FROM PRESS ROW: CORNING'S MCKANE, BOOKER ARE THIS WEEK'S ATHLETES OF THE WEEK; UNSUNG HEROES, BREAKOUT STARS NAMED (2021-11-24)

As the fall season winds down, there were only a few sports left playing last week.

However, there were still some big-time performances, and that means another week of Athletes of the Week, Unsung Heroes of the week and Breakout performers of the week.

Let’s breakdown this week’s winners.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK:
ANGIE MCKANE, CORNING, SWIMMING:
Let’s just list off the accomplishments for McKane at the swimming and diving championships.

Went to states in the maximum four events. Won a state title in the 100 fly. Won a state medal (fifth) in the 50 free. Set school records in both events.

Swam the 200 and 400 free relays with her teammates, helped the 200 free relay team finish 11th after sitting 22nd after the first day at states.

Basically another amazing day for a Corning swimmer that has had a season full of amazing days.

McKane broke not only the school record in the 100 fly, but also the Section 4 record, while becoming the school’s first state champion.

In the 50 free she lowered the school record in both the prelims and then again in the final, and she did the same thing in the 100 fly.

What’s even more amazing? McKane is just a sophomore with two more years to swim in high school.

LOGAN BOOKER, CORNING, FOOTBALL:
While the season came to an end for the Corning football team in a close game in the regional final, 20-16 to Cicero-North Syracuse, the Hawks junior had one of his best games of the year.

Booker ran for 201 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries to help lead the Hawks.

All season long the Hawks have had a three-headed monster at running back, and in the biggest game of the year it was the junior of the group who had the biggest game.

Booker started the game strong for Corning, scoring on a 48-yard touchdown on the first play of the game.

Booker also converted Corning’s two-point try to put them up 16-6, before C-NS started their comeback.

UNSUNG HEROES OF THE WEEK:
VANESSA TURNER, CORNING, SWIMMING:
The Hawks have a lot of younger athletes on the team.

From McKane, to diver Brooke Terwilliger to Kara Peters, who made the 200 free and was part of both relays as a sophomore.

Turner is one of the seniors on the Hawks swim team, and she got her first ever chance to swim at the state meet during her last year.

Not only did Turner get to swim the 200 and 400 free relays, she also got to swim in the 500 free at the state meet.

While it’s easy to get overlooked on a team that had a state champion and had state medalists in the pool, and in diving, Turner was a senior leader for the Hawks all season long.

AXL ANDRUS, HORSEHEADS, CROSS COUNTRY:
When Corning goes one through five at the STAC Meet and the Section 4 Championships it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle if you are a Section 4, Class A runner.

However, Andrus had a big year for Horseheads. He finished sixth at the Section 4 championships and had qualified for states.

However, Andrus was forced to miss the state meet and didn’t get a chance to see what he could do against the state’s best.

That was until this week when he got the invite to run at the Federations race. Andrus represented the Blue Raiders against the best runners in all of New York, regardless of class, and was one of just a handful of Section 4 athletes running in the meet.

BREAKOUT STARS OF THE WEEK:
BROOKE TERWILLIGER, CORNING, DIVING:
A year ago Terwilliger would have made states if it hadn’t been for Covid wiping out the postseason.

This year the Corning sophomore got a chance at the state meet, and she showed what she was capable of doing.

Sitting outside of the medals after the preliminaries, and then again after the semifinals, the Corning diver had a big showing in the finals to move up to 10th place and capture a state medal.

Terwilliger has been one of the best divers in Section 4 all season long and at the state meet she showed she is also one of the best in the state.

JACK VANWOERT, CORNING, FOOTBALL:
As a tight end with the Corning Hawks the job is to block, block, and block some more.

The Hawks are primarily a run team, so you aren’t always going to put up big-time receiving numbers as a tight end.

In the regional final, VanWoert, a junior, made the most of the opportunities he did get, hauling in a 36-yard touchdown catch from Landen Burch to help Corning take a lead of 16-6. C-NS came back for the win, but VanWoert made an impact in the receiving game for the Hawks as he got past the secondary, hauled in the catch and dove into the end zone just past the defender.