Keith Lanfear Photo

State meet set for Saturday in Staten Island

ITHACA – Several athletes from Chenango County are gearing up to head to the Ocean Breeze Track and Field Athletic Complex, located on Staten Island, for the New York State Championships for Indoor Track and Field.

The top two individuals in each event qualify for the championship, to be held March 2, with a third entrant allowed if they met the state qualifying standard at some point during the season.

Heading to the championship meet for the second straight season are Norwich’s Eric Conant and Gabe Gawronski as well as the Tornado’s 4x200 meter relay team.

Conant, running a time of 6.72 in the finals of the Section IV qualifying meet, returns to Staten Island looking to place higher than a season ago. The Norwich senior finished 16th out of 32 runners last year, crossing the finish line at 6.67 seconds in the sprinting dash. Conant ran the same time in a meet earlier this season and will look to break into the finals this year.

Once again racing in the 600 meter run at the New York State Championships come this weekend will be Gawronski. At the Section IV meet held over the weekend, the Purple Tornado senior finished on top of the field with his time of 1:23.48.