Newly Formed BFA-Fairfax Track & Field Teams Make Debut

By SHAWN CORROW
Messenger Sports

ST. ALBANS - The newly-formed and school-endorsed BFA-Fairfax boys and girls track and field teams made their Franklin County debut on Tuesday at a four-team meet hosted by Missisquoi at the Collins-Perley Sports Complex.
Fairfax co-head coach Cheri Audet (who works with co-coach Maria Short and assistant coaches Tom Grace, Beth Barden and Middle School coach Ellen Sternberg) said the kids were the driving force behind the creation of the team.
"Two years ago we only had one athlete, Aidan Grace, who participated in track as an independent, training at BFA-St. Albans with Mike Mashtare," said Audet. "Last year, there were 11 kids and this year that trained at BFA and competed as independents."
This winter, interest was high enough that a group of parents went to the school board and athletic director and asked to form a team.
The school was glad to assist in that regard and now the team is a club team for two seasons and after that, assuming all continues to go as well as it does now, the team will become a full-fledged varsity sport at the school.
Audet said there's conflicting reports as to whether this is the first-ever BFA-Fairfax track team. It's probable a team existed at some point during the long 100-year history of the school, but this incarnation of the sport in Fairfax is the first in a generation, at least.
Certainly, there are several outstanding athletes in the program, as witnessed by several first place finishes by Bullets in Tuesday's meet with MVU, Burlington and Winooski.
Audet said forming a track team was a daunting process, but one that was made much easier by the enthusiasm of the student-athletes involved and their parents, too.
"It's been a true group effort," said Audet. "This is a really special bunch of kids. I'm thrilled to be coaching them. I know the kids are excited to be competing, too."
There are 38 kids in the program, including a thriving Middle School program.
The school now picks up transportation costs for the team, but the members themselves raised all the money they needed for equipment. The Parent Teachers Students Association (PTSA) bought the team new uniforms.
"There are so many people we need to thank for getting us started," said Audet, who named Tiffany Gilbert, Dan Gibson, St. Albans Eagles Club, Tony Audet, Carol Stanley, Tom Grace, Ellen Sternberg, Beth Barden, Fred Griffin, Mike Mashtare, Bob Corey, Dan Marlow, Mike Brown, Scott Lang, Tom Walsh, Peg Stewart, Dell Stewart, the BFA-Fairfax school board and the BFA-Fairfax PTSA for helping get the team off to a great start.
The team trains at BFA-St. Albans two days per week and three days at BFA-Fairfax, which is without its own track.
In the girls team scores on Tuesday, Burlington won with 108.5 points. MVU had 71, Winooski had 41.5 and BFA-Fairfax had 37.
In the 100-meter dash, Fairfax's Lindsay Stanley won with a time of 13.87 and teammate Garner was second with a time of 13.90.
In the 110-meter hurdles, Jeanine Audet was third with a time of 19.46, MVU's Melissa Rixford was fourth (19.70) and MVU's Yaasha Wheeler was fifth (19.75).
In the 200, Fairfax's Stanley won in a time of 29.25. Garner was second in a time of 29.94.
In the girls 300 hurdles, Fairfax's Audet was first in a time of 54.02. Fairfax's Abby Lidster was fourth (1:03.08) and MVU's Rixford was fifth (1:03.37).
Fairfax's Stanley won the 400 in a time of 1:10.88.
MVU's Rachael Kneebone was second in the 800 (2:58), BFA's Sophie Grace was third (3:04.31), MVU's Jen Wilcox was fourth (3:08.53) and Fairfax's Whittemore was fifth (3:13.34).
In the 1500, MVU's Sarah Flint was third (5:40.28).
In the 3000, Flint was the runaway winner in a time of 11:57.96. Wilcox was fourth (14:35.49).
MVU's 4x800 team of Flint, Kneebone, Wilcox and Danielle Beliveau was first in a time of 12:28. BFA-Fairfax's team was second 13:29.
In the 4x100, BFA-Fairfax won in a time of 58.18 and MVU's team of Melissa Rixford, Becca Gladden, Wheeler and Selena Menard was third in a time of 59.18.
Menard was fifth in the shot put for MVU (24-2).
Wheeler was second for MVU in the long jump (13-10) and Menard was fourth (12-8).
Elizabeth Dufresne was second in the high jump for the T-Birds and teammate Beliveau was fourth (4-0).
Wilcox won the javelin for MVU (82-10), and teammates Chelsea Clark (82-7) and Karen Gates (71-3) finished second and fourth, respectively.
Dufresne was fifth in the discus for the T-Birds.
Wheeler was third in the triple jump for MVU. Menard was fourth (26-7) and Rachel Larose was fifth (22-4).
In the boys portion of the event, Burlington won with a score of 127. MVU had 107, Fairfax had 31 and Winooski had 11. MVU coach David Turner said the Seahorses swept the pole vault because they were the only team with competitors and if you take out those 14 points, his team came very close to beating a good Division I opponent.
"I've very happy with the way both teams competed today," said Turner, who had the meet over and done with around 7 p.m., a solid feat of organization pulled off with the help of many parents who stepped forward to time and score the event.
In the 100, MVU's Nate Peno was second and BFA-Fairfax's Brian Senesac was fifth (12.74).
In the 110 hurdles, MVU's Bryce Bachelder was third (23.41).
In the 200, MVU's Jack Fuller was second (25.19), MVU's Ryan Young was fourth (26.12) and BFA's Senesac was fifth (26.72).
In the 300 hurdles, Bachelder was third for MVU (58.31).
In the 400, MVU's Taylor Renaudette was second (58.78), BFA's Barbour was fourth (1:00.88) and MVU's Harrison Gates was fifth (1:02.12).
BFA-Fairfax's Ryan Duprat won the 800 in a time of 2:22.53 and MVU's Marc Tardiff was second (2:25.90).
In the 1500, MVU's Jon Brueckner was first in a time of 4:29.75. Fairfax's Connor Gibson was third (4:49.52), MVU's Ben Gates was fourth (4:52.52) and Harrison Gates was fifth (5:11.12).
In the 3000, Brueckner won in a time of 9:28.17. Ben Gates was third for the T-Birds (10:39.78) and Duprat was fourth for BFA (10:53.85).
MVU's 4x800 team of Tim Godin, Tardiff, Young and Ben Gates won in a time of 9:50.8. BFA was second in a time of 10:19.4.
MVU's 4x100 team of Peno, Fuller, Tardiff and Young was first in a time of 49.75. BFA was second in a time of 51.52.
MVU's 4x400 team of Harrison Gates, Ben Gates, Renaudette and Bachelder was first in a time of 4:13.58. BFA was second in a time of 4:21.56.
Fuller was second in the high jump (6-3), Renaudette was third (5-2) and Tardiff was fourth (4-10).
Jack Fuller was second in the javelin (112-6), Ben Fuller was fourth (96-0) and Fairfax's Lantagne was fourth (79-6).
MVU's Corey Allard was fourth in the discus (79-0) and MVU's Alex LaFrance was fifth (70-6).
Renaudette was third in the shot put (35-5), Lantagne was fourth (25-7) and LaFrance was fifth (25-5).
Peno was second in the long jump (17-0) and MVU's Nate Petig was fifth (12-4).
Young won the triple jump (33-4), Josh Brueckner was third (26-0) and Petig was fourth (23-7).
"When you host a meet you really rely on your kids to be self-directed because you can't spend a lot of time coaching them," said Turner. "But these kids today did everything we asked them to do and were just great. I'm very proud of the way they helped each other and worked hard today. I also have to thank all the parents who helped, too. We couldn't have pulled this off without them."