Submitted photo Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove/Frewsburg /Randolph’s competitors, from left: Josh Walters, Rayven Sample, Riley Auer and Ronan McDonald set a Section VI record with a time of 3:24.90 in the 1,600-meter relay Saturday.

OBSERVER Staff Report

Ronan McDonald, Rayven Sample, Josh Walters and Riley Auer finished in 3:24.90 to not only take fourth place overall, but break a 22-year-old Section VI record in the process at the New York State Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex.

The group, which also qualified for next weekend’s New Balance Nationals at The Armory in New York City, was seventh after the preliminaries with a time of 3:25.56. Cervonte Thomas ran in place of McDonald during the preliminaries.

McDonald also took 10th individually in the boys 1,000 meters with a time of 2:36.01. West Seneca East’s Vincent Pagliaccio took third in the event and Lancaster’s Jared Rogalski was 13th.

Dunkirk/Silver Creek’s Jericha Petrella took 10th in the girls 600 meters with a time of 39.91 seconds.

Fredonia/Westfield’s Oliver Madariaga took 11th in the boys 300-meter dash with a time of 38.04 seconds while Depew’s Adam Scibetta was 24th in the same event.

Fredonia/Westfield’s Emily Brown finished 15th in the girls 1,500 meters with a time of 4:51.27. Lockport’s Sydney Nowicki was 23rd in the same event.

Jamestown’s Giovanna Calamunci finished 15th in the preliminaries of the girls 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.81 seconds.

Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove/Frewsburg/Randolph’s Devin Austin tied for 18th in the high jump at 5-6 while Williamsville North’s Carson Swierski tied for 15th at 6-0.

Fredonia/Westfield’s Hessen Bahgat did not reach the qualifying height in the pole vault, but Orchard Park’s Kegan Mancabelli took 15th at 13-6.

Dunkirk/Silver Creek’s Juliana Flick was a member of Section VI’s sixth-place team in the girls distance medley relay, which finished in 10:28.62.

Allegany-Limestone/Olean/Franklinville/Portville’s Liam Coulter was 16th in the boys 55-meter hurdle preliminaries (7.95) and Iroquois’ Kendall Mariacher was 20th.