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_Clifton Park_ Not even a nasty chest cold can slow down Amsterdam sprinter Izaiah Brown. Article continues below this ad Despite the presence of an illness and quality opponents, Brown

battled through the obstacles and put on an impressive performance on the track at the Shenendehowa Invitational on Friday night. The senior took top honors in the 400 meters early in the

meet before winning the 200 in a time of 21.66, less than a second ahead of runner-up Doug Williams of Kingston. "I'm fighting a chest cold right now, it's bad. I can't

breathe, it's hard," Brown said. "When I was running the 400, it hit me and my chest tightened up. I was pushing through it. The (200) final was amazing. I was in there with

fast competition. I couldn't wait to get on the line. With 100 to go, I could see the shadows coming up behind me." Brown later anchored the Amsterdam 1,600-meter relay to the win.

Article continues below this ad Shaker senior Thomas Hale staged a late rally to win the 1,600 with a narrow margin over Shen's Tyler Schmidt. Hale finished in 4:25.14 with Schmidt

trailing at 4:27.60 Schmidt took the lead at the beginning of the last lap but Hale had enough left to come back for the win. "Tyler Schmidt is an amazing athlete. I was really worried.

I had to hold on and not let him get away from me," Hale said. "In the last 100, I had to give it all I had. It's nerve-wracking. A lot of people like a tactical mile. It

terrifies me. It was so close and intense." Article continues below this ad Schmidt came into the race looking for a personal-best time and though he fell short, he matched his previous

standard. "We took it out a lot slower than I wanted to," Schmidt said. "With 200 to go, I took it out. It was hot but it didn't work out." The Shen boys won the

team title. The Plainsmen girls captured a title too, led by a standout performance from Alexandra Tudor. Article continues below this ad The freshman won the long jump before winning the

200 in a field that featured Albany High standouts Jahari Coleman and Mercedes Johnson. Tudor got off to a good start and took the lead off the stagger with 100 meters left and held on for

the win in 25.18 with Coleman second in 25.69. "I was very excited, but I was nervous because she (Coleman) is a very good, well-rounded sprinter. I was scared," Tudor said.

"Once we got out there, all those fears just kind of go away and it is just me and the track." Shen's Sarah Knowles won the 400 with a time of 56.41. Article continues below

this ad The senior, headed to Villanova in the fall, enjoyed performing on her home track during Shen's first invitational meet. "It feels amazing. I love this track more than

anything," Knowles said. "It is such an interesting atmosphere here because it is never like this intense or exciting. "I feel at home." Tedi DeMaria of Bethlehem was a

double winner with victories in the pole vault and triple jump. Article continues below this ad _Sean Martin, a local freelance writer, is a frequent contributor to the Times Union._