Saratoga's Weilbaker No. 1 in USA

PHOTOGRAPHER: Marc Schultz

Saratoga Springs senior Shea Weilbaker has the fastest 3,200 time in the nation.

Saratoga Springs senior Shea Weilbaker moved to the top of the United States’ 2018-19 indoor track and field leaderboard Saturday with a 9:07.29 for 3,200 meters at the Freedom Games held at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island.

Weilbaker captured the state championship in the same distance and on the same track as a junior when he clocked a 9:13.72. Weilbaker went on to win the state outdoor 3,200 title last spring, and this past fall he added a New York cross country title to his resume.

In mid-December, Weilbaker posted New York’s fastest times in the 1,500 (4:02.94) and 1-mile (4:19.27) at the Army Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational at The Armory in New York City.

Here are a few more notes from the Section II indoor track and field season.

BERG STARRING

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake senior Tyler Berg held the early-season top spot on the national high school leaderboard in the 2-mile run after churning out a 9:19.55 at the Dec. 30 Ocean Breeze Holiday Festival. Berg ran a 9:36.93 in the same race as a junior when he placed third. His time was eclipsed over the weekend.

NEW YORK LEADERS

The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake group of junior David Metacarpa, and seniors Ryan Sheppard, Rece Gobel and Nick Hunziker won the 3,200 relay at the Ocean Breeze Holiday Festival in 8:06.08 for the fastest time in New York this season.

Other state leaders are Shenendehowa senior Jason Dong in the pentathlon (2,062 points, Boston Holiday Challenge Dec. 28), Albany Academy senior Donald Jones in the pole vault (15-0, Ithaca College Bomber Invitational Dec. 8, Springfield Invitational Jan. 6), and Saratoga Springs senior Kelsey Chmiel in the 1,500 (4:32.60, Springfield Invitational Jan. 6).

FAST START

Chmiel, the 2018 national cross country runner-up, opened her indoor season at a Dec. 27 Tri-County Indoor Track League meet at Union College with a pair of easy wins, going 4:38.7 in the 1,500, and 9:45.6 in the 3,000. She is the Section II record holder in both events.

At the Dec. 31 First Night Saratoga 5K, the North Carolina State-bound Chmiel won the female division for the fourth year in a row in a record 16:30.9. Overall, she was 12th among 967 runners.

THREE RECORDS

Mohonasen freshman Natalia Sawyer was a part of three school-record relay efforts turned in by the Mighty Warriors at the Dec. 29 Marine Corps Holiday Classic at The Armory. Sawyer, sophomore Shea Bisner-Boulay and seniors Emily Racana and Navi Shaw took down a 25-year-old school mark in the 800 relay (1:52.40); Sawyer joined with Shaw, Racana and sophomore Kate Sherman to set a record in the sprint medley relay (4:24.81); and Sawyer, Kate Sherman, senior Anna Sherman and junior Emma Sinisgalli combined for another in the distance medley relay (12:54.82).

KEY DATES

The University at Albany will be the site of Suburban Council championships on Feb. 3, the Colonial Council, Wasaren League, Foothills Council and independent school championships on Feb. 10, the Section II championships (four divisions) Feb. 17-18, and the Section II state meet qualifier on Feb. 24. The state meet will be held at Ocean Breeze on March 1-2.

Reach Gazette Sportswriter Jim Schiltz at 518-395-3143, [email protected] or @jim_schiltz on Twitter.