Katie Woodford, Emily Woodford, and Chad Noelle have already written quite a bit of track and field history. Before the three seniors finish their high school careers, they’ll have the opportunity to write some more history today and Saturday at the New York State Track and Field Championships.

The trio – the Woodfords from Oxford and Noelle of Greene – will be among the hundreds of young men and women competing for state championships at Caledonia-Mumford High School. Noelle is the defending Division II champion in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races, Katie Woodford is a back-to-back Division II state champion in the 400 meters, and Emily Woodford is among the top contenders in the 200-meter dash.

A few months down the line, Noelle will be running in college for the University of Oregon, while the Woodfords will attend Cornell University. Section IV track and field coordinator, Robb Munro, knows how special this group is. During the outdoor track and field season, Munro has admired all three athletes; the past two years, he has had the opportunity to coach Noelle and the Woodfords during the indoor track and field season.

“In an area like this, we get special athletes from time to time,” Munro said. “These three are among those special athletes. Very rarely do you truly have one of the best in the country at what they do. Chad is one of the elite athletes in America. To put it in perspective, he was sixth in the high school indoor nationals in the mile. Now the mile is a premier event. When was the last time we had a point guard or a running back from around here that was among the top six in the country? We don’t get many opportunities to see that kind of special athlete.”

Noelle and Woodford established themselves early on in their careers in the Midstate Athletic Conference. Noelle holds numerous league records as do the Woodfords. On the sectional level, Noelle has a pair of records, and Katie Woodford is the current recordholder in the 100-meter dash. Emily Woodford, too, has perhaps the second-best time ever recorded in the 200-meter dash. In all, the MAC has three Section IV records, and three came out of this threesome – all in the same year.