Track and field: Cornwall's Karrie Baloga thrilled with efforts at state championships
Years on the big stage have prepared Karrie Baloga well for championship competition and the Cornwall junior was nothing but pleased coming out of the New York State meet with three gold medals and a silver.
“I had a lot of fun. It was definitely a great experience,’’ Baloga said.
Baloga went out hard and fast in the 3,000-meter race on Friday, breaking the will of the collective field and cruising to a 12-second win in 9 minutes, 37.50 seconds – she won gold medals for the Division 1 public schools and Federation. Her time was only second to her 9:31.87 posted at the Penn Relays in April.
More: Track and field: Section 9 athletes win 27 medals at state championships
Saturday photos: 2022 NYSPHSAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Friday photos: 2022 NYSPHSAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
“My plan was to assert dominance pretty early in the race,’’ she said, “just following my own plan and kind of enjoying the race and seeing where it takes me.’’
Baloga said she was not surprised the elites of the field didn’t go with her to challenge because that’s how she visualized it would happen. “I just wanted to hit my splits and then really just try to crush the next couple of laps after that,'' said Baloga, who was close to her goal of a 5:02 first mile. Her complete-lap splits were 73, 77, 79, 80, 79 and 75 seconds.
The big challenge would come the next morning, with only 15 hours to rest and prep for the 2,000 steeplechase and a clash with state No. 1 ranked Angelina Napoleon, a junior at Allegany-Limestone. Napoleon led throughout, with Baloga on her tail. With splits in the 80-82 second range, Baloga trailed by a second after three laps. Napoleon put on the slightest surge on the fourth lap, moving out to a 2-second lead. The leaders ran identical 81 seconds on the final lap, Napoleon winning in a meet-record time of 6:30.59 and Baloga with a personal-best 6:32.58, good for Federation silver and Division 1 gold and taking a quarter-second off her previous best from the Cornwall Steeplefest almost six weeks earlier.
“Sometimes it doesn’t work out exactly the way you want,’’ Baloga said, “but I was definitely happy with how I handled myself during the race.’’ Baloga added if she was a little more fresh (having raced late Friday afternoon) and had altered her tactics perhaps she could have won.
“I felt really strong and I was very happy about that,’’ she said. “That’s one thing I felt really positive about because I think to be able to feel this great, this late in the season is a huge accomplishment. … I feel like I’m not over-raced. So I feel like I’m in a really good spot.’’
Baloga has decided to skip the national scholastic championships this weekend, turning her focus to running steeplechase at the U.S. Junior Nationals in Eugene, Oregon. At that meet she will make the adjustment from 2,000 to 3,000 meters.
Continued success
Section 9 relay teams have won medals in the boys 1,600 36 times since 2002 (Newburgh has 21 of those) and in each of the last seven state meets plus 18 of the last 19 (missing in 2013). … Section 9 girls pole vaulters have won 37 medals since 1999, and at least one in each of the last 10 meets. … Boys sprinters have won 17 medals in the 100 dash since 2009. Boys 110 hurdlers and 400 hurdles have each produced 22 medals since 1999.
It’s been some time
Juliana Juras of Marlboro won a Div. 2 bronze in the girls discus, snapping a medals drought of 10 years in the event. Baloga’s win in the 3,000 meters was the first medal in that event since 2013 (Gianna Frontera of Newburgh, bronze) and first win since 2011 (Aisling Cuffe of Cornwall).
Adam Furman of Tri-Valley earned a Div. 2 silver in the 3,200 meters, the first medal since Warwick’s Tim Luthin won and Martin Hehir of Washingtonville took Div. 1 silver and Fed bronze in 2011. Cornwall’s Div. 1 silver and Fed bronze were the first medals in the boys 400 relay since Newburgh was the overall winner in 2015.
Boys notes
Washingtonville hurdler Elijah Mallard won the Div. 1 and Federation gold in the 400 hurdles, extending Section 9’s gold streak to four meets. He joins Middletown’s Alex Reid, Sullivan West’s Michael Mullally and Newburgh’s Robert Walker and Ryler Gould as multi-gold hurdlers. … Rondout Valley’s Cameron Sands won the Div. 2 100 meters, the first since Marlboro’s Zach Warden in 2014 and the 10th 100-dash champ in Section 9 history. He joins Ganders boys state medalists Willie Coston (2006 high jump), pentathlete Ben Waruch (2007 and 2008) and Steven Wendel (2010 110 hurdles). … Steepler Evan Waterton of Monticello (Div. 1 silver, 9:13.79) extends section medals to five of last seven meets (not 2016 and 2019). Waterton joins Monroe-Woodbury’s Jack Jibb (2015) and Goshen’s Liam Higgins (2018) as only sub-9:15 sectional finishers.
Girls notes
Lily Beattie is the fourth Warwick pole vault medalist (bronze) since the 2017 meet. … Marlboro’s Juliana Juras earned Div. 2 bronze, the first discus medals for Section 9 since Stephanie Calalioto of Cornwall and Danielle Borriello of Ellenville in 2012. The section has 16 discus medals since 2002.
Longest medal droughts
Girls gold: 1) 100 meters, 1999; 2) 400 meters, 2003; 3) High jump, 2006; 4) 3,200 relay, 2008; 4) Pentathlon, 2009
Girls any medal: 1) 200 meters, 2011; 2) 1,500 meters, 2013; 2) 3,200 relay, 2013; 2) Pentathlon, 2013; 5) 100 hurdles, 2017; 5) 400 relay, 2017
Boys gold: 1) Discus, 2001; 2) 800 meters, 2003; 2) 1,500 meters, 2003; 4) Long jump, 2006; 5) 400 meters, 2011; 5) 3,000 meters, 2011
Boys any medal: 1) 1,500 meters, 2008; 2) Discus, 2014; 2) 400 meters, 2014; 4) 3,200 relay, 2016; 5) Triple jump, 2017; 5) Pentathlon, 2017
kmcmillan@th-record.com
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Cornwall's Karrie Baloga dominates at NYSPHSAA state championships
