SOUTHERN TIER SPORTS REPORT: HUNTLEY HEADLINES TERRIFIC 10 FEMALE ATHLETES OF THE WINTER SEASON (2023-03-25)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
There were some amazing performances this winter season, making for some tough choices when it came to the top female athletes of the winter.

In the end we did a Terrific 10 all-Southern Tier Sports Report list of the best female athletes of the winter season.

The first seven athletes are listed in no particular order, and then we have a second runner-up, runner-up and female athlete of the winter season.

TAYLOR FARRELL, CORNING, T&F:
Finished eighth in the federation in the 1500 race walk at the NYSPHSAA Indoor Track and Field Championships to earn a state medal.

Finished in 7:17, a personal best by 18 seconds.


She finished 30th in the giant slalom, and 25th in the slalom at states.

Both races improved her time, and place, from a season ago at the state meet.

JADE COOK, CORNING, WRESTLING:
One of the few returning wrestlers from last year, when Cook was a sectional runner-up in the first year with a sectional wrestling tournament for girls, Cook was again a sectional runner-up, and she was also the only local to place at states, taking fourth at 160 pounds in the first New York State girls’ wrestling championships.

She finished the year 21-7.

SARAH LAWSON, CORNING, T&F:
For the second straight year Lawson was an All-American in the 5K at New Balance Indoor Nationals.

She finished in 17:12, an 11-second personal best to finish sixth at nationals.

PAYTON LITTLEFIELD, EDISON, GIRLS’ BASKETBALL:
Edison’s Payton Littlefield was this year’s offensive player of the year for the all-STSR girls’ basketball team. She averted 21.4 points a game, along with 3.7 assists and 2.7 steals a game for the Spartans.

SHANNON MALONEY, ND, GIRLS’ BASKETBALL:
The only girls’ player in the area to average a double-double this season.

Scored 18.4 points a game with 14.3 rebounds a contest. Also put up 3.1 steals and recored 4.1 deflections a game.

ANNA ZAHRADKA, CORNING, GYMNASTICS:
One of two Hawks to compete at the state gymnastics championships, at the highest finisher among the two.

Zahradka, a senior, was 21st in the all-around competition and she won the Sportsmanship Award for Section IV.

She was 20th on the floor exercise with an 8.85 and 25th on the balance beam at 8.65.

SECOND RUNNER-UP:
JALEA ABRAMS, ELMIRA, GIRLS’ BASKETBALL:
Abrams scored a school record 483 points this season and ended her career with 1,397 points, which is good for second all-time in Elmira history. Abrams averaged 26.8 points a game and 3.3 steals per game on the season.

RUNNER-UP:
VICKY MORDVINOVA, ELMIRA, T&F:
The Elmira senior took fifth in the state in public school in the 1000 meters at the NYSPHSAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Mordvinova was fifth in the state, and sixth in the federation, in a personal best time of 2:53.70.

The Elmira standout added a 17th place finish in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:53.30.

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WINTER:
EMILY HUNTLEY, HORSEHEADS, BOWLING:
She led Section 4 with a 212.11 average this year. Then, she went to states and average 221 over 6 games, shooting 1,326 to finish second in the state. She also had the second best game of the day at states with a 266. How good was Huntley? She would have placed 14th out of everyone at states all weekend, boys and girls in all divisions.

Huntley was this year’s All-STSR bowler of the year. And, this year we are doing an overall bowler of the year, between the boys and girls, and that’s Huntley as well as she was absolutely dominant all season long, not only among the girls, but her scores would have had her as one of the highest averages on the boys side this year.