Lady Yellowjackets Are State Champions in 4×100 Relay

By MONICA CALZOLARI
ONEONTA

Twelve track runners from Oneonta High School qualified to compete at the New York State Track and Field Championships on June 7 and 8 at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. The 4×100 girls team returned home as Division II State Champs, setting a school record with their time of 49.88.

Two OHS girls teams and two boys teams competed, running four different relays. The second girls team ran the 4×400 meter race and finished 13th in Division II with a school record time of 4:07.82. The boys 4×800 meter team finished sixth in Division II with a season-best time of 8:14.02. The boys 4×400 team finished 12th in Division II, also with a season-best time, at 3:32:34.

In the past, OHS has sent only one or two individual track runners on to the state competition. In all, there are 77 runners on the team, 42 boys and 35 girls.

Dave Slater, head coach for the boys team and the sprinters, said, “It is a big deal that 12 of Oneonta High School’s runners [went] to the state competition this year. In qualifiers, the girls 4×100 team came in first overall. The girls 4×400 and boys 4×800 came in second overall, first for Division II. The boys 4×400 came in fifth overall and first for Division II.”

Among the 12 runners are two sets of twins who snatched the 2024 State Championship: Madeleine and Claire Seguin and Selene and Thalia Wellman. These four high-school juniors ran 100 meters each, passing the baton to one another in the race on Friday, June 7.

The second Lady Yellowjackets team—Natalie Wilde, Madeleine and Claire Seguin, and Selene Wellman—ran the 4×400 meter race. That means each sprinted for 400 meters, once around the entire track, then passing the baton to the next teammate for three more turns around the course.

Several OHS runners sprint the shorter distance and also run the longer distance.

Both the girls and boys track teams practice five days a week after school, from 3-4:30 p.m. Some also attend summer camps.

“The two sets of twins practiced together all summer,” said Liz Blasco, mother of the Seguin twins.

Success Factors

The Wellman sisters attribute some of their success to coming from an athletic family.

Selene Wellman said, “My whole family plays sports. My brother ran track and my dad is an athlete, too.”

Selene, who has been running track since the eighth grade, explained why she likes sports.
“I like the adrenaline rush,” she said.

This is Tahlia Wellman’s first year running track.

Madeleine Seguin said, “Neither of my parents are athletes, but my mom was the fastest girl in her school.”

Selene Wellman competes in both the 4×100 and the 4×400 girls teams.

She explained, “We were expected to qualify in the 4×100 category, but beating Unadilla Valley and Sidney in the 4×400 meet [at qualifiers] was a surprise. They beat us all year.”

Several of the girls attributed their success to working hard at practice all season and to having confidence.

Natalie Wilde, a member of the 4×400 team, said, “We wanted to win more than Unadilla or Sidney. We wanted the validation that we got by going to the state competition.”

All five girls who qualified for the state competition agreed that staying hydrated is important.

Tahlia Wellman said, “I drink a Celsius [energy drink] before every race.”

Asked if they follow a strict diet, the girls said no. Wilde likes to eat Fruit Loops before she runs. Selene Wellman admitted, “I eat blue Sour Patch kids.”

Madeleine Seguin said, “I tell myself before every race, ‘I’ve got this.’”

Boys Happy, Too

James Erickson, a member of the boys 4×400 meter team, said, “I am really excited that we qualified to compete in the state championship. We competed against Lansing High School, Groton High School and Chenango Forks High School at Union-Endicott High School [in qualifiers] and we beat all three teams.”

Eli Wilms, another member of the 4×400 team, said, “It is a big accomplishment to qualify to compete at the state level. You can qualify as an individual or as a team. We qualified as a team.”

For some of the boys, track is a family affair. Noah Cotter, who also runs the 4×400, is the son of Assistant Coach Cotter.

Coach Cotter shared his thoughts on 12 members of the track team qualifying, saying, “It’s a wonderful accomplishment that shows how much they work, their dedication, and how working on their craft over multiple seasons has paid off. All but two did indoor track and cross-country.”

Jackson Forbes, on both the 4×400 and 4×800 meter teams, is a third-generation track runner.

He said, “My grandfather would do marathons and my dad was a sprinter.”

Jackson’s grandfather, Dave Forbes, has coached track for 45 years and is retiring from OHS this season. The team honored him with a celebration that included cake and pizza on June 5.

Jackson’s father, Dan Forbes, is one of two OHS track team head coaches, along with Dave Slater. Dave Forbes, Brady Cotto and Cathy Lynch are assistant coaches.

Good Chemistry

Kenyon Ziaie is a member of the 4×800 boys team. He attributes their success to several other factors.

Ziaie said, “We have a lot of juniors on the team. We’ve all been friends since the seventh grade. We work really well together and have good chemistry. We also work really hard. It is not just one person doing well. It’s the whole team.”

Ziaie shared one more reason for his dedication to the sport.

“I am Muslim and we get up at 4:30 every morning to pray,” he said. “This helps me stay disciplined.”

Ziaie wears a medal around his neck of Mohammed, as a testament to his faith.

Eli Wilms said, “You always want to push yourself and beat your previous time.”

He attributes his success to two factors: “The coaches pushing you, and showing up every day and pushing yourself.”