CICERO – High school athletes were put to the test over the course of the weekend as the competition was among the fastest at the New York Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Track and Field Championship meet in years at the Cicero-North Syracuse facility.

Norwich track and field head coach Shaun Horan said going into the meet that anything can happen in the championships. His word held true over the two-day meet as one little mishap costed some athletes everything, while playing into the hands of others.

Ending on a long note

The Purple Tornado’s Caroline Stewart started the first day of action as the first one to stand on the podium, placing fifth in the triple jump. Her medal came down to the last jump of her high school career.

With her distance of 36 feet-6.75 inches being the furthest listed before the final jump, Stewart needed to jump a foot longer in order to place in the top six.

Giving it everything she had, Stewart jumped into the sanded landing pit at a distance of 37 feet-8.5 inches, a personal best for her career.

Later in the afternoon, her and Unadilla Valley’s Julia Oglesby competed in the Division-II long jump finals.

Stewart, continuing with her mojo from the triple jump, out-jumped her longest distance of the season on the first attempt of the event with 17 feet-8.75 inches.