Dryden outdoor track and field excels in postseason

Dryden outdoor track and field has made a habit of putting together strong performances in the postseason, and this spring was no exception.

The two big highlights for the Lions were a runner-up finish for the girls team in the IAC championship and sending two athletes to states. For the former, they knew going in that it would be tough to top rivals Lansing, so they put together a valiant effort to claim silver.

“The girls did what they needed to do,” said head coach Karen Weaver. “I’m a paper and numbers kind of girl, so I said to the girls, ‘Lansing is definitely way ahead of us. It would take them faulting in several events for us to go ahead of them, so our goal right now is to be second overall [in the] Large School, and this is how many points we should get.’ They got exactly the points that we needed. We faltered in some events, but then [in] other events, some of the girls stepped up and did better and earned us some points there.”

Reagan Burnham was the cream of the crop for the Lions this spring. The sophomore won the IAC and Section IV titles in both the 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter runs. At state qualifiers, she finished runner-up in both events to Ithaca’s Avery Whittaker. Since she was the top runner in Class C for both races, she punched her ticket to states twofold. Racing against Whittaker helped bring the best out of Burnham to once again race on the big stage.

“Reagan needed to be pushed,” Weaver said. “When you’re out in front and you think you’re pushing yourself, and even when you know you’re yelling out splits and they’re a little bit slower than what you should be, you can only push yourself so much when you’re that far out in front during most of the season. It was finally nice to see what she could do with someone who was faster than she was to keep right up with her.”

During state qualifiers, she set the school record in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:34.27. The following week in Middletown at states, she one-upped herself by breaking her own mark by just 1.08 seconds. That time helped her place 10th in Class C and 30th overall. She also finished in 10th in Class C and 33rd overall in the 1,500-meter run with a personal-record time of 4:52.20.

Paul Busby was the other Lion to compete at states, doing so in the high jump. The senior took home the IAC and Section IV crowns in the event. While his runner-up finish at state qualifiers would not have been enough to go to states, he got there because of an automatic at-large bid he set earlier in the season with a leap of six feet, three inches. The fact that he only started doing the high jump during this indoor season makes his successful spring even more exceptional.

“It’s incredible to watch the athleticism from someone who just started it in February,” Weaver said. “People who know track and field and the technical stuff that goes into it, that’s quite remarkable to come that far in such a short amount of time.”

There were plenty of other Lions who enjoyed successful spring seasons. Alongside Burnham and Busby, the senior duo of Maysie Davis and Jillian Miller were also Section IV All-Stars. Davis excelled in the jumping events, finishing runner-up in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump at sectionals. She also took part in the 100-meter hurdles as well as a couple of relay teams. Miller was Dryden’s hurdling expert, placing third in both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles at sectionals.

“They’re both definitely driven,” Weaver said “The technical aspects that go into all those events—and Maysie does them quite well—is remarkable to her, too. Jillian has just been working very hard at her hurdles, day in and day out, just wanting to improve anything and everything.”

Jade Brockner has also impressed in the short-distance events. The junior won the IAC championship in 200-meter run and placed second in the 400-meter run.

This season also marked the final one for Weaver, who is retiring after coaching the Lions’ indoor and outdoor track and field teams for 26 years. She was an assistant coach under her brother Lee Stuttle for over two decades before taking the reins as head coach for the past five years. Weaver has played a big part in establishing Dryden as one of the top programs in the area with countless IAC and Section IV titles won and continuous representation at states.

“It’s bittersweet, for sure,” Weaver said. “It’s just time. Why not leave when I still love teaching and still love coaching?”