BINGHAMTON — While several of Section II’s elite athletes were competing at the national track and field championships last month,

Madalayne Smith was home studying for her social studies Regents.

“If you’re not good at something, you’ve got to work at it, so my mom said I couldn’t go. In our house, it’s academics before athletics,” Smith said Friday afternoon. “It paid off because I did really good on it. I got an 85, so I guess you could say it ended up being a win-win situation.”

The win from an athletic standpoint came on the Binghamton University track, in a thrilling Empire State Games scholastic women’s

100-meter hurdle duel with Western’s Alexandra Van Buren. Had the emerging Saratoga Springs High School star attended the national meet, she would not have been able to compete at the 31st annual sports festival in Binghamton because qualifying took place the same weekend.

“At nationals the winning time was 14.2, and I would have been right there,” said the 16-year-old junior-to-be. “I could have been an All-American, which is something I want, but that’s OK. I’ll get another chance.”

Smith will have a chance today to run for another medal after recording the fastest 100-meter semifinal time Friday morning. Before that, she placed second in the long jump, soaring 17 feet, one-half inch.

“Me adrenaline was up the whole time. You have to have that,” Smith said of her hectic schedule. “You can’t be, you know, ‘Try to do it.’ You have to have the attitude you can do it.”

And Smith did it very well, clocking a 14.37 to win the 100 hurdles and add to her growing list of accomplishments which includes state and Federation championships in the event.

“Pretty good for not training for the hurdles,” said the tall, slender Smith, whose 100 hurdle personal best is a 14.04. “I haven’t run compet­itively since the state meet. It’s been so long.”

With a smooth run, Smith held off Van Buren (14.52), while Western’s Sharlyn Ramirez took third (15.45). Adirondack’s Kelsey Hanson ran seventh (15.87).

“I saw her [Van Buren] arm and I said, ‘I’ve got to go faster,’ ” Smith said afterward. “I don’t like finishing when I see people. I want to finish all alone.”

Smith believed she could do so after clocking the fastest preliminary time Thursday, a 14.41.

“You go in with two different feelings,” she said. “You’ve got to be confident, and believe you have it in you. At the same time, you’re always nervous because you don’t know what’s going to happen. At the Stanner Games at the Armory, I fell on the final hurdle. You remember things like that.”

Smith now has another, much happier, memory.

“I may not be here next year, but I’ll always have this,” she said, pointing toward her shiny gold medal. “It’s nice.”

Klarissa Ricks of Albany won bronze in the scholastic women’s long jump (17-1⁄2) and, like Smith, qualified for today’s 100 dash (12.78) final. The Academy of Holy Names sophomore-to-be is still recovering from an inflamed hip.

“The 100 didn’t go like I wanted, but I made it to the next round, and I’ll try to pick it up,” said the first-time ESG participant, another one of Section II’s underclassmen standouts. “I know I can do better.”

Adirondack recorded a one-two finish in the open men’s 3,000 steeplechase, with Clifton Park’s Adam Quinn (9:33.28) gaining gold and Albany’s Dan Haggerty (9:37.66) securing silver. Christine Sloat (12:02.41) of Ballston Lake won silver in the open women’s steeplechase.

Brina Seguine (38:32.50) of Rensselaer defended her open women’s 10,000 championship, and Fonda’s Shane Smith won bronze in the scholastic men’s discus.