GALLERY: Lady Lions exceed expectations, set the stage for strong 2027
From Staff Reports, photos by Ella Green
In track and field, a lot can be pre-determined based on how individuals finished in events, right down to the last second. Looking at numbers from 2025, the Wellsville Lions girls’ track and field team was predicted to place 11th out of 13 teams.
Over the course of three months, each member of Coach Larry Peacock’s team improved with sectionals lurking.
During the sectional finals, the team jumped up the ladder and finished fourth with 64 points behind champion Haverling, second place Hornell and third place Aquinas Institute.
Wellsville finished ahead of Way-Co, Dansville, Midlakes, LeRoy, Penn Yan, Livonia, Young Women’s Prep, Mynderse and North Rose-Wolcott.
“We were predicted on the lower end of our section, but we had a really great push,” said Wellsville Girls’ Track and Field coach Larry Peacock. “All year, we talked about doing better at the clock. It’s not about being first, it’s not about being second, it’s always doing better. And those girls showed up across the board. Everyone who participated. I know I would forget someone because there are so many that I’m not going to name names, but we had kids in the 100 hurdles, our 4×800, somehow, someway, our kids placed, they got us points and we kept on fighting. At the end, our 4×400 knocked it out of the park.”
The pole vault was a dominating event for Wellsville. Jaden Dunbar won the Section V title with a jump of 10 feet while Selah Ader was second at 8-6.
Another factor for the success overall as a team was Piper Metro who had a 5-foot high jump, good enough to tie for second and finish an inch off a title.
Talia O’Connor took third in the 400 meter hurdles, Olivia Bowen grabbed points in the Steeple and ran an outstanding 3000, “she is definitely on her way to becoming a top tier long distance athlete,” said Coach Peacock
Peacock, we recently was awarded “Educator of the Year,” was pleased with the hard work and performance by the Lady Lions,
“We had a couple of kids who did really well in the pentathlon, we have some great athletes, and that’s how it ended. I was very excited and the team was very excited.”
Coach Peacock was the first to admit the season was challenging, from the competition to the weather:
“It was a climb for the whole season. There were peaks and valleys. And there were valley’s. As an independent, there are not other teams like us in Allegany County andwe don’t match up with other teams in Allegany County because of sheer numbers. But now, we are going up against the Cal-Mum’s, now were going up against the Bath’s, the Letchworth’s, the Warsaw’s, the LeRoy’s, and we are there. We are right there. A little bit more, we have to fill in a couple of spaces, we have to develop our mid-distance a little bit better, our (pentathlon) is going to be really strong and the girls are going to do really good next season.
Jaden, what a great sectional run for her, to grab the sectional title, to really compete at the state qualifiers. Jaden always stepped up, she is a relentless vaulter and disciplined to her craft.
And state qualifiers across the board for everyone was hellacious. We were having headwinds at 36 miles per hour. And I’m going to mention the boys, the 4×400 breaking the record in the wind? Imagine if it wasn’t there what that record would have been!!”
Congrats Lady Lions on a great effort and we look forward to what next season will bring!!
