ROTTERDAM — Mohonasen senior Zionna Perez-Tucker began her busy Tuesday at the Colonial Council track and field championship meet with a victory in the 100-meter dash, and it wasn’t even close.
The 200 and 400 finals she won afterward on her home track weren’t all that close, either.
“The hard part for us is finding her high-caliber competition. That’s why we sent her to Loucks,” Mohonasen head track and field coach Bill Sherman said. “I feel confident in the postseason we’ll see that.”
Perez-Tucker’s postseason officially began Tuesday, but will move to a much higher level a week from Wednesday at the Section II Group 2 championships and at a handful of big meets that follow.
“It’s getting nicer outdoors, and I am going to try to take advantage of it,” Perez-Tucker said.
Perez-Tucker has already popped some impressive times this spring with a winning 24.63 in the 200 at the Glenn D. Loucks Games in White Plains last Saturday, and with a triumphant 11.93 in the 100 at the Harry Koch Colonie Relays the Saturday before.
Both of those times catapulted the Mount St. Mary’s University-bound sprint star to No. 1 on the MileSplit state high school leaderboard.
“I’m just going right now,” the 18-year-old said of those fast times. “I want to give it everything I have before I leave. I want all the school records. I want section records. I’d love to win at states again.”
Perez-Tucker prevailed at the state indoor championships in both the 55 dash and the 300 run as a springboard to this outdoor season, which includes 100 wins at Niskayuna’s Warrior Track Classic as well as at Colonie, and 100 and 200 wins at Bethlehem’s Lady Eagles Invitational as well as at the Loucks Games
“What we’re seeing is the culmination of all the hard work,” Sherman said. “She worked in the summer when no one else was watching, and she worked in the fall when no one else was watching. She is dedicated to the weight room. By spring, she was already primed.”
With no state and national competitions scheduled, Perez-Tucker’s 2021 spring season ended after she picked up wins in the 100 and 200 at the Group 2 championships. The COVID pandemic wiped out the entire 2020 outdoor campaign.
“I want to finish on a perfect note,” Perez-Tucker said. “I am looking for wins and fast times.”
That personal-best 24.63 200 from the Loucks Games has Perez-Tucker at No. 4 on the Section II all-time leaderboard. Her 11.93 100 from Colonie has her tied for No. 2 on the all-time Section II leaderboard with Clarissa Rick of Holy Names (2011).
“Every time that I run, I feel I can do better,” Perez-Tucker said. “I am happy with what I’ve done so far, but I am not satisfied. I want to better myself as much as I can.”
Former Schalmont standout Mia D’Ambrosio, a sophomore at North Carolina State University, has Section II’s all-time best times in the 100 (11.98) and 200 (23.94).
“We trained together before she went to college,” Perez-Tucker said. “I wanted to be her.”
Perez-Tucker matched D’Ambrosio with her state indoor win in the 55 dash. D’Ambrosio was best in that event her senior year.
“She was great to work with. She pushed me,” Perez-Tucker said. “I remember at the indoor state qualifier my sophomore year, before the 300, she goes, ‘You better chase me down.’ I tried to do that and finished second and made the state team.”
Perez-Tucker’s most recent indoor season included not only those 55 and 300 state meet victories, but also Section II’s all-time best time in the 200 (24.10), and a tie for Section II’s all-time best times in the 45 (6.11) and 60 (7.50).
“She is determined to be the best,” Mohonasen sprint coach Tom Howley said. “After winning the state indoor titles, she believes she can win both the 100 and 200 outdoor titles. She wants it.”
Howley said it is more than foot speed that makes Perez-Tucker a unique athlete.
“She has a great desire. She has the work ethic. She listens. She helps everyone. The other day in practice, she was helping the younger kids with their handoffs,” Howley said. “I’ve been doing this for 45 years, and you just don’t see kids like that.”
Aside from next week’s Group 2 championships at Averill Park, other key events on Perez-Tucker’s radar include the June 2-3 state meet qualifier at Shenendehowa, the June 10-11 state meet at Cicero-North Syracuse and the June 16-19 New Balance Nationals at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
“Those are big goals of mine,” Perez-Tucker said of her bid to become Section II’s all-time outdoor leader in 100 the 200. “It’s not a lot of pressure, but I have put a little on myself. I know I only have a couple of meets to do it.”
BOLER WINS FOUR EVENTS
Perez-Tucker and Alexis Brown anchored a team win for the Mohonasen girls. Brown collected victories in the 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles and triple jump to go with Perez-Tucker’s wins in the 100, 200 and 400. Perez-Tucker also won those three events at last year’s Colonial Council meet.
Also on the girls’ side, Erin Boler of Albany Academy won the 800, 1,500, 3,000 and ran the anchor leg on a first-place 1,600 relay, and Uchenna Uba of Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk won the shot put and discus.
Among the boys, Isaac Nevin-D’Allaird of Mohonasen won the long jump and triple jump, Bashin Praileau of team champ Albany Academy swept the hurdles, Joe Simeone of Albany Academy placed first in the 1,600 and 3,000, Baden Seabury of Ichabod Crane win the 100, 200 and anchored a winning 1,600 relay, and Daniel Amasha of La Salle prevailed in the shot put and discus.
GIRLS
TEAM STANDINGS
Mohonasen 112, Albany Academy 85, Voorheesville 71, Lansingburgh 61, Schalmont 60, Holy Names 50, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk 49, Ichabod Crane 48, Cobleskill-Richmondville 29, la Salle 10, Catholic Central 6, Cohoes 4.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
100 — Perez-Tucker (Moh), 12.00; Flint (IC), 13.28; Schroeder (CR), 13.42; 200 — Perez-Tucker (Moh), 25.65; Hughes (Schal), 26.99; Mitchell (LSI), 27.64; 400 — Perez-Yucker (Moh), 57.70; Hughes (Schal), 60.66; Melanson (IC), 62.85; 800 — Boler (AA), 2:26.76; Angleozzi (Schal), 2:30.79; Kirgan (Voor), 2:30.85; 1,500 — Boler (AA), 5:00.27; Sayahi (Voor), 5:04.68; Genevive (Lans), 5:11.01; 3,000 — Boler (AA), 11:09.93; 100HH — Brown (Moh), 15.99; Dove (Lans), 17.52; Brown (IC), 17.63; 400H — Brown (Moh), 70.04; Dove (Lans), 72.02; Vanderwerker (CR), 77.49; 2,000 steeplechase — Dove (Lans), 7:57.82; Sayahi (Voor), 7:58.93; Brick (Voor), 8:56.63; 400 relay — Albany Academy (Choma, Frazier, Gorospe, Mantzouris), 52.54; Schalmont, 53.32; Holy Names, 55.62; 1,600 relay — Albany Academy (Choma, Frazier, Gorospe, Boler), 4:22.55; Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, 4:28.57; Ichabod Crane, 4:30.74; 3,200 relay — Voorheesville (McCarthy, Farrell, Kirgan, Crissafulli), 10:36.43; Holy Names, 10:58.65; Schalmont, 10:59.72.
High jump — Frazier (AA), 4-10 (won on jump off); Seymour (HN), 4-10; Herrick (Moh), 4-8; Pole vault — Ortiz (RCS), 8-6; Valois (HN), 7-6; de Rosier (AA), 7-0; Long jump — Brown (Moh), 17-3; Schroeder (CR), 17-0; Mantzouris (AA), 15-9; Triple jump — Hughes (Schal), 36-5.5; Brown (Moh), 35-9.25; Flint (IC), 35-4; Shot put — Uba (RCS), 37.25; Quinlivan (Moh), 33-5; Drummond (IC), 29-9.5; Discus — Uba (RCS), 130-4; Quinlivan (Moh), 99-11; Hunt (CCHS), 99-5; Pentathlon — Bull (Lans), 1,664; Johnson (Lans), 1,462; Murphy (Voor), 1,351.
BOYS
TEAM STANDINGS
Albany Academy 157, Mohonasen 98, La Salle 82, Lansingburgh 80, Ichabod Crane 42, Cohoes 35, Schalmont 30, Cobleskill-Richmondville 29, Voorheesville 17, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk 17, Catholic Central 2.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
100 — Seabury (IC), 10.94; Gershon (Moh), 11.07; Praileau (AA), 11.15; 200 — Seabury (IB), 22.52; Gershon (Moh), 22.69; Stodghill (LSI), 23.30; 400 — Foote (CR), 50.15; Pochobradsky (Moh), 51.06; Stodghill (LSI), 51.92; 800 — Hayes (LSI), 1:56.77; Simone (AA), 2:05.17; Trolio (Lans), 2:10.21; 1,600 — Simeone (AA), 4:43.71; Haworth (AA), 4:46.57; McIntyre (Lans), 4:48.39; 3,200 — Simeone (AA), 10:47.40; DeMarco (AA), 10:50.22; McIntyre (Lans), 10:51.48; 110HH — Praileau (AA), 14.90; Nevin-D’Allaird (Moh), 15.10; Beckett (Lans), 16.41; 400H — Praileau (AA), 10:50.11; Vartuli (AA), 11:17.08; Meddaugh (RCS), 11:52.92; 400 reay — Mohonasen (Pochobradsky, Phillips, Brazee, Gershon), 45.78; Albany Academy, 46.36; Lansingburgh, 46.62; 1,600 relay — Ichabod Crane (Greer, Barkley, Wall, Seabury), 3:39.15;La Salle, 3:39.83; Cohoes, 3:46.48; 3,200 relay — Albany Academy, 8:33.61; Schalmont, 8:42.12; Ichabod Crane, 8:56.16.
High jump — Farnsworth (Moh), 6-2; Williams (Coh), 6-0; Green (AA), 5-8; Pole vault — May (RCS), 10-0; Cataldo (AA), 9-6; Bashant (Voor), 9-0; Long jump — Nevin-D’Allaird (Moh), 21.75; Prialeau (AA), 21.25; McAvoy (LSI), 19-6; Triple jump — Nevin-D’Allaird (Moh), 43-8.25; Beckett (Lans), 43.75; Williams (Coh), 41-0; Shot put — Amasha (LSI), 48-8; Comino (CR), 42-11.25; Aguiar (Lans), 39-11; Discus — Amasha (LSI), 138-7; Dixon (Coh), 130-9; McConnelee (CR), 127-1; Pentathlon — Loupessis (AA), 2,493; Mahoney (AA), 2,115; Lee (LSI), 1,519.
Categories: -Sports-, High School Sports, Rotterdam, Schenectady County
