THE SPORTS REPORTS: CORNING'S FARRELL, NEWARK VALLEY'S GARDNER SHARE TOP SPOT OF BAKER'S DOZEN AS GIRLS 'ATHLETE OF THE WINTER;' TWO OTHER TIOGA COUNTY GIRLS MAKE THE LIST (2024-04-03)

The Sports Reports
Corning senior Taylor Farrell won a state and national title in the race walk, while Newark Valley senior Cha Gardner capped a stellar basketball career with an outstanding senior season. The duo share The Sports Reports’ 2023-24 Girls “Athlete of the Winter.” honors.
 
Farrell won the New York State, and Federation title in the race walk in a school and Section IV record time of 6:40.09. It was also the 12th-fastest time ever recorded in the event by a high school student in the U.S.

Farrell went on to win race walk gold at the New Balance Indoor Track & Field Nationals in a new meet-record time of 7:05.14.

Gardner was simply dominant in the paint this season, leading the Cardinals to the Section IV, Class B championship game.

Gardner averaged a double-double for a second straight season with 22 points and 14.7 rebounds per game. She also averaged 4.96 blocks, 4.1 assists and 2.7 steals in leading the Cardinals to a 21-2 record, IAC South Large School and IAC Large School championships.

She was the IAC South Large School Division MVP, and set the school career scoring record with 1,414 points. She also pulled down 1,072 career rebounds.

The 2023-24 Baker’s Dozen Girls Athletes of the Winter:
Taylor Farrell, senior, Corning Indoor Track: See above.

Cha Gardner, senior, Newark Valley basketball: See above.

Anaiah Kolesar, sophomore, Northeast Bradford wrestling: Kolesar, placed seventh at States as a freshman, won the 118-pound bracket at the inaugural District 4 Championships. After losing her opening match to the eventual champion, Kolesar wrestled back for a third-place finish at the PIAA Central Regional Championships, and battled her way to a fourth-place medal in the rugged 118-pound weight class at the PIAA Championships. She finished the season with a 28-5 record.

RaeAnn Craft, Owego, wrestling: Craft became the first three-time girls champion in Section IV history this season. She also won her second consecutive STAC championship and made her second trip to the podium at the NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling Invitational, placing fifth at 120 pounds, which boasted three returning champions (114, 120 126). She was also the runner-up at the Linda Knuutila Memorial Tournament, and posted a 21-5 record with 15 pins and four technical falls.

Taylor Rae Jones, junior, Williamson basketball: Jones averaged 15.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4 steals and 2.1 assists per outing while topping 1,000 points for her career. She scored 20-plus points eight times and hit double-digits in 21 of the Lady Warriors’ 24 games this season.

Sarah Lawson, senior, Corning indoor track: A state medalist in both the 3,000 meters and 1,500 meters. Lawson placed fourth in the 3,000 in 9:42.24, and fifth in the 1,600 meters in a personal- best of 4:37.15. She became an All-American with a third-place finish in the 5,000 at Nationals in 16:55.83 — a new personal-best and a Corning indoor school record.

Mackenzie LaForest, senior, Waverly wrestling: A pioneer in the sport of girls wrestling, LaForest won her second Section IV title, and reached her third state final to finish off a ground-breaking career.  LaForest, a tw-time state champ, finished her senior season with a 21-3 record. Two of her three defeats came at the hands of Windsor’s Alexis Durdon, who finished fourth at States. (LaForest also beat Durdon twice.) The other loss came in the state finals.

Layla Bennett, senior, Sayre wrestling: Bennett won her first 21 matches this season on the way to a 22-2 record, including 18 pin falls. She won a District 4 title, and a Central Regional title. She was 1-2 at the PIAA Championships, finishing one win shy of a medal.

Hanna Rathbun, sophomore, Athens wrestling: Rathbun finished the season with a 33-6 record, including 30 pin falls. She was second at the District 4 Championships, and second at the Central Regionals. She was 1-2 at States, finishing one win shy of a medal.

Kaylin Sterling, junior, Troy basketball: The power forward averaged 13.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 3.0 assists per game. The NTL “Player of the Year” led Troy to an undefeated league season and final four of District 4 Class AAA Tournament.

Alyssa Parks, junior, Troy basketball: A shooting guard, she averaged 11.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.1 steals. Parks was an outstanding defensive player along with her effort on offense.

Sophia Bonnell, senior, Horseheads basketball: The senior averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 assists and five rebounds a game. Had a 2-to-1 assist to turnover ratio and averaged two steals a game, shooting 41 percent from 3-point range with 73 threes this season and 179 for her career — both second in school history.

Payton Littlefield, senior, Thomas A. Edison basketball: LIttlefield averaged nearly 25 points per game, while being the focus of opposing defenses.  Scored 523 points and hit 90 3-pointers this season, and finished her career with a school record 1,725 points.  She also averaged 6.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this season..