HOUGHTON – Five members of the Dunkirk/Silver Creek indoor track and field team will be going to the New York Public High School Athletic Association championship meet March 5 at Cornell University in Ithaca after the Section 6 meet at Houghton College Saturday.

On the girls side, the lone state competitor will be Emma Seiders. She won the 600-meter event with a time of 1:37.67, which lowered her team record by .01 of a second.

Four boys punched tickets to the state meet. Jose Morales grabbed second place in the 300 with a time of 35.81 seconds, which bested his team, and school, record from last year. The other boys joining him are Lucas Hallick, Chris Michalski, and Mike Deland, who joined Morales to win the boys 4×400 relay. They won with a time of 3:30.81, which smashed their previous team record of 3:38.30, which was set earlier in the day.

Dunkirk/Silver Creek coach Adam Woelfle said the relay team had to beat a tough North Tonawanda squad for the title. North Tonawanda also set a new team record in the final race.

“I had nothing but pride and excitement for those boys as they came across the finish line,” Woelfle said of his team. “The North Tonawanda team was no joke as it included the winner of the 300, and the third-place finisher of the 600. The boys knew going into the race it was going to be a fight, and they made it.

“We ran side by side and switched places throughout the whole race,” Woelfle added. “The noise in the building was amazing. And to drop that much time, all eight boys ran the best races in their lives. And the end of the race really showed how much sportsmanship is present in track and field, as all the boys and coaches congratulated each other and helped others off the track.”

Emilee Hanlon fared well as she took fourth in the high jump and seventh in the 300. Savia Moreland took fifth in the 55 hurdles with a time of 9.15 seconds, which lowered her team, and school, record. Amancia Viera took fifth in the shot put with a hurl of 32-feet, 8-1/2-inches. The girls 4×200 team also made it to the finals and took fifth. The team was comprised of Sam Hemenger, Jericha Petrella, Seiders and Hanlon. Other competitors were Kate Michalski in the pole vault, Hemenger in the triple jump, Julia Fred in the 1,000, Natalie Nytx in the opening 4×200, Petrella in the 300 and Grace Restivo, Fred, Michalski, and Ashley Olrogg in the 4×400.

The boys 4×800 team of Jake Mullen, Nelson Estrada-Cruz, Alexis Torres and Anthony Ruiz also had a personal best as they ran a time of 9:14, dropping 15 seconds off of their best time of the season. Other competitors included Devin Eddy in the triple jump, Hallick in the 300, Alex Montalbon and Julio Cheverez in the 55 hurdles, Jonah Rosas, Montalbon, Cheverez, and Morales in the 4×200 and Cheverez in the opening 4×400.

“The hard work, dedication, time, and sweat that they have put forth all season truly paid off (Saturday),” Woelfle said. I couldn’t be more excited to take these athletes to the state meet next weekend. I have heard from so many coaches this season (about) how impressed they have been with these kids – the work they have put in, and the depth they see in the program.

“The kids have done their part,” Woelfle continued. “But it also hasn’t been without the help of my assistants Ray Graf and Amy Seiders. Their knowledge and commitment to the program has helped it grow so much in only one short season.”

Meanwhile, for the Fredonia girls, Gwen Stokes punched her ticket to the state meet in the high jump, as she finished second with her height of 5-2.

Elsewhere, Georgie Gens took eighth in the long jump (15-8) and 19th in the triple jump (30-1), Emily Brown was 11th in the 1,500 in 5:17 and Mindy Waag was ninth in the 55 hurdles in 9.6 seconds.