HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' TRACK AND FIELD: CORNING'S RUFFIN AND JENNINGS EACH FINISH FOURTH IN STATE (4 PHOTOS) (2024-03-02)
By Brian FeesSouthern Tier Sports ReportSTATEN ISLAND — Corning’s Zuri Ruffin and Nathaniel Jennings each came home with fourth-place state medals to highlight the performance by locals at the New York State Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Ruffin was fourth in the long jump at 22-feet, 1 1/2-inches and Jennings was fourth in the pole vault at 14-feet, 6-inches. Jennings was also fourth in the federation.. Ruffin was also fifth in the federation.
Ruffin also had a 19th place finish in the 55 meters in 6.66.
For both Corning athletes this is their first time on the podium at states.
“It feels great,” Ruffin said. “I really wanted to make the podium. I have been telling myself I’ll make the podium since my freshman year, I finally did it.”
For the Corning junior the game plan was just to go out and have a good time.
“Just have fun,” he said. “Don’t get overwhelmed. Just have fun.”
For Jennings it was his first ever trip to the state meet and he made it a special one.
There was some adjustments as the meet went on for the senior.
“I came in, I didn’t feel great on the runway, so I came in a lower height than normal and just kept feeling better and better and better as I went,” Jennings said.
The Hawks senior hopes to have a chance to keep competing after high school.
“Post high school I want to go to a service academy and hopefully vault for them,” he said. “I plan to walk onto one of the teams. I’ve been in contact with some of the coaches, and we’ll see what happens.”
"They were both very, very close to their personal best and both of those things, pole vault and long jump are such technical events, pressure is a little higher on that stage and it’s really rewarding to see them both go down there and perform very well," Corning coach Ray Lawson said. "Zuri has been very dialed in in practice, just getting stronger and faster in the long jump. Several times over 22 feet, you can see his hard work is paying off, he has excelled in the 55, did a great job in the 55 hurdles, ran an excellent leg of the 4x4 relay in state qualifier meed, showing talent across a wide range of events. I'm proud of how hard he is working, it's great when your talented athletes are leading by example with their hard work.
"In the pole vault Nathan has been really focusing on technique and we have a volunteer pole vault coach, Coach Adam Sarafin who was a very talented collegiate pole vaulter, 17-3 pole vaulter, very elite pole vaulter who lives in Corning, works for Corning and just has really brought our pole vaulters to another level, knows the event, knows how to make adjustments, make sure they have the right poles. Pole vault such a specialized, technical event and Nate has really bought into he’s a pole vaulter and he’s going to be an elite pole vaulter and he’s really showing it. He’s had a couple attempts at 15 feet, we believe he can get that, he believes he can get that. Exciting for him is outdoors you have so many more opportunities to vault, indoor you can only simulate the best you can, you really can only vault at meets, outdoor track you can pole vault in practice, I think that will help Nate and all our pole vaulters."
Corning’s Dexter Badger, Wyatt McDonald, Alex Kolpien and Ruffin finished 21st in the 4x400 relay in 3:37.14.
Gregory Homa was 27th in the 1000 meters in 2:44.13.
Jaxyn Mahoney was 21st in the 600 meters in 1:24.53.
Adam Thomas was 21st in the weight throw with a PR of 54-feet, 2 1/2-inches.
Dylan Rose was 27th in the high jump at 5-feet, 10-inches.
DJ Cornfield just missed placing in the 1600 with a 4:17.63, finishing ninth.
"DJ had an eight second personal best in the 1600," Lawson said."He had a 4:25 personal best this year and he ran a 4:17 at the state meet which is a very elite time, which was one of the fastest time we have ever had indoors. That qualified him for nationals next week in Boston. He just missed medaling by a few tenths of a second. It was a great performance at the state meet."
Horseheads team of Bradock Salisbury, Chase Luangsuwan, Ryan Anderson and Samir Gulati finished 23rd in the 4x200 relay in 1:43.61.
Gualti joined Ross Bush, Amar Music and Michael Doyle to represent Section 4 to take 12th in the intersection distance medley relay. The team finished in 9:17.99.
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PHOTOS BY SHEILA SUTTON.
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