The Indoor Season has begun to heat up, as January is typically the point in the Season where big performances start to emerge. The weekend lived up to the hype, and there was plenty to talk about. Here are the 7 biggest stories of the weekend.
Note: Another top mark of the weekend on the girls side got their own story. Check out Camryn Cole's feat here.
1. In her first race since her Champs National Title win in Cross Country, Karrie Baloga (Cornwall) is proving that her speed hasn't gone anywhere. In what would be a six second PR on her Outdoor Track time, Baloga stormed to a 9:25.64 win at the Hispanic Games over the weekend. The mark lands at NY #5 All-Time for the event, standing tall with some of the biggest names of our sport, and with plenty of time left in the season to improve.
2. Running on a flat track, Kate Putman (CNS) managed to have the best double of the weekend. To open, she threw down a State Leading time of 2:54.92 in the 1000m, a good indicator her 1500m is looking to drop once again. Later in the same meet, she came back in the 4x800m, to lead her CNS team to a State Leading 9:24.53.
3. Keeping in the trend of reigning State Champs continuing to rule their event, Julie Thomas (Commack) was the first girl over 40-feet in the State, the first over 41-0, and now the first over 42-0. At her weekday meet in Suffolk, she threw a State Leading 42-3 personal best.
4. It was a big weekend for the mile, as Millrose qualifying has kicked into high gear. Zariel Macchia (William Floyd) ran 4:56.66 to win the Hispanic Games, a new NY #3. The mark was split as 4:39.68, the State Leading mark overall. Kliesch Mile 8th fastest freshman
5. There was another name of note amidst the miles over the weekend. Katelyn Kliesch (Notre Dame Academy) took home 3rd place in 4:59.49. That now stands as the 8th fastest mark by a freshman for the event since the year 2000. Plenty of room to improve.
6. She was the top returner from 2022, and Jaice Dorsey (Susan Wagner) is living up to the billing in 2023. She cruised to a State Leading 8.36 in the 55m Hurdles to win the Ocean Breeze Freedom Games.
7. It's been a busy weekend in the racewalk, with marks dropping fast in the city. But the top mark in the State comes from Rochester, and not from the defending State Champ. Alexa Governor (Williamson) raced to a 7:13.52 personal best to establish the new benchmark.
