| Fayetteville Manlius | Hornets | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Section: 3 | Class: A | Colors: Green and white | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sophie Ryan, Claire Walters, and Phoebe White were doing major mudding midway through the States A race, and along with 4th place finisher Rebecca Walters swept the 2nd through 6th place spots. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| XC History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| States Teams: 1995 (A-2nd), 1996 (A-2nd), 1998 (A-5th), 1999 (A-4th), 2000 (A-4th), 2005 (AA-6th), 2006 (AA-1st), 2007 (AA-1st), 2008 (AA-1st), 2009 (AA-1st), 2010 (AA-1st), 2011 (A-1st), 2012 (A-1st) 2013 (A-1st), 2014 (A-1st), 2015 (A-1st), 2016 (A-1st), 2017 (A-1st) NXN Nationals: 2006-2012 (1st), 2013 (2nd), 2014-2017 (1st) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers): Kathy Mills (1975, A-1st), Allison Mann (1994, A-4th) (1995, A-6th), Cory Roos (1996, A-3rd), Karen Hannum (1996, A-4th), Laurel Burdick (1999, A-1st) (2000, A-4th), Kathryn Buchan (2006, AA-8th), Courtney Chapman (2007, AA-3rd) (2008, AA-1st) (2009, AA-1st) 2010 (AA-6th), Hannah Luber (2007, AA-5th) (2008, AA-3rd), Molly Malone (2007 AA-6th) (2008, AA-6th) (2009, AA-2nd), Meaghan Anklin (2008, AA-7th), Jillian Fanning (2009, AA-3rd) (2010, AA-2nd) (2011, A-1st), Katie Sischo (2009, AA-5th) (2010, AA-5th) (2011, A-3rd), Christie Rutledge (2010, AA-1st), Heather Martin (2010, AA-8th), Katie Brislin (2010, AA-9th), Annika Avery (2011, A-4th) (2012, A-9th) (2013, A-6th) (2014, A-10th), Hannah Smith (2011, A-6th), Alana Pearl (2011, A-7th) (2012 A-8th), Mary Barger (2012, A-10th), Jenna Farrell (2013, A-7th) (2014, A-9th), Jessica Howe (2013, A-9th), Sophie Ryan (2014, A-3rd) (2016, A-7th) (2017, A-5th), Samantha Levy (2014, A-8th), Claire Walters (2015, A-1st) (2016, A-4th) (2017, A-3rd), Kaitlyn Neal (2015, A-7th), Rebecca Walters (2015, A-9th) (2017, A-4th), Phoebe White (2016, A-5th) (2017, A-6th) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Year's Summary: 1st at NXN Nationals, 1st in NXN-NY, 1st in States A, 1st in Sectionals A, 1st in Eastern States at Manhattan Invitational | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This Year's Outlook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Hornets have the top 2 back from last year's national champions for both 2018 and 2019 with juniors Claire Walters and Phoebe White on the lead and Sophie Ryan, Rebecca Walters and Palmer Madsen moving on to college. Though the vaunted depth of many past years has not shown up yet on a squad rated "only" #6 in the US, FM is still a young team with sophomores Grace Kaercher and Izzy Crovella sliding into the 3-4 spots.There is no doubt that the Hornets are looking more vulnerable due to their apparent depth issues than at probably any time in recent years, but they are still the top rated team in the state. And though times have changed considerably in the last 12 years, the first FM national champion team entered the season not even rated in the top 5 in the NE region let alone the country back in 2006, so no one will be surprised if FM upsets preseason predictions again. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saratoga | Blue Streaks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Section: 2 | Class: A | Colors: Blue, white and red | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Saratoga pulled it all together to earn its 12th trip to NXN Nationals in 2017, and Kelsey Chmiel has the Blue Streaks pushing for their first States title in 13 years. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| XC History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| States Teams: 1987 (A-1st) 1988 (A-2nd), 1989 (A-1st), 1990 (A-1st), 1991 (A-1st), 1992 (A-2nd), 1993 (A-1st), 1996 (A-1st), 1997 (A-1st), 1998 (A-1st), 2000 (A-1st), 2001 (A-1st), 2002 (A-1st), 2003 (A-1st), 2004 (A-1st), 2005 (A-1st), 2006 (A-3rd), 2007 (A-2nd), 2008 (A-2nd), 2009 (A-2nd), 2010 (A-2nd), 2011 (A-2nd), 2012 (A-2nd), 2013 (A-2nd), 2014 (A-2nd), 2015 (A-2nd), 2016 (A-3rd) NXN Nationals: 2004 (1st), 2005 (2nd), 2007 (3rd), 2008 (4th), 2009 (2nd), 2010 (2nd), 2011 (2nd), 2012 (5th) 2013 (15th), 2014 (10th), 2015 (4th), 2017 (14th) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers): Cheri Goddard (1987, A-2nd) (1988, A-1st), Stacy Pearce (1988, A-8th) (1989, A-4th), Annie Burtman (1989, A-3rd), Stacie Snider (1990, A-2nd), Jessica Milosch (1991, A-1st), Marissa Mathiesen (1991, A-4th), Tobey Kearns (1991, A-8th) (1992, A-4th) (1993, A-2nd), Suzy Clark (1991, A-9th), Erin Davis (1992, A-1st) (1993, A-1st) (1994, A-1st) (1995, A-3rd) (1996, A-1st), Erin Karl (1993, A-3rd), Laura Kearns (1995,A-5th) (1996, A-2nd) (1997, A-2nd), Jocelyn Heighton (1995, A-8th) (1996, A-7th), Danielle Coon (1996, A-8th) (1997, A-2nd) (1998, A-2nd) (1999, A-3rd) (2000, A-3rd), Kate Markopoulos (1988, A-3rd), Melissa Glotzbecker (1988, A-9th), Amanda Meyer (2000, A-5th) (2001, A-10th), Margie Boltzer (2000, A-6th), Allison Rowe (2000, A-8th) (2001, A-5th), Melissa Sue Trauchst (2000, A-9th), Tess Auwarter (2000, A-10th), Nicole Blood (2001, A-1st) (2003, A-1st) (2004, AA-1st), Lindsey Ferguson (2003, A-5th) (2004, AA-3rd) (2005, AA-3rd), Ruby Solomon (2003, A-10th), Karyn Delay (2004, AA-6th), Hannah Davidson (2004, AA-5th) (2005, AA-2nd) (2006, AA-2nd) (2007, AA-1st), Caitlin Lane (2004, AA-8th), Cassie Goutos (2007, AA-7th) (2008, AA-5th), Keelin Hollowood (2009, AA-7th) (2010, AA-10th), Estela Smith (2011, A-10th), Taylor Driscoll (2012, A-4th), Kelsey Chmiel (2015, A-3rd) (2016, A-1st) (2017, A-2nd) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Year's Summary: 14th in NXN, 3rd in NXN-NY, 1st in Federation, 3rd in Sectionals A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This Year's Outlook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saratoga's incredible streak of 17 straight sectional wins in the nation's toughest state conference finally came to an end last year, but the time off from the States mud bath may have been a blessing as the Blue Streaks launched themselves on a path that included a Federation win, an improbable selection to Nationals after a 3rd place finish at NXN-NY with Kelsy Chmiel under the weather, and then the return to Portland for a twelfth NXN and a 2nd place for a full-strength Chmiel. After such a roller coaster year and the loss of three runners from last year's Nationals team, it is hard to predict what could be in store for a team headed by a world champion and US #3 rated frontrunner and her supporting band of largely 8th grade sisters (Ciara and Skyler Knott and McKinley and Sheridan Wheeler) in the Saratoga top 5. As usual there are three other Section 2 teams in Class A's top 10 to give the Blue Streaks a lot of grief this year, but if the ultimate goal is a return to NXN, what happens locally may not even matter so much anymore. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liverpool | Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Section: 3 | Class: A | Colors: Orange and blue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Liverpool's
Jenna Schulz plowed through the mud at States to an 8th place finish, and teammate Madison Neuner in the orange shirt behind her placed 10th. Both earned places at NXN Nationals two weeks later. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| XC History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| States Teams: 2002 (A-5th) NXN Nationals: 2017 (13th) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers): Jennifer Rhines (1989, A-10th) (1990, A-3rd) (1991, A-2nd), Karen Polinsky (1993, A-10th), Jenna Schulz (2016, A-10th) (2017, A-8th), Madison Neuner (2017, A-10th) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Year's Summary: 13th in NXN, 2nd in NXN-NY, 2nd in Sectionals A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This Year's Outlook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last year Liverpool adopted an "If you can't beat'em, join'em" strategy regarding S3-A rival FM, as the Warriors took the 2nd spot at NXN-NY and joined the Hornets in Portland for the first time. This year they will be working on the "beating" half of the equation, as they enter the season not far off FM's pace and with clear sights on taking their first sectional title in 16 years. The top two of Jenna Schulz and Madison Neuner are back, but the loss of Natalie Kurz from the 2017 Nationals squad will put a little extra pressure on the new 3-4-5 of Sydney Carlson, Rosie Petrella, and Windsor Ardner to push higher and give Liverpool the depth it needs for another drive to NXN. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Rockland | Red Raiders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Section: 1 | Class: A | Colors: Red and white | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A sometimes trying year for North Rockland still earned them a victory huddle at Sectionals, and Katelyn Tuohy at left would finish off the year with the most spectacular season ever for an HS XC runner. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| XC History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| States Teams: 1985 (A-7th), 1988 (SA-5th), 1990 (A-6th), 1992 (A-4th), 1993 (A-6th), 1994 (A-4th), 2010 AA-3rd), 2011 (A-5th), 2015 (A-3rd), 2016 (A-2nd), 2017 (A-3rd) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers): Katelyn Tuohy (2015, A-10th) (2016, A-2nd) (2017, A-1st), Haleigh Morales (2016, A-8th) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Year's Summary: 5th in NXN-NY, 5th in Federation, 3rd in States A, 1st in Sectionals A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This Year's Outlook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last year after a 2nd-place finish in early October at the Grout Invite, North Rockland was discounted by many as mainly just a squad with the best runner in the country with Katelyn Tuohy but not a contender for the post season. Things worked out a little differently for the Red Raiders, as they got one of their three injured runners back with the return of Haleigh Morales and ran to a 3rd place at States, though they fell short of a return trip to NXN. The younger talent that started developing behind Tuohy in her historic season last year may be just what is needed to win the berth at NXN in 2018 for the whole team and not just Tuohy. But with Tuohy on pace for another all-time best season, wherever the Raiders run, XC fans from around the nation will be keeping their eyes on the clock. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shenendehowa | Plainsmen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Section: 2 | Class: A | Colors: Green and white | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Shenendehowa's Hannah Reale used a huge kick to finish 7th at States in her senior season, and she went on to earn a spot at NXN Nationals and finished 33rd. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| XC History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| States Teams: 1994 (A-1st), 1995 (A-1st) 2017 (A-2nd) NXN Nationals: 2009 (8th), 2014 (18th), 2016 (14th) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers): Michelle Lauritzen (1987, A-4th) (1988, A-2nd), Dana Ostrander (1993, A-6th) (1994, A-2nd) (1995, A-1st), Julie Shapiro (1994, A-8th) (1995, A-10th), Cara Janeczko (2007, AA-10th), Lizzie Predmore (2008, AA-4th) (2009, AA-8th), Nicole Irving (2009, AA-6th), Hannah Reale (2017, A-7th) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Year's Summary: 4th in NXN-NY, 2nd in Federation, 1st in Sectionals A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This Year's Outlook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shen broke the Saratoga Sectionals streak last year and went to States for the first time in 22 years with a veteran squad led by three seniors, Hannah Reale, Olivia Lomascola, and Charlotte Hartman.The Blue Streaks stood in the way of Shen by narrow gaps at Federations and NXN-NY, however, and now the Plainsmen are in major rebuilding mode as they begin their quest for a second trip to NXN in three years. Defending the Sectionals title in a ferociously competitive S2-A will not be easy, but with four runners back from last year's Sectionals top 20 and freshman Lucabella Hotaling set to give a boost to the junior trio of Hannah Belleville and Jade and Jada Dennis, Shen looks well set for a strong two-year development campaign. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
