MARLBORO and MONTICELLO - To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. Unquestionably, challenging competition can bring out the best in serious athletes. In no sport is that more apparent than in track and field, especially in the big invitational meets that serve as tune ups and preambles to sectionals, the state qualifier and, of course, the great stage of the state championships.

Local dual meets matter too, and figure strongly in the hierarchy within divisions. Those divisional titles and the banners that come to adorn the schools’ gyms are important, but the competition at the divisional level is just not the same as one finds in the invitational circuit where schools of all sizes bring their legions of runners, jumpers and throwers to assess where they stand in the bigger picture.

Thus, this past week saw two such meets including the Iron Dukes Relays in Marlboro replete with 18 teams including two of our own in Sullivan West and Tri-Valley, and the Seventh Annual Jessica Fingers Memorial Invitational in Monticello, albeit a smaller version than years past due to the odd spring break arrangement that staggered the Orange County and Sullivan County schools’ hiatuses.

This coming weekend at the Tri-Valley Invitational, yet another large pool of schools will gather as May heats up and the spring season hastens towards its biggest moments. Looking over the results from the two invitationals brings into closer focus, those contenders who are on the rise towards greater notoriety and possible glory by the time this colorful track and field season becomes yet another chapter in the ongoing legacy of the sport which reigns as king of the spring.

(Iron Dukes top ten finishers listed; Jessica Fingers top three finishers listed)

Iron Dukes Relays Invitational

Teams: Beacon, Chester, Clinton, Elllenville, Highland, Marlboro, Middletown, Millbrook, New Paltz, Pine Plains, Poughkeepsie, Rondout Valley, S.S. Seward, Spackenkill, Sullivan West, Tri-Valley, Valhalla, Westlake.

Tri-Valley Boys Results: 110 hurdles 6. Noah Jucha 19.89. 400. 1. Noah Edwards 56.73. 400 Intermediate hurldes. 7. Jucha 1:08.78; 8. Brandon Schultz 1:09.72. 800: 1. Adam Furman 2:02.34. 1600: 1. Adam Furman 1. 4:23.77; 3. Craig Costa 4:40.53; 4. Caleb Edwards 4:49.08. Discus: 2. Brandon Kaplan 111-09; 6. Mark Klein 85-09; 8. Dylan Poley 73-06. Javelin: 3. Talan Scanna 114-00. Shot put: 10. Klein 33-01. Triple jump: 10. Jucha 35-07.50. 4x100 Throwers Relay: 2. 50.75 (Klein, Poley, Scanna, Kaplan). 4x400 Relay: 5. 4:06.86 (Schultz, Noah Edwards, Kristoff Guanzon, Vincent Mingo). 4x800 Relay: 1. 8:42.62 (Caleb Edwards, Dayne Wall, Costa, Adam Furman).

Girls Results: 100: 5. Kendall McGregor 13.00. 400: 10. Emily Hornbeck 1:13.44. 400 Intermediate Hurdles: 4. Mackenzie Closs 1:19.52; 6. Joyce Brooks 1:20.91. 800. 4. Amelia Mickelson 2:42.80; 7. Brynn Poley 2:55.79. Discus: 9. Closs 69-11. Hammer throw: 5. Brook Mulholland 64-08; 8. Summer Decker 39-09. High jump: 5. McGregor 4-02; 9. Grace Gozza 4-02. Javelin: 8. Closs 57-01. 4x100 Throwers relay: 1. 1:57.76. (Tabitha Mulholland, Closs, Hornbeck, McGregor).

Sullivan West Boys Results: 100: 8. Tarrell Spencer 12.44; 110 hurdles: 1. Peter March 20.77. 400 5. Dylan Sager 58.88; 400 Intermediate hurdles 8. March 1:08.13. 1600: 9. Karl Swanson 5:04.38. 3000 Steeplechase: 1. Landon Volpe 11:20.07. Discus: 1. Chris Campanelli 124-02; 7. Dillan Hanslmaier 93-05. Hammer throw: 10. Campanellli 70-03. Long jump: 2. Spencer 20-00.76. Pole vault: 10. Sager 8-00. Triple jump: 4. Spencer 39-06.00; 9. Danny Shami 35-11. 4x800 Relay 8. 10:37.87 (Swanson, Volpe, Landen Boyd, Charles Kutschera).

Girls results: 100 Hurdles:7. Keely Schock 20.57. 400: 6. Abby Parucki 1:12.19; 7. Schock 1:12.45. 400 Intermediate hurdles: 4. Abby Parucki 1:19.44; 7. Brooke Nunnari 1:21.10. 800: 2. Grace Boyd 2:37.36; 8. Sam Everett 2:57.99; 9. Jamie Hendrickson 2:58.37. 1500: 1. Boyd 5:15.06. 2000 Steeplechase 2. Ella Herbert 8:39.34. High jump: 7. Abby Parucki 4-02; 8. Paige Parucki 4-02. Long jump: 6. Brooke DeCarlo 13-03.75; 9. Paige Parucki 12-01.00. Pole vault: 8. Schock 6-06. 4x100 relay: 8. 58.88 (DeCarpo. Amanda Dirig, Violla Shami, Madison Eisma). 4x400 relay: 5. 13:16.59 (Eisma, Rosalyn Tanner, Brooke Nunnari, Katelynn Smith).

Seventh Annual Jessica Fingers Memorial Invitational

Boys team results: 1. Monticello 229; 2. Liberty 120; 3. John S. Burke 78; 4. Fallsburg 37; 5. Livingston Manor/Roscoe 21; 6. Dover 20; 7. Eldred 4.

Distance Medley Relay: 1. Monticello 13:10 (Frankie Giorgianni, Eduardo Salinas, Mario Rivas Ponce, Liam); 2. LM/R 13;48; 3. Fallsburg 13.56. 400: 1. Eric Llanos (Lib) 56.0; 2. Ricky Gonzalez (Mont) 56.3; 3. Deandre Armour (Mont) 56.8. Sprint Medley Relay: 1. Mont 3:51: RJ Patrick, Jadon Swasey, Ju’Juan Swasey, Evan Waterton. 2. Liberty 3:59; 3. Burke 4:21. Freshman/Sophomore Sprint Medley Relay: 1. Mont. 4:16 Salinas, Raphael Liciaga, David Williams, Dominic Giorgianni. 2. Burke 4:30; 3. Liberty 4:35. 110 Hurdles: 1. Tahir Denton (Mont) 16.6 2. Shaun Coles (Lib) 17.7; 3. Jesse Corces (Mont) 18.0. 100: 1. Ja’Juan Swasey (Mont) 1.4; 2. Jadon Suasey (Mont) 11.5; 3. Patrick (Mont) 11.7. Shot put: 2. Chase Racette (Lib) 36-10; 3. Jesse Corces (Mont) 35-10. Discus: 2. Boise Sellers (Lib) 84-07; Jesse Corces (Mont) 84-06. 400 Intermediate hurdles: 1. Tim Dirie (Lib) 63.0; 2. Jesse Corces (Mont) 65-0; 3. Denton (Mont) 69-02. 1600: 3. Frankie Giorgianni (Mont) 5:22. Freshman/Sophomore 4x100 Relay: 1. Mont. 49.6 Raphael Liciaga, Quenten Liciaga, DeAndre Armour, David Williams; 3. Fallsburg 54.6. 4x100 Varsity Relay.1. Mont. Jadon Swasey, Ja’Juan Swasey, Ricky Gonzalez, R.J Patrick. 2. Lib. 47.8; 3. Fallsburg 48.4. 3000 Steeplechase. 1. Evan Waterton (Mont,) 10:16. Long jump: 1. Jadden Bryant (Mont) 38-10; 2. Racette (Lib) 35-9; 3. Christian Corces (Mont) 35-5. 4x400 Varsity relay: 1. Mont. 3:41 Patrick, Swasey, Swasey, Waterton; 2. Lib. 3:46. 4x400 Freshman/Sophomore relay: 1. Mont. 4:09 Dominic Giorgianni, Salins, Liam Burns, Armour. Javelin: 2. Oliver Norminton (Falls) 99-01. Hammer throw: 1. Mateo Scanna (Falls) 50-08; 2. Jana Garcia Hernandez (Falls) 35-08; 3. Tyjae Coakley Franklin 32-04.

Girls team results: 1. Monticello 205.3. 2. Burke 117.3; 3. Fallsburg 89; 4. Liberty 84.3; 5. Eldred 20; 6. Dover 12; 7. Livingston Manor/Roscoe 3.

Distance Medley Relay: 1. Mont. 15.36. Kaitlyn Morse, Abby Morse, Hannah Titus, Diya Patel; 3. Lib. 18.29. 400: 1. Chelsea Reynolds (Mont) 63.0; Gisella King (Falls) 64.0; Kalene Harris (Mont) 70.0. Sprint. Medley Relay 1. (Mont) 5:01. Meg Cruz, Reynolds, Karen Perilla, Patel; 2. (Lib) 5:08.3. Freshman/Sophomore Sprint Medley Relay: 2. Monticello 5:31; 3. Liberty 5:39. 100 Hurdles: 1. Taina DeJesus (Mont) 17.8; Katrina Blais (Lib) 19.9; Sydania Foster (Lib) 21.0. 100: 1. Cruz (Mont) 13.4. Alyssa Kaveleski (Lib) 13.71. Discus: 2. Juliannah Bilias (Mont) 56-08. Shot put: 2. Ceci Mancia (Falls) 27-5.75; 3. Sanaya Aquil (Falls) 25-10.50; 400 Intermediate hurdles: 1. DeJesus (Mont) 72.0; 2. Foster (Lib) 81.0; 3. Marianna Valencia (Mont) 82.0; 1500: 2. Megan Bastone (Mont) 6:50; 3. Somers (Mont) 6:56. Freshman/Sophomore 4x100 Relay: 1. (Mont) 1;02. Alexandra Dietz, Abianna Robinson, Jessica Hughes, Asia Butler; 3. (Falls) 1:08. Varsity 4x100 Relay: 1. (Mont) 54.1. Cruz, Reynolds, Harris, DeJesus; 2. (Lib) 56.5. 2000 Steeplechase 1. Patel (Mont) 9:19; 3. Abby Morse (Mont) 9:44. Long jump: 1. Maria Herrera (Falls 12-08; 2. Zeniayah Gholson (Mont) 12-07; Triple jump: 1. Gholson (Mont) 32-0; Kaveleski (Lib) 29-04; 3. Ashley Ingrassia (Falls) 27-04. High jump: 3. Reynolds (Mont) 4-02. 4x400 Varsity Relay: 1. (Mont) 4:37 Cruz, Reynolds, Perilla, DeJesus; 3. (Falls) 5;00. Freshman/Sophomore 4x400 Relay: 1. (Mont) 5:05 Harris, Titus, Valencia, Brielle DiCio