BOYS TRACK & FIELD: WAVERLY'S CHANDLER PICKED AS TIOGA COUNTY SPORTS REPORT 'BOYS TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE OF THE YEAR' (2019-06-22)


2019 All-Tioga County Boys Track & Field Team

Tioga County Sports Report
TIOGA COUNTY — It was a good year for Tioga County’s male track & field athletes — including three who earned podium finishes twice each at the state championships.

Owego’s Nate Bowers and Cameron Szabo, and Waverly’s Isaac Chandler accomplished the feat to steal the spotlight on the 2019 All-Tioga County Boys Track & Field Team.

Chandler pulled it off in two individual events to edge out the Indians’ senior duo for the 2019 Tioga County Sports Report boys “Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year” honor. He was also named the “Boys Field Athlete of the Year” for placing third at states in the Division II pole vault.

Like the vault, the Wolverine junior also qualified for states via the “super standard” in the 110-meter hurdles and placed eighth in Division II.

Chandler won the Section IV overall and Division II titles at the state qualifier, and the Section IV Class B and IAC Large School and overall championships in the pole vault. In the hurdles, he won the IAC Large School and overall titles, and the Class B crown. He took second in the IAC pentathlon, but did not compete in the event at the state qualifier.

Bowers and Szabo capped their high school careers with three trips to state championship events during the senior campaigns — cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field.

By virtue of his third-place finish in the Division II 3200 run at states, Bowers edged out Szabo (eighth in the Division II 800 at states) and Candor hurdler Lance Jensen (fifth in the Division II 400 hurdles at states) for the “Boys Track Athlete of the Year” award.

The classmates ran together on the school record-setting 4x800 relay, which placed sixth at states and would be selected as the “Boys Track & Field Relay of the Year.” Derek Sarrge and Lewis Race rounded out that relay.

At the state meet, Bowers was cut off and crashed to the track surface during his leg of the relay, costing Owego a shot at a possible top-four finish and a new school record.

Bowers won the 1600 run at the Section IV Class B meet and placed fifth in the 800 at the STAC championships. He also won the 3200 at the Section IV Division II state qualifier while the 4x800 relay won D-2 and was second overall. Bowers and the relay previously qualified for states via the super standard.

The “Boys Track & Field Newcomer of the Year” is Waverly seventh-grader Ralph Johnson. He was sixth in the 200 and seven in the 100 at the IAC championships, and fourth in the 200 and sixth in the 100 at the Section IV Class B championships. he also ran a leg of the fourth-place 4x100 relay at IACs.

Owego’s Greg Woolever is the “Boys Track & Field Coach of the Year.” He mentored five athletes who achieved podium finishes in four events at the state championships — Bowers in the 3200, Szabo in the 800; Saarge, Bowers, Szabo and Lewis in the 4x800 relay; and Colby Selover (eighth in Division II discus).

In all, nine Tioga County boys qualified for states this year — with six reaching the podium to cap an impressive spring season.

2019 All-Tioga County Boys Track & Field Team
Track & Field Athlete of the Year — Isaac Chandler, Waverly

Track Athlete of the Year — Nate Bowers, Owego

Field Athlete of the Year — Isaac Chandler, Waverly

Newcomer of the Year — Ralph Johnson, Waverly


Pentathlon — Isaac Chandler, Waverly

3,000 Steeplechase — Collin Wright, Waverly, 12th place-NYSPHSAA Division II

100 — Caden Bennett, Newark Valley

200 — Caden Bennett, Newark Valley

400 — Lewis Race, Owego

800 — Cameron Szabo, Owego, 8th place-NYSPHSAA Division II

1600 — Levi Mickelson, S-VE

3200 — Nate Bowers, Owego, 3rd place-NYSPHSAA Division II

110 Hurdles — Isaac Chandler, Waverly, 8th place-NYSPHSAA Division II

400 Hurdles — Lance Jensen, Candor, 5th place-NYSPHSAA Division II

High Jump — Dylan Ward, Waverly

Long Jump — Caden Wheeler, Waverly

Triple Jump — Micah Williams, Newark Valley

Pole Vault — Isaac Chandler, Waverly, 3rd place-NYSPHSAA Division II

Discus — Colby Selover, Owego, 8th place-NYSPHSAA Division II

Shot Put — Lucas Frank, Newark Valley

4x100 Relay — Newark Valley (Raidyn Ford, Steve Cowulich, Micah Williams, Caden Bennett)

4x400 Relay — Candor (Corey Whatley, Jeb Parillo, Caleb Vaow, Lance Jensen)

4x800 Relay — Owego (Cameron Szabo, Nate Bowers, Derek Sarrge, Lewis Race), 6th place-NYSPHSAA Division II

Honorable Mention
800 — Dylan Ward, Waverly, 19th place-NYSPHSAA Division II

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IN PHOTO: Waverly’s Isaac Chandler.