OGDENSBURG — The 85th Van Dusen Invitational began under sunny skies but by the end of the track and field event, conditions were more like fall playoff weather with heavy winds and cold rain. While the weather changed dramatically, the performances of some of the top individuals at the event remained consistent.
Ogdensburg Free Academy, the host school, claimed the boys championship and the overall boys/girls combined championship, led by multi-event winners Jake Fredericks and C.J. Bracy.
OFA finished with 125 points, well ahead of second-place Norwood-Norfolk's 83 and third-place Canton's 81. Section 7's Beekmantown claimed the girls title with 77 points and Canton and Gouverneur tied for second with 57.
"They rise to the occasion when it comes to the big meet," OFA boys coach John Tebo said of his team. "They understand the value of the Van Dusen. It makes all the hard work we put into this meet worth it."
Fredericks completed his events before the weather turned foul. He upset Norwood-Norfolk's Zach Clark to pick up a win in the 110-meter hurdles. He added a win in the 400 hurdles, set a school record in the 400 meters of 50.7 seconds and was second in the triple jump. He was named the meet's co-outstanding sprinter.
"I ran at the Dusen last year and only won the triple jump," Fredericks said. "To win three events, it meant a lot."
Sharing the outstanding sprinter award with Fredericks was Indian River's Curtis Dukes, who set a meet record winning the 100 in 10.8 seconds. Even with a meet record time, Dukes was pushed all the way to the finish line by Gouverneur's Cory Storie, who came in second at 10.9 seconds.
OFA's other multi-event winner was Bracy, who earned the outstanding jumper award after winning the high jump and long jump. OFA's Spencer Crawford added a win in the pentathlon for the Blue Devils, who also picked up a team win in the 400 relay.
Norwood-Norfolk's Jon Eng opened the meet by winning the pentathlon, then added a win in the 3,200 later in the afternoon, earning the boys most outstanding distance runner award. He edged rival Matt Pierce of Canton for the 3,200 win, after finishing behind Pierce in an invitational last weekend.
"I think it's great," Eng said of racing with Pierce. "(Former Potsdam standout) Dan Prahl didn't have anybody. Me and Matt have each other."
The top individual performance in the girls meet came from Gouverneur's Michelle Smith, who finished first in the 100, 200 and long jump, earning the girls outstanding sprinter award. Smith ran the 100 in 12.5 seconds, just edging Tupper Lake's Kyla Kenyon, who finished in 12.6, at the finish line. Kenyon went on to win the 400.
Potsdam's Kaila Maguire had a long afternoon, running a total of 5,700 meters during the competition. She cruised to wins in the 1,500 and 3,000, winning the 1,500 by 8.9 seconds and finishing 47.8 seconds ahead of her closest competitor in the 3,200. She was third in the 800 and also ran a leg of the 1,600 relay for the Sandstoners and was named the girls outstanding distance runner.
"I used this like a training day," Maguire said. "I'm a little tired, but I felt good though."
Beekmantown's team title was led by Ikeyanna Hamlin, who won the discus and shot put and was named the girls outstanding thrower. The boys outstanding thrower was another Section 7 athlete, Peru's Dominic Rainey, who won the discus.
Madrid-Waddington's Jenn Curley won the high jump and was named the girls outstanding jumper.
Other boys winners included: Canton's Damien Abar (200), Massena's Chris Lashomb (800), Malone's Myles Schanck (1,600) and Indian River's Corey Hall (triple jump).
Other local girls winners included: Massena's Mikala George (100 hurdles), Canton's Maggie Lapinsky, who won the 800 and ran on a winning 1,600 relay, Lowville's Katie Czerwinski (triple jump), Norwood-Norfolk's Colleen Cotey (steeplechase) and OFA's Katrina Tuttle (pentathlon).
