By Rob Potter
MONTICELLO — May 11, 2004 – The host Monticello girls’ track team edged New Paltz and Sullivan West by three points to capture the girls’ team title Saturday at the annual Monticello Games.
The Lady Panthers recorded 111 points at the event, which featured a number of Sullivan County teams as well as several squads from elsewhere in the state. New Paltz and SW tied for second place with 108 points.
Liberty finished fourth with 96 points and Fallsburg was 11th with 18 points.
On the boys’ side, Ellenville prevailed with 142 points. Sullivan West finished ninth (30.5 points), Monticello was 10th (26.5), Liberty placed 11th (22) and Tri-Valley was 12th (14).
Among the competitors leading Lady Panthers to their team triumph were Erica Kalber and Taqiyya Robinson.
Kalber won the javelin event with a throw of 83 feet, 4 inches and took first place in the shot put (33-8 1/4).
Robinson captured the long jump competition (14-8) and took second place in the 100-meter dash (13.5 seconds). She was also a member of the Lady Panthers 400 relay team which won that event in 55.8 seconds.
In addition, Monticello’s Vasana DeAlmada placed second in the 400 hurdles (1:26.3) and Ashley Morse was third in the 800 (2:48.9).
Amanda Ward of Sullivan West was named the girls’ Track MVP at the meet. She won the 3,000 meter run in a time of 11:36.2.
Two of Ward’s Lady Bulldog teammates also earned first place finishes. Jamie Clifford took the 400 in 1:06.7 and April Ackermann won the 800 in 2:35.4
SW’s Ashley Relyea place in two events. She was second in the discus (91-7) and third in the high jump.
Liberty’s Andrea Kavleski was chosen as the girls’ Field MVP. She won the hammer throw (130-6) and discus (106-2) events and placed second in both the javelin (77-9) and shot put (32-3 1/2).
Erin Simpson placed in four events for the Lady Indians. She won the triple jump (31-11) and took second place in the long jump (14-6), high jump and 100 hurdles (17.7).
Kim McKay of Liberty placed second in the 3,000 (11:43.9).
Two Fallsburg Lady Comets, Felicia Strauss and Ashley Hunter, scored points in their respective events. Strauss won the high jump (4-8) and Hunter finished second in the 1,500 (6:25.4).
On the boys’ side, SW teammates David Abram and Mike VanWagenen posted victories.
Abram won the pole vault (10-6) and VanWagenen finished first in the 3,200 (10:13.3).
Fallsburg’s Darnell Owens won the 100 in a time of 11.8 seconds.
Monticello’s Dan McCarthy won the discus with a throw of 123-10.
Jeremy Mathsen of Tri-Valley won the 3,000 steeplechase in 10:43.
Monticello teammates Robert Macedonio and Brad Cooper placed second and third in the pole vault and long jump, respectively. Macedonio vaulted exactly 10 feet and Cooper recorded a jump of 17-1 1/2.
In the boys’ 110 hurdles, Eric Parkhurst of Liberty edged Millbrook’s Ian Daly at the finish line. Parkhurst won with a time of 17.4 seconds and Daly’s time was 18 seconds flat.
“It was a good race, it was fun,” Parkhurst said. “It was a good time, especially since I had a bad start. It was one of my best times this year.”