconds while Praileau was second in 7.43, only .01 away. Neil Howard of Taconic Hills had a first place finish with a 15-9 in the boys’ pole vault. Howard was well ahead of the field with the second place height by Moss Dengler of Ithaca being 14-6. On the girls’ side, Greenwich’s Keegan Collins was first with a toss of 48-4.50 in the weight throw. McKinley Wheeler placed second with a time of 9:37.50 and Sheridan Wheeler was third with a 9:37.67 in the 3,000. The Saratoga Springs’ teammates were just behind Karrie Baloga of Cornwall who won the race with a time of 9:22.09. The Wheeler’s came back later, however, to help the Blue Streaks win the girls’ 3,200 relay. McKinley Wheeler, Sheridan Wheeler, Emily Bush and Alycia Hart took first with a time of 9:06.63. The Burnt Hills girls’ team kept the Section II dominance going with a win in the 1,600 relay. Samantha Torres, Cassidy Robleno, Alexandra O’Rourke and Mia Paolino crossed the line with a time of 3:59.02 to take the top spot for the Spartans.
Boys’ ice hockey: Section I champion Suffern ended Bethlehem’s season with a 4-0 win in the State Regionals at Bethlehem YMCA. Suffern held a 2-0 lead heading into the third and added two in the final period to seal it. The Eagles closed their strong 2022-23 campaign with a 20-4 overall record. Gymnastics: Section III just nipped Section VI to win the state championship in Buffalo. Section III finished with a total of 184.450 while Section VI had 183.975. Section II placed eighth with a score of 162.525. Section XI’s Hannah Hughes had the top all-around score of 38.200. Saratoga’s Ellie Ott had the top Section II individual allaround score, placing a respectable 17th out of 96 competitors. Ott finished with a 33.275. Bethlehem’s Kate Browne was 19th with a 32.800.