An update on the Section 6 high school wrestling season and notes on former Big 30 standouts Marina Miketish (Olean) and Connor Alfieri (Smethport):

For three months, local high school wrestlers have patiently waited their turn.

Now, at least, they can be sure that turn is coming.

The Executive Committee of Section 6 announced Wednesday that it will, indeed, allow a spring grappling season, reaffirming its position from late January, when other “high-risk” winter sports were allowed to begin their season, but wrestling was pushed to the final segment of the athletics year.

At that time, state officials had given the greenlight for such sports to begin playing, but put the onus on local health departments to decide which, exactly, were safe to start and under what circumstances. Those offices within Section 6 (for Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties) were on board with allowing seasons for basketball, ice hockey and competitive cheerleading, but all five were against wrestling — perceived as a greater health risk due to its face-to-face proximity — issuing a joint statement urging the section to either postpone or outright cancel its campaign “until community transmission of COVID-19 is significantly lower.”

In response, the section voted to delay the season rather than deny it completely, making it part of a later spring campaign.

THAT DECISION, then and for weeks after, was met with plenty of pushback from parents and coaches, even some locally, who believed that wrestling was no more a source of transmission than any other high-risk sport, if conducted under the proper guidelines (though even masks were part of the issue, with health departments viewing them as a potential choking hazard in such a combative sport and insisting that athletes wouldn’t be able to both compete AND wear a form of protection against the virus).

But at least they knew a season would eventually take place. And now there’s a specific time frame in place.

Section 6 programs can plan on beginning wrestling activities on the previously approved start date of May 3, one week before the start of the regular spring season (which will run from May 10-June 30). And that applies to each of the counties within the section … except Erie County.

Earlier this month, the Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) confirmed that it has not budged from its original recommendation on Jan. 26 to postpone or cancel wrestling activities. Therefore, the Executive Committee said in a release Wednesday, member schools in Erie County will not be able to conduct a grappling campaign at the approved time.

Section 6 said it will continue to communicate and work with the ECDOH on any potential changes that might result in a season being allowed. To date, the section has had to cancel only one sport during the 2020-21 school year, indoor track and field.

– Former Olean High track and field standout Marina Miketish is excelling in that same sport at the collegiate level.

Miketish, now a freshman at Alfred State, set the school record in the heptathlon at the Brockport Multi & Invitational earlier this week. She turned in a seven-event score of 3,623, breaking the previous record — by a full 40 points — held by 2000 graduate Amanda Penepent (3,583).

Miketish finished in fourth place (of 11 competitors) in that event. On day one, she totaled 632 points in the high jump (1.51 meters) and 619 points in the 100 hurdles (:16.80). On day two, she added another 652 points by finishing the 800 in 2:33.32 and scored 438 points with a leap of 4.54 meters in the long jump.

For her record-setting performance, Miketish was named the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Field Athlete of the Week.

– Connor Alfieri, one of the area’s best scholastic golfers over the last several years and a decorated performer at the District 9, Penn-York and SWNY-NWPA Men’s Amateur levels, has continued his success in the college ranks.

Alfieri earned medalist honors while leading the California University of Pennsylvania men’s team to its league tournament title on Sunday at the Mercyhurst Spring Invitational.

The former Smethport star carded a two-round total of even-par 144 (73-71), finishing four strokes ahead of second place. He was the only golfer to shoot a round under par as he carded a 1-under 71 on day two.

Alfieri is the first Cal U golfer to win an individual title since April 2018 and is the first freshman to win the tournament since Alex Patricio in 2014.

The Vulcan posted a team total of 35-over 611 (311-300) at LakeView Country Club, edging both host school Mercyhurst and Gannon by a single stroke for the league title. Behind Alfieri’s 71, Cal U fired a 12-over 300 in the final round to climb from fourth to first in winning the 10-team event.

It was Cal U’s first invitational title since April 2018.

(J.P. Butler, Bradford Publishing Company group sports editor, can be reached at jbutler@oleantimesherald.com)