Indoor Track and Field State Qualifiers Head to State Championship on March 8th; Girls’ Basketball Falls to Westlake in the Quarterfinals
Davis Patterson at the Purple Champion meet in early February. Photo by David Fenner.
By J. Murrer and S.Q. DeJoy
Feb. 26, 2025: After winning their respective Section 1 Class C Championships last weekend, members of the indoor track and field teams headed to the State Qualifiers on Sunday to vie for spots at the New York State Championships. It turned out to be a very successful outing.
Three Bronxville relay teams qualified for states. The boys’ 4x800m relay (Julian Gonzalez, Jack Toal, Davis Patterson, and Kieran McBride along with alternates Will Hogue, Grant Patterson, Caspar Smith, and Liam Greenfield) placed 2nd in Division 2 in 8:16.09, and the girls’ 4x800m relay (Finlay Rowan, Emerson Dennis, Ella McCalla, and Maddy Williams along with alternates Carina Winiecki, Jesse O'Gorman, and Carson Kochansky) placed 1st in Division 2 in 9:55.61.
The girls’ team will also send a 4x400m relay team (Juliet Winiecki, Eva Mihova, Ella McCalla, and Kara Kochansky along with alternates Beatrice Hogue, Drake Benton, Elena Tomala-Reidel, and Maria Overby). The 4x400 placed 2nd in Division 2 in 4:06.73.
“It's extra special seeing so many of the relay teams qualify,” said Coach Brian Halling. “As a coach, seeing the buy-in from the entire team and the commitment our athletes have- not just to themselves but to one another- is really rewarding. We will also have the luxury of tweaking our 4x400 lineups in prelims and finals.”
Alex Napolitano and Davis Patterson will compete in individual events at the State Championship. Napolitano placed 3rd overall in the weight throw (59.09), and Patterson placed 2nd overall in the 600m (1:21.07).
Patterson, a senior, holds the indoor school records for both the 300m and 600m events. This marks his second appearance at the Indoor Track State Championships. As a sophomore, he competed in the 4x400m relay alongside his older brother, Pierce, who encouraged him to join the track and field team that year.
The indoor track and field teams have had outstanding success this winter winning sectionals and counties. At the Sectional Championships held on February 16th, the team was far from full strength because of winter break and illnesses, but those who attended truly stepped up and performed well.
“The team scored in nearly every single event across both genders and points were accumulated by veterans and newcomers alike,” said Halling. “It's incredibly rewarding working with such a hard-working group of athletes.”
The New York State Championships will take place on March 9th at Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island.
Girls’ Basketball
Front row (l to r): Grace van Tienhoven, Claire Melchionni, Mary Donohue, Annie Marshall, Claire Kennedy. Back row (l to r): Assistant Coach Michaela Donohue, Lulu Heathwood, Fiona Keveney, Kalliroi Ladas, Elle Ruhanen, Ryan Sipple, Ellie Fahey, and Coach Vic Quirolo.
The Bronxville girls’ basketball team finished the season 17-3 and received the No. 4 seed in the Class A sectional tournament. In the first round of playoffs last Friday, Bronxville defeated No. 13 Byram Hills 45-35, but lost to No.5 Westlake in the quarterfinals yesterday.
In the game against the Wildcats, the Broncos had a 46-39 lead at the end of the 3rd period, but a strong Westlake defense held them to just one basket in the 4th. Westlake moves on to play No. 1 Ardsley in the semifinals at the County Center. No. 2 Pelham will play No. 3 Hendrik Hudson in the other semifinal bracket.
