By Frank Rizzo
SULLIVAN COUNTY — July 13, 2001 – Some familiar names from Sullivan County will be making a trip to this year’s edition of the Empire State games, slated for July 25-29 in the Mohawk Valley.
Qualifiers for the statewide Olympic-style competition were held last month at various venues in the Hudson Valley.
ATHLETICS
Scholastic Women
Heather Iatauro of Grahamsville, entering her sophomore year at Tri-Valley CS, was the only county qualifier in this division. She will be running the 5000 meters after winning the Hudson Valley region qualifier at West Point last month with a time of 18:51.6.
Scholastic Men
Matt Manzi of Parksville won the 1500 at West Point with a 4:17.6. Manzi attends Liberty High School.
Manzi’s teammate on the Liberty track team, Ryan Ringi, placed third in the 3000 steeplechase with a 10:34.1. Normally he would not have gone on to the Games, as only the top two (and the runner-up must meet a qualifying standard) advance, but the second place steeplechaser opted not to go.
Steve Creek of Sundown and Tri-Valley CS placed third in the 5000 and did not advance. His time of 17:01.9 placed him behind winner Josh Conklin of Middletown (16:29.1)
Open Women
Carrie Gorton has dominated the ESG javelin event, winning eight straight gold medals. She easily won the qualifier with a 42.48-meter (139-4) effort. Gorton, formerly of Roscoe and a Roscoe CS 1990 alumna, now lives in Sparrowbush.
Gorton did not qualify in the discus, as her 38.10-meter (125-0) effort placed her third. Natalie Brown of North Rockland won with a 44.68 (146-7)
Allison Benson of Wurtsboro, a 2000 graduate of Monticello HS, will be making a return trip and competing in the pole vault. Benson was second with a 3.5-meter (11-53&Mac218;4) effort. She was edged by Michelle Lennos of Pearl River (3.55m/11-73&Mac218;4).
Claudia Waterton of Monticello placed first in the heptathlon with 3,141 points.
Andrea Kavleski of Liberty was sixth in the hammer with a 29.41-meter (96-51&Mac218;2) heave. Kristen Callan of Monroe won with a 42.21 (138-51&Mac218;2).
Open Men
Another perennial ESG participant is Bob Jahrling of Wurtsboro in the decathlon. Jahrling was second to Jeff Moulton of Cornwall, 5,512 points to 4,748. Jahrling’s best in the event is 6,395 points and he has earned several medals.
Chad Washington of Monticello, a 2000 graduate of Liberty HS, will participate in the triple jump for a third straight year. He three-stepped 12.84 meters (42-11&Mac218;2), second behind Brandon Edwards of Spring Valley (13.44/44-11&Mac218;4).
Washington was fourth in the 100 dash with an 11.6, behind winner Michael Thompson of Greenburgh (10.9).
He was also fourth in the long jump with a 6.20 (20-41&Mac218;4) as Antoine Johnson of Tuckahoe took first with a 6.84 (22-51&Mac218;4).
Josh Moore of Fallsburg, a recent graduate of Fallsburg CS, was fifth in the shot put with a 12.88 (42-31&Mac218;4). The winner, with a 14.89 (48-101&Mac218;4), was Michael Pellett of Croton-on-Hudson.
BASKETBALL
Marissa Graby of Callicoon returns to the court as a forward for the Hudson Valley region open women’s team. A 1996 graduate of Delaware Valley CS, Graby gained a scholarship and played basketball at Penn State University.
Graby has ESG experience, as she played for the scholastic team while in high school. She is currently a coach at a girls’ basketball camp at West Point.
A pair of Monticello High School standouts will be playing for the Hudson Valley’s men’s scholastic team. Six-foot-five John DeGroat will be a forward while Chris Robinson will play guard.
WRESTLING
Kyle Fried of Rock Hill will make his second appearance in the scholastic men’s 52 kilogram (115 lbs.) freestyle competition. Fried is entering his sophomore year at Monticello HS.
MASTERS ATHLETICS
Laurette Waterton of Monticello, the girls’ track coach at Liberty HS the past two years, will be competing in the 400 dash, the shot put, hammer and discus.
Roy Waterton of Monticello will be competing in the 800.
Merton Lockhart of Grahamsville will be busy in the long jump, shot put, javelin and discus.
Russ Hodge of Roscoe is entered in the discus. A former world record holder in the decathlon, Hodge finished ninth in the multi-sport event at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Nationally-ranked racewalker Bob Barrett of Smallwood will be competing in the 5K/10K/20K events.