I figured I would do it now
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- July
- 21
Sorry I haven’t posted in a little while, but I needed to take some time off after the state meet. Anyway, I’ve been covering the sport for a little while now and I felt you should know that, unfortunately, I am leaving the paper and won’t be with you in the fall. As some of you knew I taught 10th grade social studies in Washington Heights and at the end of June I was laid off. The wife and I figured this was as good a time as any to move to Massachusetts (my wife’s home state).
I just wanted to thank everyone for reading the blog, posting your comments, voting on the polls and following the top sport in Section 1 while I covered it. Whoever will cover cross country this season will probably be an upgrade, so at least that’s a positive. I am disappointed, however, that I won’t be covering cross country this season. As much as I like track, I have to admit cross country is definitely my favorite. And I know it’s early and most of the running camps haven’t really gotten under way and the practices aren’t in full swing, but since I won’t be here when the season begins, I figured I would post some predictions and then we can see how accurate I am come November.
Boys
Class AA - North Rockland (Kevin McKenna) – The Red Raiders are bringing back the majority of the team that won the Rockland county title and was, along with Arlington, upset by Suffern a year ago at sectionals. I think Mahopac could have a real solid year and Arlington you know will retool, but North Rockland is the team to beat heading into the season. Suffern’s the defending champs and I believe it has the best runner in McKenna, followed by Nick Hughes and James McDonough, but Suffern is only returning McKenna and Mitchell. And North Rockland, while the team did graduate Carrington has plenty of talent behind Hughes in Charlie Lagros, James Naglieri and Charles Brophy to name a few.
Class A – Fox Lane (Manu Kumar) – Fox Lane is the defending champs and returning four runners from a year ago should be the favorite, but it was that fifth runner last year that nearly kept them from a sectional title. You would figure the team should develop one runner to take that fifth spot. Last year it was nearly 90 seconds that separated runner 5 from 6. If they falter than Brewster is my choice. The team is led by sophomore Charlie Carr, who is surround by seniors – John Carr, Neeraj and Mike Thomas. Greeley is a senior heavy team and Somers had a year to retool. Yorktown probably doesn’t have enough depth behind Kumar.
Class B – Byram Hills (Chris Cioffoletti) – This was a two-team meet last year and Pearl River and Byram Hills should be at it again. Byram is bringing back its full top five including Joe Violone, while Pearl River is moving on without Hickey. You can’t count out Pearl River and I think new coach Mike Kiernan who is taking over for Jim Gurci should do a good job, but he has a big gap to replace. Right now Byram is by far the top team in this class. There are other top individuals – Max Robinson (rye) and Jim Hertzel (Putnam Valley), but there’s only one top-to-bottom team right now.
Class C – Dobbs Ferry (Julian Saliani) – Irvington graduated a lot last year and Dobbs Ferry should have more or less the same crew with the Wortner brothers – Patrick and Brendan. Irvington will be in the mix, but as long as Dobbs came fill out that fifth runner spot they should be OK, especially with having two of the top three runners in the class. Saliani could be in for a big season. You have to keep an eye on Pawling with Freyer and Bronxville is probably a year or two away.
Girls
Class AA – North Rockland (Jessica Tobin) – Talk about a different feel. For five years Shelby Greany was the talk of this class, now Suffern has new runners and new coaches and Lou Hall and Tom McTaggart both retired. Again watch out for Arlington – this team always retools. But North Rockland could be the team to beat. It did lose Gamboli, but its next four best runners – three were freshman, one was a sophomore. Jessica Falcon and Ellie Hekker will be looked on to lead this team. Clarkstown South probably doesn’t have enough behind Jessica Tobin. White Plains is still a year or two away, but the Trelstad sisters could lead this team to a title before they graduate.
Class A – Ursuline (Jacqueline Pollack) – Ursuline did graduate its best runner in Katie Sullivan, but this team proved last year it has the depth to withstand a loss like that. There’s a good mix on this team and sophomore Mary O’Shea looked real good last year as a freshman. There’s enough senior leadership on this team to defend their title, but I would be concerned if the team can’t find someone to break into the top 5. At this point I would say they should be able to, but Tappan Zee and Brewster will be right on Ursuline’s heels. Brewster will struggle at the backend with runners 4-5. But watch Tappan Zee. It brings back all five runners from a team that took second last year.
Class B – Pearl River (Chelsea Kushner-Erica Guerin-Kelli VanHouten-Kerry Guerin-Molly Shine-Maria Kohlbrenner) – That’s right! In an unprecedented maneuver Pearl River’s top six runners all cross the finish line at the same time. It’s so perfect the automated timing can’t separate who finished before whom and each runner is awarded a first place medal. No, probably not likely, but Pearl River is clearly going for a state championship. Keep in mind this is a team that ranked in the top 50 in the country last year. There are other individuals who are really talented in this class – Megan Young (Nanuet), Jessica Kendzor and Breeda Mannion (Kennedy), but no team will challenge Pearl River, not at this meet anyway.
Class C – Bronxville (Meredith Rizzo) – Bronxville graduated an all-time great team last year. It arguably had three of the top runners in the class. But this is a team that can rebuild and do it quickly. It still has Henrietta Miers, Rizzo, Amelia Phillips, Mary Cain – this is a team that was led by seniors a year ago to one that will be focused on a lot of 9th graders, obviously Miers will be looked on to be one of the leaders of this young group. Normally a team with this much youth you don’t know what to expect, but I don’t see who could beat them. Again there are goo individuals – Libby Lazare (Pleasantville) and Sarah King (Dobbs Ferry), but I don’t see any team toppling Bronxville, not this year anyway.
Well that’s it. I’ll try and keep up with cross country this fall. Good luck to all the coaches and athletes, and once again, thanks for your passion for the sport.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 at 8:07 pm by Dan Marra. 
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Dan Marra began working for the Journal News this past September. He graduated from Manhattan College in 2004 and from John F. Kennedy High School in 2000. While at Kennedy, he ran cross-country and track. He is excited to be covering the sport that he participated in throughout his four years in high school. Dan loves all sports, but has, what some may say, an unhealthy obsession with the New York Giants.
Matthew Ng has been with Varsity Central and The Journal News sports department for the past two years handling high school beats such as skiing, bowling, girls soccer and tennis. Ng is a 2004 graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School with his major in broadcast journalism.
Casey Tolfree spent her high school career playing Section 1 sports at Dobbs Ferry and is excited to have the opportunity to cover them for the Journal News. After graduating from St. John's University, Casey joined the Journal News staff in December 2007 and has covered a variety of sports including basketball, softball, and volleyball.
you do know that there is a class D in XC right? I assume that since the schools are small the student/athletes of those schools are lesser individuals… think what its like to be a student at a school that is just ignored by EVERYONE. Just post that students in Class C are worthless and do not deserve a mention…
katherin Doyle Sleepy Hollow, maybe should have kept that a secret but watch out for her.
On a personal side good luck Dan. Thanks for your time and coverage. Best to you. Just hope someone does cover the sport.
Well done, Dan and welcome back. Keep it coming.
Sorry, Dan. I had skipped over your introductory remarks when I posted my last comment. Let me start again—I, personally, think you did a terrific job giving attention to these otherwise forgotten athletes. There were, at times, criticisms by a vocal few, but I think the “silent majority” very much enjoyed your columns and blogs, and fully appreciated the challenges you faced it securing coverage of this sport at the Journal News.
Good luck in Massachusetts.
good stuff, except there is no way saliani will beat brandon freyer. freyer will be one of the best in the nation, and definitely will be challenging straneva at states.
Cya Dan
Bye Bye
no one cares about class d, the winning time last year was over 22 minutes. there are at least 20 kids on my team alone that could run that time. Not to mention the fact that most years only one team has enough people to compete making predictions absolutely pointless. Also class D teams rarley compete in meets (ive never seen one at a meet other than xc sections and have never seen one at a track meet) which makes it nearly impossible to do predictions for them.
any way, i agree with section 1 runner, freyer will be one of the best in the section up there with McKenna and Hughes imo.
and LOL at Runner
I predict that the class D team that has 5 runners will win.
Now that the one person from class D who reads this is taken care of…I think that freyer will dominate the section now that that Muller, Doherty, Hickey are out of the mix. The top team for guys will be North Rockland. The Pearl River girls will dominate the section on the girls side. I possibly see a state championship out of them if they can get their girls to improve from what they accomplished last year.
Honestly let’s take a poll does anyone really care about Class D? It only exists because of the upstate schools that are out in the boonies. Idea – let’s merge C and D together. The spring meet was a farce leaving home great athletes and relays in the larger schools and allowing an easier road for qualifiying for the under 600’s. 22 minute kids get to go to states in cross while athletes running 2 minutes or more have to stay home. Wow something wrong with that. Anyway Dan good luck to you and the new family in Mass. you did a fine job. Make sure you burn that Yankee cap before moving into the Red Sox nation.
Actually Mr. Blah Blah based upon the number of D schools in New York State (286) probably more of them should be brought to the state meet. Class D has more than double the next classification schools (Class C with 134), while Class B and Class A each have 122. Class AA only has 107 schools. So instead of posting, perhaps you should be training and then you may get to the state meet.
Actually he was speaking about Class D in Section 1 – really fine cross programs in those schools – and you think it is ok to send those athletes when very fine ones are left home? Please get a grip.
Section 4 has only 4 Class AA schools. So following your suggestion, should Section 4 not send a Class AA representative? I doubt if you would agree. Section 1 has 12 Class D schools who can opt to participate in xc or not according to their wishes. The state meet is for all the schools of New York and is not tailored to any one specific section. Again, rather than complain about not going, get out and hit the roads and qualify.
Best of luck, Dan. Thanks for your work covering our sport over the past few years. I wouldn’t leave Annie Field out of the class C girls mix—she was 5th at sectionals, I believe, with an off race and then 17th at states last fall.
Oops-actually Annie was 6th at Sectionals. Still, 17th at states as a sophomore should put her in the mix for Section 1 x-c this fall. Good luck in Massachusetts, Dan!
Metropolitain Area Conference wins Empire State Liberty Tour held in Queensbury NY this past Sunday. Wonder if we we see the results in JN? In any event… Local atheletes did participate. Saw many familiar faces. This event was the answer for the cancellation of the Empire Games. The Mills family took up the torch and made the event happen, maybe under a different name but the same format. Even saw a 75 year old woman break the WORLD receord in pole vault. So from Bantom to Masters it was a great day and many of our local athletes helped score for the win.
Nice work, Dan. Many of us have enjoyed your effort and perspective. Your writing always included an enjoyable, personal touch.
On that note, if you have the time, come back to your roots at JFK Catholic High School in Somers, NY. As a former JFK runner & alumni, you can come to witness the running of the 48th Annual JFK Catholic Sterling Invitational on September 26,2009. For a complete picture, just google DyestatMetro. Click calendar and you will see that we are an ESPN RISE Dyestat featured meet this year.
In any event, good luck in Boston. Ciao.
So, shall we assume that XC/Track has been dropped altogether by lohud/Jnews. There has been no activity on these blogs or in the papers for five weeks.
Hope the Journal News coverage of X-Country & Track will be picked up soon. I think many followers now missing it.
Doesn’t look good, does it. There does not seem to be any coverage coming.
Yes, we are looking forward to some blogs, especially the section in the Journal News about the upcoming fall season and who to watch. When will that be published??
Hopefully someone out there can reply.
Pawling-Section 1: This will no doubt start a debate going into the season, but with B. Freyer running as the team leader this fall and his spring 14:49 5k on the track, they will have quite a team this fall. Behind Freyer will be a team that will boast 5 sub 5:00 1600M runners and 2 more sub 11:00 3200M runners. They will have Matt Jorgensen, who enters his frosh year after running in their top 3 last year in 8th grade. Names to watch include Freyer, Yu, Maruzzella, Mayette, McGee, Callan, Swick, Jorgensen, and Nagasing. Good depth and a well coached team can mean some serious business as the season progresses. They will be looking to put their name back on the map in NYS as the state meet in 2010 will be at their home site.
Irvington – Section 1: 3rd place last year at the NYS championships, this team finished the season as the #5 ranked team and will begin this season in the same spot, but expect to see them move up as they are led by Julian Saliani who has 2:00 800 speed, 4:24 1600 to qualify for outdoor states this past spring. They graduated one of their top runners, however they have some runners that will step up and try to keep their section 1 title from leaving their river town and heading north to Pawling.
Dobbs Ferry – Section 1: Finished the 2008 season ranked #9 and return the Wortner brothers who train as hard as anybody in NYS. They both finished in the top 30 last year and will look to improve on that. Older brother, Patrick, now a senior ran 9:54 in 3200 and ran at spring state meet. Brendan, now a soph. ran a 10:16 indoor 3200. With 2 very solid runners leading the team they will look to pack in 3 more scorers to take a shot at defending section 1 champs Irvington and highly ranked Pawling.
Bronxville-Section 1: Sophomore Dayton Flannery will lead this team. He qualified as an individual last year as a frosh and ran 4:36 in 1600 and qualified for spring state meet in the steeplechase. He will lead a very young team, as he will be backed by soph. James Harrison (5:03 1600); his own 8th grade brother John Flannery (5:06 1600); Frosh John Vetromile (5:11 1600): soph. Tyler Grantham 4:50 1500; and a pack of other young runners at 11:30-12:00 for 3200.
All good stuff above except for the same old drek putting down the local Class D teams that are trying to build their programs here. You do all remember that the Class D teams were allowed to go off course at Bowdoin in the Sectional meet, which resulted in the top two teams’ runners running 10 or so minutes extra distance and losing out to the weak number 3 team whose runners were sent the right way. It would be nice if the Section 1 coaches could show a little support for guys like the Alexander Hamilton coaches who are producing top Class D runners like Arnold Lane who posted a 146 Tully rating in his senior year, a score that would have put him high up on the #3 and #4 Class C teams in 2008.
As to Class C in 2009, A-Track has the ranking order and numbers basically right. With Freyer leading a pack of 6 seniors and freshman phenom Jorgensen, Pawling should be back big from off year in which they had no one in top 10. Irvington acually lost two of their top three in Matthews and Menard plus Lippin, but they always have a pack that comes on strong as the season gets colder. Dobbs has one other top 20 runner, Epstein, returning to back the Wortners and needs to develop new blood. Broncos have a youth movement building behind Flannery. B. Wortner and D. Flannery were the 1st and 5th fastest frosh from all classes in the States last year, so the young guys are coming on strong to fill the gap left by five departing seniors from last year’s top 10.
On the girls side of 1-C, the Broncos could challenge again for the state title even after losing Hudson and Flannery and also Bruton, and Miers looks very ready to push the team for another likely nailbiter with Rhinebeck in the States backed by an extraordinary frosh/8th grade pack. Fields and and mainly intact Irvington should only get better as they get older, and the Jelineks and Pawling have pretty much all of their feet back for the battle for 2nd. Dobbs and Hastings have most of the runners back from fairly young squads and will be in the hunt. P-ville’s Lazare is the top returning runner, and all 5 of last year’s at-large group for the States is back for another showdown.
With some really fun battles brewing in the other classes, this should be a great fall. And as for Dan, a belated thanks. Great job and you deserved a lot better than you got here.
Yeah yeah yeah if Katherine Doyle runs for sleepy hollow this season watch out dobbs and irvington.
Flanders writes “Yeah yeah yeah if Katherine Doyle runs for sleepy hollow this season watch out dobbs and irvington.”
Sleepy Hollow is Class B. Dobbs and Irvington are Class C.
rivalaries span class. And it just matters who is the fastest when they cross the line. But thanks runner. Keep your eyes open for Katerine, if you blink she maybe missed.
Will do, Flanders. I am not familiar with her, but certainly wish her well. There are new faces every year that surprise. That’s one of the great things about this sport. Just don’t put too much pressure on the poor kid. Hopefully, you’re not her dad
.
UMMMM flanders. before you open your mouth and insert your foot. Check tullyrunners database and you’ll see that Katherine is more than a 1:30 back at Bowdoin behind King and Field. Alson what do you mean watch out dobbs and Irvington? Last time i checked it takes 5 runners to make a TEAM.
nah not her dad. just a fan of the school and Katherine. She is an up comer with talent. PRE it does take 5 runners to make a team and well I would agree with you that it is all about the team but most of the stuff written in this blog is about this guy or that girl so I just wanted to point out one kid who has potential. Katherine has 3 more years to prove herself watch her do it. Thats all. Bests to all this season. And most of all I hope the JN gets someone to pick up X-C and track and field.
Speaking of cross-class competitions, the new league setup for XC is great and should have been done long ago. To have B-orC Irvington, Hastings, Dobbs, Sleepy Hollow, and Ardsley in a Rivertowns-type league really helps the communities and is also a big boost for the girls since the Class C schools don’t have to run mainly against teams that only have boys teams. Throughout Section 1, this should be a big help to getting local interest going.
Is anyone gonna pickup the ball here and run this blog. It would be nice!
Katherine Dolye breaks the course record at Rockwood Hall.
who cares
Pre- Katherine Dolye won her league meet. Not bad for a Freshman. Now whose foot is where?
Tommy – “who cares” all the girls behind her. And any coach who sees her at the starting line. And you enough to write a comment. Thanks. And Field and King for helping them run faster to try to catch her. Congrats to both Field and King as well. They ran great races, on one of the toughest courses around. It is obvious that competiton brings out the best in all runners.
Still no team
Between soccer, field hockey and volleyball it is hard for a small school to have a full rooster for girls X-C. I think the SLEEPY boys team is over 40 athletes.
In any event without a team, to score as a team, Katherine continues to excell. She has been faster than any other pereson who is a member of a team.
I really don’t like being wise but the reply “still no team” is a pretty lame come back. Using the name PRE I thought you could come up with something more apreciative of her accomplishments. But then again the real PRE did not like to get beat either. Lets hope all the runners continue to succeed in the post season.
This is yet another example of how the fantastic sport of Cross Country gets thoroughly ignored in almost all aspects. So disappointed.
You would think that we would have someone putting up something in the blog. Every other sport has one, and we barely get cooverage as it is. I guess they don’t really care, but its more for the kids. When XC kids realize they don’t get as recognized as much as their soccer or football teams, it hurts them a lot and might even make them change sports. Its not fair for them, and it should be changed
ditto
Okay, here’s the rundown from the Dobbs site of the Varsity races for the Section 1 Coaches meet, with all references to Dobbs removed so that no ranting-and-rating guys coach won’t buck up and go ape cracky over here. Should be a lot of great races though the weather will be wet and decently warm. And yes, Flanders, I do think KD will do very well, possibly getting as high as 7th, even though she’s teamless and headless. That’s called the loneliness of the long distance runner.
Note that there have been changes for the Coaches meet this year since they are trying to create 3 balanced races. Some of the races appear to be stronger than others by the Tully Ratings (TR), but they’ve done a good job and gotten some top matchups. Will be loving watching the battle in Girls V3 between Pearl River and B-ville. Great also to have Honeoye Falls – Lima coming east.
Boys
Varsity 1. Honeoye Falls – Lima at 170.0 TR is the 3rd strongest team at the race and should win out over Brewster (165.4) and Suffern (165.0), with Pawling 4th. This could be the best individual battle with four runners sporting 180+ ratings. 26 runners have a 160+ rating. 7 of the 1-C teams are in the race.
Runners top 30: Alex Deir (HFL) 187, Steve Mangen (HFL) 186, Brandon Freyer (Pawl) 185, Quinn Raseman (Ward M) 182, Isaiah Miller (Mdltown) 177, Tyler Frigge (Suf) 176, Kevin McKenna (Suf) 175, Charlie Carr (Brew) 172, Kevin Hoose (HFL) 171, Mike Thomas (Brew) 171, Max Robinson (Rye) 171, James Hertzel (PV) 170, Daniel Siegel (GNS) 169, Johnny Mitchell (Suf) 169, Jesse Mitchell (Suf) 167, Tommy Vandenburg (Mam) 166, Tom FitzPatrick (Carm) 166, Derek Lake (PineB) 165, John Carr (Brew) 164, Adam Miele (Brew) 164, Mike Turi (JJEF) 163, Cameron Rasmussen (HH) 162, Mason Curtis (Rye) 161, Tim Yu (Pawl) 160, Nathaniel Deboever (Ont) 160, Justin Harris (Scars) 160, Harry Maher (NewRoc) 159, Taylor Love (Rye) 159, Neeraj Suryanarayanan (158), Harrison Quamily (NewRoc) 158.
Varsity 2. Fox Lane at 167.4 looks to be the 4th strongest school at the meet and should beat out Arlington (162.0) for 1st. Monroe Woodbury (156.4) should battle Pearl River for 3rd. 22 runners have a 160+ rating. 4 of the 1-C teams are in the race.
Runners top 30: Edward Owens (PackCol) 184, Manu Kumar (Y) 180, Julian Saliani (I) 175, Christopher Sacks (FL) 174, Christopher Mitchell (FL) 172, Jamie Mitchell (FL) 171, Kendall Ward (JO’N) 171, Jorge Garcia (LP) 169, Cord Sgaglio (FL) 169, Carter Humphrey (Y) 167, Chris Repecki (Har) 167, Matt Fritzer (SachE) 166, Sean Egan (MW) 165, Russell Vignali (CN) 165, Ryan McKallan (PR) 164, Brian Wylock (Arl) 163, Justin Decker (Arl) 162, Nick Paolozzi (Arl) 162, Phil Rascona (SachE) 161, Sebastion Hanson (Arl) 160, Jacob Adams (Saund) 159, Eddie Merenda (Arl) 159, John Baranik (JO’N) 158, Jaan Grondahl (Eastch) 158, Chris Cruz (LP) 158, Jake McNamara (MW) 158, Anthony Anzaloni (MW) 158, Mike Richards (SachE) 156, Spencer Fausel (Edge) 156, Pat Kohlbrenner (PR) 156
Varsity 3. This race pits top team North Rockland (173.4) against 2nd strongest team Washingtonville (171.0), with Byram Hills probably getting the 3rd place. 6 of the 1-C teams are in the race.
Runners top 30: Nick Hughes (NR) 187, Martin Hehir (Wash) 182, Daniel Hyman Cohen (Stuyv) 182, James McDonough (Maho) 176, Pat Wortner (DF) 175, James Naglieri (NR) 175, Vinny DiSalvo (Wash) 175, Charlie Lagos (NR) 175, Joe Violone (BH) 173, Robert Gorecki (Som) 170, Mike Debronsky (Beac) 169, Brendan Wortner (DF) 169, Dayton Flannery (Brx) 169, Ryan Rasmaren (FrAc) 169, Owen Skeete (Wash) 168, Chris Cioffoletti (BH) 168, Nick Bien-Amie (NR) 167, Edmond Maloney (Wash) 165, Nick Morais (Wash) 165, Ryan McTague (Wash) 164, Conor Mallon (NR) 163, Konrad Surkont (Stuyv) 163, Peter Gelston (WP) 163, Avery Sternglass (Xav) 162, Ethan D’Souza (Nisk) 162, Albert Tunas (Som) 162, Jamie Love (BH) 161, Charles Conway (Som) 161, Mathew Soyk (WP) 160, Joey Moschitto (Briar) 160
Girls
Varsity 1. Although this race has the least strong field, it has the best matchup of teams at the meet. Medium-Small perennial powers Pearl River and Bronxville square off in a battle for 1st and the Pirates at 106.4 hold a neglible margin over the Broncos at 106.2. If the ratings go to form though, Pirates would win by about 15 due to their depth in the 7-17 positions, so Broncos need big races from their 3rd through 5th runners. Suffern has the advantage over Brewster and Niskayuna for 3rd place. 17 runners have a rating of 100+. 4 of the 1-C teams are in the race.
Runners top 30: Ursula Svoboda (Suf) 131, Jessica Tobin (CS) 130, Lauren Hehir (Wash) 127, Henrietta Miers (Brx) 125, Meredith Rizzo (Brx) 116, Ariana Bottalico (Brew) 125, Kerry Guerin (PR) 111, Maria Kohlbrenner (PR) 110, Deirdre Dwyer (Spack) 108, Gina Talt (Mam) 108, Erica Guerin (PR) 108, Annie Field (I) 106, Courtney Cramer (Suf) 103, Nicole Zazzero (Brew) 102, Amelia Phillips (Brx) 102, Ceili Morrow (PR) 102, Keeley Bateman (PR) 101, Katelyn Garvey (PR) 99, Argentina Chrappa Brx) 99, Eleanor Trelstad (WP) 98, Chelsea Kushner (PR) 98, Shannon Trent (Nisk) 97, Caitlin Ladaro (PR) 95, Leigh Ann Labate (Nisk) 95, Molly Shine (PR) 94, Elizabeth Trelstad (WP) 93, Sarah Costa (CH) 92, Kristen Harrington (Montic) 92, Miriam Munn (Brew) 90, Serina Saari (Brx) 89, Courtney Campbell (Brx) 89, Heather Ipsen (Nisk) 89
Varsity 2: By TR this race is the strongest and deepest. It features a good battle between the #2 NYS-B school in Honeoye Falls – Lima versus the #5 NYS-AA school in Arlington, with HFL holding a 118.2 to 115.2 advantage in the average TR. Tappen Zee has the lead over Pawling for the 3rd place plaque. 24 runners have a 100+ rating. 4 of the 1-C teams are in the race.
Runners in top 30: Amanda Moreland (HFL) 137, Caitlin Jelinek (Pawl) 127, Emily Singer (Har) 125, Hayley McMahon (Arl) 125, Jacqueline Pollack (TZ) 125, Rachel Serina (Arl) 123, Jessie Brunet (HFL) 119, Taylor Jo Gillen (TZ) 118, Ruth Steinke (HFL) 118, Katherine Doyle (SH) 114, Alison Hoh (HFL) 110, Hannah Cole (HFL) 110, Kaylin Breiter (HFL) 109, Victoria Sanford (Arl) 109, Josephine Boyle (Arl) 107, Katherine Henry (ND) 107, Taylor Hock (PineB) 105, Zoe Nagasing (Pawl) 104, Kimberley Allen (Mdletown) 104, Megan Jaskot (TZ) 103, Sarah Biggers (LP) 102, Mallory Mecca (Arl) 102, Emily Waligurski (Ont) 101, Kerri Butler (ND) 100, Emma Wisdom (JJCR) 98, Olivia Beltiani (Arl) 98, Rebekah Steinke (HFL) 97, Allison Ryley (Arl) 96, Megan Curran (TZ) 96, Carolina Casin Silva (LP) 94, Lindsay Asselmayer (Arl) 94
Varsity 3: The top team, Monroe Woodbury, is in this race and should be able to beat a strong North Rockland squad for the title with a 120.2 to 114.6 advantage. Nanuet looks likely to grab 3rd place. 20 runners have a 100+ rating. 8 of the 1-C teams are in the race.
Runners in top 30: Megan Petrignelli (MW) 136, Nicki Nessi (Pel) 132, Elizabeth O’Donnell (MW) 129, Kira Garry (FrAc) 125, Alexis Hatcher (NR) 123, Sabrina Brooks (MW) 117, Ellie Hekker (NR) 117, Alexandra Capello (Scars) 116, Jessica Falcon (NR) 112, Carly Kiess (MW) 112, Gabrielle Drummond (JJEF) 112, Jenna Holt (Carm) 111, Kelsey Eselman (MW) 108, Sarah King (DF) 108, Kaitlyn O’Grady (NR) 107, Hannah DeMartino (Nan) 106, Christina Clarkin (MW) 105, Kristen Schnalzer (NR) 104, Molly Gardineer (Maho) 103, Libby Lazare (Pl) 101, Nora Howe (Hast) 99, Gabrielle Robert (JJEF) 99, Eve Marenghi (Som) 97, Jennifer Boyle (MW) 95, Rachel O’Connell (Som) 95, Katherine Aguiler (Nan) 94, Kailey Dwyer (NR) 94, Courtney Cox (NR) 94, Emma Sander (Hast) 91, Lauren Wilt (Hast) 90, Danielle Kennedy (AM) 90
Uh, actually make that Girls V1 for the PR and Bville battle at the Coaches.
Don’t leave out Sachem East and Alex Saavedra in the Varsity 2 boys race. Maybe the favorite to win the race both as a team and an individual.
And Joe DiRienzo at 170, Saavvedra is at 186. Thanks much. I started my search for Sachem E in the middle of the AA list and missed most of them. That evens up the three boys races as V2 looked a little weaker than 1 and 3. Sachem is at 167.8, a little ahead of Fox Lane in TR. Should be another great battle between pretty closely matched teams as Sachem, Fox, and Arlington go for the win.
Flanders, Bronxville is a small school with a 14-0-1 field hockey team and a top level girls soccer program and they still put out great xc teams every year, saying Sleepy Hollow is a small school is a stretch when Dobbs Ferry, Bronxville, Irvington are smaller and put out teams.
fyi – all sports blogs are now under one site- http://gamedaycentral.lohudblogs.com/
but they hardly mention xc
As it turned out, Sachem East didn’t need to be mentioned for the Coaches after all, though I could have sworn I saw a Sachem bus there. A lot of teams were missing key runners, and Pawling ran their JV team in the Varsity meet. At the Coaches meet under the slop conditions, it’s hard to make real judgments. But six guys from 1-C who toughed it out and ran better or around their norm on an abnormal day were the Wortners, the Flannerys, Saliani, and Orton of Dover, plus Hertzel of Putnam Valley ran just a shade off his recently escalated pace.
The girls were seemingly more affected by the mud, especially because they alternated in after a boys race ate the course, but the Broncos Meredith Rizzo brought in her best day ever and looks like she might even challenge Miers and Jelinek for the top spot at the Sectionals.
HollyGOlightly it is all demographics go figure.
Again, for the blog that wouldn’t quite die even if it has to crawl through the mud, a preview from the DFXC site of the three upcoming County meets (Rockland 10/29, Westchester 10/31, Northern 10/31) with DF refences removed. Meets are at Bowdoin, Somers, and Bear Mountain, respectively. Expecting a few good battles along with some domination, as only the Westchester boys and North Rockland girls contests look to be fairly close.
Westchester County Meet
Last year Iona Prep’s Sean Halpin was the boys winner and Scarsdale, Iona Prep, and Byram Hills finished 1-2-3. Katie Sullivan of Ursuline was the girls winner and Ursuline, Bronxville, and White Plains took the top 3 spots. This year the situation is very different, with only Byram Hills and Bronxville being strongly in the running for their respective team titles.
The boys battle looks to be a great tussle with Fox Lane (167.0 Tully Rating average), Byram Hills (163.0), and Horace Greeley (162.0) being the strongest contenders. All ran well at the Coaches meet, though Fox Lane failed to finish 5 runners. New Rochelle is maybe the 4th best team based on Saturday’s meet. The individual contest pits last year’s runnerup, Manu Kumar (179) of Yorktown) against a pack of contenders, four of whom beat him head-to-head in the Varsity 2 race at Coaches. The six-pack with TRs 4-5 points behind him include Irvington’s Julian Saliani (175), Dobbs Ferry’s Patrick Wortner (175), Byram Hills’ Joe Violone (175), Horace Greeley’s Henry Koster (175) and Kyle Eager (175), and Fox Lane’s Christopher Sacks (174). Last year’s #3 Max Robinson (173) of Rye is also in the running for the top spot.
On the girls side last year’s runnerup Bronxville is a giant favorite with no other team even close to the Broncos’ 106.8 TR average. Judging by the Coaches meet, the host Somers team with an 85.8 TR and Horace Greeley at 85.2 might well be battling for 2nd and 3rd. Although finishing only 35th in 2008, Pelham’s Nicki Nessi (132) has exploded this year and is the big favorite. Last year’s #3, Emily Singer (125) of Harrison is the leading contender along with Bronxville’s Henrietta Miers (123). The Eagles appear to be about 10th coming in and are chasing fellow 1-C teams Irvington and Hastings.
Boys top 30: Manu Kumar (Y) 179, Julian Saliani (I) 175, Patrick Wortner (DF) 175, Joe Violone (BH) 175, Henry Koster (HG) 175, Kyle Eager (HG) 175, Christopher Sacks (FL) 174, Max Robinson (Rye) 173, Christopher Mitchell (FL) 172, Dayton Flannery (Brx) 172, Brendan Wortner (DF) 172, Jamie Mitchell (FL) 171, Robert Gorecki (Som) 170, Chris Cioffoletti (BH) 168, Carter Humphrey (Y) 167, Christopher Repecki (Har) 166, Cord Sgaglio (FL) 166, Jorge Garcia (LP) 164, Tommy Vandenberg (Mam) 163, Albert Tunas (Som) 162, Peter Gelston (WP) 161, Marc Violone (BH) 161, Charles Conway (Som) 160, Jamie Love (BH) 160, Justin Harris (Scar) 160, Tom Hefferon (IP) 159, Cameron Rasmussen (HH) 159, Mason Curtis (Rye) 159, Taylor Love (Rye) 159, Joey Moschitto (Brcf) 158, Chris Cruz (LP) 158, Matthew Soyk (WP) 158, Jacob Adams (Saund) 158
Girls top 30: Nicki Nessi (Pel) 132, Emily Singer (Har) 125, Henrietta Miers (Brx) 123, Meredith Rizzo (Brx) 118, Jessica Kendzor (JFK) 118, Alexandra Cappello (Scar) 114, Katherine Doyle (SH) 113, Sarah King (DF) 108, Annie Field (I) 106, Gina Talt (Mam) 104, Amelia Phillips (Brx) 102, Sarah Biggers (LP) 101, Argentina Chrappa (Brx) 99, Libby Lazare (Pleas) 98, Nora Howe (Hast) 98, Carolina Casin Silva (LP) 97, Emma Wisdom (JJCR) 97, Carlie Britten (Urs) 96, Elizabeth Trelstad (WP) 95, Eve Marenghi (Som) 95, Eleanor Trelstad (WP) 93, Courtney Campbell (Brx) 92, Camey Hess (HG) 92, Rachel O’Connell (92), Jackie McCarthy (Urs) 91, Emma Sander (Hast) 90, Brooke Biederman (HG) 89, Emily Polstein (Hast) 89, Sarah Costa (CH) 88, Rachel Sweeney (JJCR) 88
Northern Counties Meet
In 2008 Arlington dominated both sides of the contest, winning the team titles and having Jared Leslie and Rachel Sorna win individual crowns. Brewster and Mahopac were 2nd and 3rd for both the boys and girls.
Always the giant at this meet, the Admirals may get a strong challenge on the boys side this year. Brewster at 165.2 has a negligible advantage over Arlington in the TRs, but the important factor is how runners from other schools such as #3 rated Pawling (159.0) will affect the matchup. Based on the TRs, Arlington would win 50-61. The top rated runner coming in is Pawling’s Brandon Freyer (185), with 2008 #3 Mahopac’s James McDonough (180) staying in range. Brewster’s top duo of Charlie Carr (172) and Mike Thomas (171) hope to open some space between them and Arlington’s tight pack in the 7-15 spots.
Arlington’s depth on the girls side should let them dominate as their 112.8 TR is well ahead of Brewster (90.8) and Pawling (84.0). The battle for the individual title should be much closer as reigning champ Rachel Sorna (125) of Arlington is neck and neck with teammate Hayley McMahon (126) and Pawling’s Caitlin Jelinek (126).
Boys top 20: Brandon Freyer (Pawl) 185, James McDonough (Maho) 180, Charlie Carr (Brew) 172, Mike Thomas (Brew) 171, Mike Debronsky (Beac) 169, James Hertzel (PV) 169, Justin Decker (Arl) 168, Mike Lotocky (Arl) 166, Tom Fitzpatrick (Carm) 165, Sebastion Hanson (Arl) 164, Bryan Wylock (Arl) 164, John Carr (Brew) 163, Adam McIe (Brew) 163, Eddie Mirenda (Arl) 162, Mike Turi (JJEF) 161, Nick Paolozzi (Arl) 161, Tim Yu (Pawl) 160, Blake Calabrese (Beac) 157, Neeraj Suryanarayanan (Brew) 157, Justin Maguire (Brew) 157
Girls top 20: Hayley McMahon (Arl) 126, Caitlin Jelinek (Pawl) 126, Rachel Sorna (Arl) 125, Ariana Bottalico (Brew) 115, Jenna Holt (Carm) 109, Gabrielle Drummond (JJEF) 109, Victoria Sanford (Arl) 107, Josephine Boyle (Arl) 104, Molly Gardineer (Maho) 103, Mallory Mecca (Arl) 102, Nicole Zazzero (Brew) 101, Zoe Nagasing (Pawl) 100, Lindsay Asselmayer (Arl) 99, Gabrielle Robert (JJEF) 98, Olivia Beltrani (Arl) 98, Allison Ryley (Arl) 96, Morgan Meaney (Pawl) 91, Miriam Munn (Brew) 90, Alex Desarden (Maho) 87, Serina Hughes (Maho) 87
Rockland County Meet
Three teams juggled the top three places last year as North Rockland, Suffern and Pearl River went 1-2-3 for the boys, and Pearl River, North Rockland and Suffern got the top spots for the girls. Individual winners Mike Hickey of Pearl River and Shelby Greany of Suffern graduated, so a slightly new cast of characters battle for the top spots.
For the boys, North Rockland is one of the top 5 teams in the state at 175.6 and should easily handle any challenges from Suffern (164.0) and Pearl River (152.6). Last year’s runnerup, Nick Hughes (189) of North Rockland, is the top rated NYS runner and is far ahead of the meet’s other top runners. The main drama here should be to see who among the group of five runners with 170+ ratings get the runnerup spots.
The girls side could see a closer battle, though again North Rockland (112.2) is favored to unseat reigning champion Pearl River (106.6). Going by the TR placements, North Rockland would win 46-62. Tappan Zee has a slightly better TR than Pearl River at 106.8 but projects to finishing about 10 points behind the Pirates for 3rd. Nanuet at 99.2 and Suffern at 95.4 also look to be in contention. Last year’s #3, Megan Young (138) of Nanuet, is the favorite over Suffern’s Ursula Svoboda (131) and last year’s runnerup, Jessica Tobin (130) of Clarkstown South.
Boys top 20: Nick Hughes (NR) 189, James Naglieri (NR) 177, Kevin McKenna (Suf) 274, Tyler Frigge (Suf) 174, Charlie Lagos (NR) 174, Brett Bernard (NR) 171, Conor Mallon (NR) 167, Johnny Mitchell (Suf) 167, Nick Bien-Amie (NR) 166, Russell Vignanli (CN) 165, Ryan McKallen (PR) 164, Timothy Mendez (NR) 159, Thomas Lappas (PR) 157, Branden Hallas (CS) 157, Alex Andre (NR) 157, Pat Kohlbrenner (PR) 154, Nathan Kotch (TZ) 154, Ryan Cross (Suf) 154, Jordan Levine (Suf) 151, Steve McNiff (PR) 148
Girls top 20: Megan Young (Nan) 138, Ursuala Svoboda (Suf) 131, Jessica Tobin (CS) 130, Jacqueline Pollack (TZ) 124, Alexis Hatcher (NR) 123, Taylor Jo Gillen (TZ) 119, Ellie Hekker (NR) 116, Kerry Guerin (PR) 112, Maria Kohlbrenner (PR) 110, Jessica Falcon (NR) 110, Kaitlyn O’Grady (NR) 109, Erica Guerin (PR) 108, Hannah DeMartino (Nan) 105, Kristen Schnalzer (NR) 103, Ceili McMorrow (PR) 102, Megan Jaskot (TZ) 102, Keeley Bateman (PR) 101, Courtney Cramer (Suf) 100, Katelyn Garvey (PR) 97, Chelsea Kushner (PR) 96
just wondering does Brandon Freyer have 6 races?
seems racist
i suspect no pun intended.
Great job by Somers in hosting 800 athletes. Timing issue in the boys’ varsity race was an officials’ problem. Was it me or did the reporter totally miss out on the fact that this is a team sport? How is anyone supposed to understand the great battle between Fox Lane and Greeley came down to the 6th runner? No mention of the great race by the Lakeland/Panas girls. Four of the top five of the Bronxville team could have been in the Frosh race. All good stories and all missed. Is the Journal the worst paper in the country in reporting on cross country and track? I believe it is.
With out Freyer the Class C team championship would be back at Irvington. Whats the story on this guy? Did he race 6 times? does he get a waiver? Does anyone care?
Also whats the point of counties besides the obvious? Most counties dont have them. as it is we race 2 – 3 times more than most college runners.
HolyGoLightly – - – Nah not racist at all, which is a dangerous word to use or toss around. It is demographics and cultures and economics. It is an issue that all of Westchester is facing with a current lawsuit based uopn the lack of low income housing in such towns as Dobds Ferry, Irvington, Bronxville etc. So it is a fact not an opinion. Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown is a diverse community and haviing been a coach there myself in the community and school, there are alot of cultural values that have to be respected. And for the record I have lived in Sleepy Hollow for over 20 years and am proud to have had two kids graduate from the high school.
Think the “racist” comment was a pun about Brandon Freyer’s 6 races. A little lame but not the first time it’s been used.
On the Freyer question, he has 4 invites on record and I’m guessing that the coach knew to put him in a couple of duals, though I have to admit I see no record of any races like that for him in the Lohud results. (Does Pawling even report it’s duals?) Have to believe he’s set to go and has been just doing big prep work for the Sectional/State/FootLocker events and that the Nationals are his main goal. But as 1-C teams have learned the last two years, things aren’t always as they seem going into the races and it’s not over until it’s over.
Slightly edited and more C-oriented view of Sectionals based on Tully Ratings, from the DFXC site. For those who think dart boards are better predictors, that’s fine too.
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Section 1 Class C Preview and Overall Picks Classes AA, A, and B
There doesn’t appear to be many close team battles in the 10 Section 1 varsity races this year if you exclude the great unknown of the two Class D contests. But in many contests, all it takes is one key runner going down to drastically change the outlook, especially since a few of the favorites are only 5 runners deep at the upper level. Top rated boys going into the meet are Nick Hughes of North Rockland and Brandon Freyer of Pawling. The top rated girls are both from Class B, which has the strongest group of runners outside of Class AA, with Megan Young of Nanuet and Nicki Nessi of Pelham leading the way.
For what it’s worth, here’s what the Tully Ratings seem to say for the Class conflicts, assuming that all teams are at full strength. The listings are expected places strictly by the order they appear in the TR lists. As always, the TRs are general approximations, and also be aware that the season average scores don’t show recent trends in a runner’s ratings. In a few cases I would expect that lower rated runners might beat higher rated runners based on the past few meets.
Class C Boys
2008 Team Winner: Irvington. Individual Winner: Julian Saliani, Irvington
Pawling is the favorite going into the meet with a 159.0 average TR and with all 5 top runners at 145+. True, they ran a JV squad at the Coaches Meet and didn’t really contest the County meet with two top runners out, but the Tigers strategy appears to be to concentrate on preparation for the Sectional \ State meets, especially in light of the recent weather. Reigning champ Irvington is not at the level they were going into the 2008 meet, though last year’s winner Julian Saliani looks ready to take on anybody and should make the Class C individual championship interesting as he tries to run down Pawling’s Brandon Freyer for the 2009 title. At a 148.6 TR, the Bulldogs are 5 points behind the score they posted in the Sectionals last year, and they appear to be headed to the runnerup spot. Bronxville has made strides with a young team this year with a 144.8 average, but the Broncos don’t appear to have enough depth in the vital 4-5 spots to beat out the Bulldogs for 2nd.
Dobbs Ferry looks to have a good chance to take the individual 3rd and 4th spots with Patrick and Brendan Wortner, and also have George Epstein around 13th, but their chances for holding off Dover and Rye Neck for the team 4th spot may come down to how many teams are included in the scoring. Last year only 11 teams counted in the scoring, but with the addition of Putnam Valley and Briarcliff, as many as 17 teams might finish full squads, which would hurt the Eagles’ chances.
TR predicted score for top 3: Pawling 47, Irvington 88, Bronxville 113
Individual winner: Brandon Freyer, 185 TR
State finalists (5 at-large and 7 champion team runners): Brandon Freyer (Pw), Julian Saliani (I), Patrick Wortner (DF), Brendan Wortner (DF), Dayton Flannery (Bx), James Hertzel (PV); Rest of Pawling team:Tim Yu, Matt Jorgensen, Bob Swick, Pat Callan, James Dennis, Dave Mayette
Other top 15 runners: Cody Orton (Dv), Joey Moschitto (Bf), George Epstein (DF), Sam Lindberg (I), Corey Woodin (Dv)
Class C Girls
2008 Team Winner: Bronxville Individual Winner: Caitlin Hudson, Bronxville
The girls Class C contest is expected to go the same way it always has since the Class format changed and Bronxville moved up from D. The Broncos have a young squad that does not have the same top-leveldepth that it had last year when Tori Flannery made a late season charge. But the competition for the Broncos both within 1-C and at the NYS level appears to much less than last year also. At a TR of 105.4 and led by a top twosome of senior Henrietta Miers and freshman Merdith Rizzo, the Broncos should not be seriously challenged before they head to the North Pole to likely turn back Tully and Newark Valley for the state championship. The status of a Pawling team (83.0 TR) behind Caitlin Jelinek and Zoe Nagasing that is 8th ranked in NYS-C but has a big question mark at the #5 makes them a clear but still somewhat shakey pick for 2nd. Irvington hopes to reprise its 1-point upset of Pawling for 2nd place last year, but the depth behind Annie Field is just not there and their TR is south of 70. Hastings has had a pretty strong top 4 all season with four runners above 80 TR, but the problem at the #5 spot could push them way back if enough teams finish 5 runners. Dobbs Ferry has the #4 runner in Sarah King but needs to shake off some injuries and place a pack in the 20-30 range to catch the Bulldogs or Yellowjackets.
Preseason favorite Libby Lazare of Pleasantville has battled ailments all season and her status for the race is not clear. The contest for the individual title appears by the ratings to be between Miers and Jelinek, but Rizzo usually does very well at Bowdoin and could challenge for the title.
TR predicted score for top 3: Bronxville 31, Pawling ~100, Irvington ~115 (Scores for top 5 teams will depend on number for qualifying teams in scoring)
Individual winner: Caitlin Jelinek, Pawling, 125 TR
State finalists(5 at-large and 7 champion team runners): Caitlin Jelinek (Pw), Henrietta Miers (Bx), Meredith Rizzo (Bx), Sarah King (DF), Annie Field (I), Amelia Phillips (Bx), Zoe Nagasing (P), Libby Lazare (Pl) or Nora Howe (H); Rest of Bronxville team: Argentina Chrappa, Courtney Campbell, Emilie Hoffer, Serina Saari or Katherine Marrone
Other top 15 runners: Danielle Kennedy (AM), Morgan Meaney (Pw), Emma Sander (H)
Class AA Boys
2008 Team Winner: Suffern Individual Winner: John Muller, Arlington
North Rockland is one of the top 5 teams in NY with a 177.0 TR and Nick Hughes is the state’s top rated runner, so they should have a very clear shot at the team and individual titles. The interesting battle here is for 2nd place, with Suffern at 165.8 and Arlington at 163.8 in a dead heat. The Admirals have a pack in the 11-19 place range and will beat Suffern ifthe Mounties’ #5 spot gets pushed too far back.
TR predicted score for top 3: North Rockland 25, Suffern 72, Arlington 72
Individual winner: Nick Hughes, North Rockland, 189 TR
State finalists(5 at-large and 7 champion team runners): Nick Hughes (NR), James McDonough (Mh), James Naglieri (NR), Tyler Frigge (Sf), Kevin McKenna (Sf), Charlie Lagos (NR), Brett Bernard (NR,) Nick Bien-Aime (NR), Conor Mallon (NR), Johnny Mitchell (Sf), Justin Decker (Ar); Rest of North Rockland team: Timothy Mendez,
Class AA Girls
2008 Team Winner: Arlington Individual Winner: Shelby Greany, Suffern
The North Rockland girls are also expected to win their side of the action with a TR at 116.6. Reigning champion Arlington at 112.0 is not far behind and could challenge if a 5-deep North Rockland slips up, a not uncommon occurrence at Bowdoin lately. Suffern appears to be a fairly distant 3rd. Jessica Tobin of Clarkstown South is likely to battle Ursula Svoboda for the individual title.
TR predicted score for top 3: North Rockland 37, Arlington 54, Suffern 105
Individual winner: Jessica Tobin, Clarkstown South, 131 TR
State finalists(5 at-large and 7 champion team runners): Jessica Tobin (CS), Ursula Svoboda (Sf), Alexis Hatcher (NR), Hayley McMahon (Ar), Rachel Sorna (Ar), Ellie Hecker (NR), Kaitlyn O’Grady (NR), Jessica Falcon (NR), Kristen Schnalzer (NR), Alexandra Cappello (Sc); Rest of North Rockland team: Kailey Dwyer, Courtney Cox
Class A Boys
2008 Team Winner: Fox Lane Individual Winner: Manu Kumar, Yorktown
This should be the closest contest of the day, with three teams being in the mix. Brewster behind Charlie Carr and Mike Thomas has the highest TR at 165.4, but Fox Lane at 163.2 and Horace Greeley at 162.8 are close behind. The Bears’ greater depth should earn them the title, but there could be some surprises here. The individual title may come down to reigning champ Manu Kumar and Fox Lane’s Christopher Sacks, but there are 5 other runners close behind.
TR predicted score for top 3: Brewster 56, Horace Greeley 69, Fox Lane 70
Individual winner: Manu Kumar, Yorktown, 179 TR
State finalists(5 at-large and 7 champion team runners): Manu Kumar (Y), Christopher Sacks (FL), Henry Koster (HG), Kyle Eager (HG), Charlie Carr (Br), Mike Thomas (Br), Jamie Mitchell (FL); Rest of Brewster team: John Carr, Adam McIe, Justin Maguire, Neeraj Suryanarayanan, Alec Budd
Class A Girls
2008 Team Winner: Ursuline Individual Winner: Katie Sullivan, Ursuline
2008 was Ursuline’s year, but 2009 is Tappan Zee’s year. No girls’ team is more dominating in their class behind their top duo of Jacqueline Pollack and Taylor Jo Gillen. TZ has a 107.8 TR, which far exceeds Brewster’s 90.0 or Ursuline’s 85.8. Harrison’s Emily Singer has the edge over Pollack for the individual title.
TR predicted score for top 3: Tappan Zee: 29, Brewster 82, Ursuline 87
Individual winner: Emily Singer, Harrison, 126 TR
State finalists(5 at-large and 7 champion team runners): Emily Singer (Har), Jacqueline Pollack (TZ), Taylor Jo Gillen (TZ), Ariana Bottalico (Br), Meagen Jaskot (TZ), Jackie McCarthy (Urs), Emma Wisdom (JJCR), Nicole Zazerro (Br); Rest of Tappan Zee team: Megan Curran, Kellyanne Bondulich, Elaine Bermudez
Class B Boys
2008 Team Winner: Byram Hills Individual Winner: Mike Hickey, Pearl River
Although not projected to be quite as close as the Class A boys race, the B race could also have some drama. Byram Hills has a comfortable lead with its 162.4 rating, but Pearl River is ready to take advantage of any Bearcat problems at their 153.8 rating. Rye is further back at 148.8. The individual contest should see a duel between Rye’s Max Robinson and Byram Hills’ Joe Violone.
TR predicted score for top 3: Byram Hills 31, Pearl River 64, Rye 87
Individual winner: Max Robinson, Rye, 173 TR
State finalists(5 at-large and 7 champion team runners): Max Robinson®, Joe Violone (BH), Chris Cioffoletti (BH), Marc Violone (BH), Ryan McKallen (PR), Thomas Lappas (PR), Cameron Rasmussen (HH), Jamie Love (BH), Mason Curtis®; Rest of Byram Hills team:Evan Skloot, Miles Appelbaum, Liam Weiland
Class B Girls
2008 Team Winner: Pearl River Individual Winner: Chelsea Kushner, Pearl River
Pearl River goes for its zillion-and-first straight title, dominating Class B the way Bronxville rules Class C. This year though the Pirates at 108.8 have a fairly strong challenger in Nanuet (98.8) and its freshman star Megan Young. Pearl River’s depth is just too much to overcome here though even without a runner in the top 4 as they breeze to the title. Young takes the individual crown over Pelham’s Nicki Nessi.
TR predicted score for top 3: Pearl River 35, Nanuet 55, then pick’em
Individual winner: Megan Young, Nanuet, 139 TR
State finalists(5 at-large and 7 champion team runners): Megan Young (N), Nicki Nessi (Pm), Jessica Kendzor (JFK), Katerine Doyle (SH), Hannah DeMartino (N); Pearl River team: Maria Kohlbrennar, Kerry Guerin, Chelsea Kushner, Erica Guerin, Ceili McMorrow, Keeley Bateman, Katelyn Garvey
Class D Boys and Girls
Not much information here, but Haldane and Alexander Hamilton should battle for the titles and hopefully the teams will be kept on the right course this year in their twilight runs.
“good stuff, except there is no way saliani will beat brandon freyer. freyer will be one of the best in the nation, and definitely will be challenging straneva at states.”
Its funny how nothing is set in stone, isn’t it?
Okay, lighten up on S1runner, he did say that back in July, and even going into the Sectionals I’m sure most of the Class C crowd here would have put their money on Freyer to win 1-C, especially since he’s still ranked #2 in NYS-C after Straneva. And maybe he will still pop a big one out at Sunken Meadows for the Footlockers. In XC we all get many chances to stick our feet in our mouths.
Freyer wasn’t even trying at sectionals…
No, he didn’t appear to be, and that’s too bad, no matter what you feel about strategies for the season’s races.
With regards to the Federation meet ? Who makes the call on who makes it? And when do they make the decision?
A mysterious committee in a dark room.
season recap of section 1 champions:
north rockland: manhattan invite champs, 1st in Varsity III race at section 2 C&O, rockland county champs, section 1 class AA champs, class AA states runner up, federation champions, and trying to qualify for NXN this weekend
brewster: 2nd in varsity I race at section 1 C&O, 2nd by 1 point at northern counties, section 1 class A champs, 4th at class A states, 18th at federations
byram hills: 3rd in varsity III race at section 1 C&O, 4th at westchester county champs, section 1 class B champs, 3rd at class B states
pawling: 4th at northern counties, section 1 class C champs, 2nd at class C states
arlington also attended federations and placed 17th
individual section champs:
nick hughes: manhattan invite champ, section 1 C&O Varsity III race champion, rockland county champ, section 1 class AA champ, NYS class AA champ, 4th place at federations, TBA NXN-NY
manu kumar: manhattan invite runner up, section 1 class A champ, 4th at NYS class A
max robinson: section 1 class B champ, 4th at NYS class B
brandon freyer: manhattan invite champ, 3rd place at section 1 class C champs, NYS class C champ,
julian saliani: westchester county champ, section 1 class C champ, 4th place at NYS class C, 16th at feds
a great year for section 1! hopefully we will continue this in to track…and in to the upcoming years
Did anybody else notice how fast the times were at states? Either it was shorter than 5k or a flat course really does make that big of a difference.
it was a flat course
Imagine how fast the times would have been if the States races hadn’t been run in a monsoon. Cuffe would have gone well below 17:00, and the boys AA race times would have been even more insane with 3 or 4 runners staying on their feet for a sprint to the finish.
Congratulations to Nicki Nesi for winning the Journal News XC athlete of the season!
However, the article falsely names her the first Pelham girl to run at the feds. Kiernan ran it in 05.
Josh