2016 NY Girls XC Preview: CHSAA

CHSAA Preview

New York State XC Season Guide - Girls 2016

Two years ago a very young Notre Dame of Staten Island team won its first CHSAA title since 1990, and the Gators have been swimming in clear waters ever since. Now the team has reached veteran status with senior Sydney Rice going for a second straight CHSAA individual title on a squad composed mainly of juniors and seniors and that includes the league's #2 runner Keian Mitchell and fellow top 10 runner Jacqueline Thompson. The Gators have opened a big gap over the rest of its heavily depleted rivals in the CHSAA, with only a Kellenberg team lead by juniors Nora Bennett and Julia Bryant within even faint proximity, more than 15 average TR points back. Longtime top dog St. Anthony's is further back in 3rd hoping that frontrunner Jennifer Furman can lead a revival with a promisng group of sophomores after heavy graduation losses.

The CHSAA teams of the Buffalo region are also becoming more of a force, though they send just one team to the Federation meet, and that one being Immaculata for the last half dozen years. Now largely intact and with three teams rated among the top 6 overall in the CHSAA, the contendors for the Monsignor Martin championship may be facing a big rhubarb up ahead. Immaculata is still in the running and always seems to develop enough talent during the season to win the title, but after losing longtime frontrunner Rachel Luczak the Bears with Libby Benzer on the lead are rated a little behind two teams with ferocious mascots that return everyone, Nardin Academy and Sacred Heart. The Nardin Gators have a top senior pack of Jacqueline Dirr, Grace Brach, and Lucy Popko that could give them the edge, and the Sacred Heart Sharks will be looking to their own top trio of Claire Hijally, Mary Gartland, and Sarah Weck to finally break through for the championship.

The battle for the CHSAA individual honors seems to point to Sydney Rice again, though her junior ND teammates Keiana Mitchell and Jacqueline Thompson finished at #2 and #6 in the CHSAA last year. Outside of the Gators' lineup, Kellenberg's Nora Bennett and St. Anthony's Jennifer Furman are also expected to develop into top contenders. Out west, Immaculata's Libby Benzer was the runner-up in the Monsignor Martin race last year, and Buffalo Seminary's Zoe Knauss and Nichols' Claire Foley are also back after top-5 finishes.

Sydney Rice led Notre Dame to its second straight CHSAA title while winning the championship race by 27 seconds.

Erin Endres provided a strong senior presence while finishing 7th in the CHSAA and leading St. John the Baptist to a 4th place finish, while Jennifer Furman at right in the cap led St. Anthony's as a freshman to 2nd place.