42nd Annual Manhattan Invitational Girls Letter Race Preview
| Saturday, October 11, 2014 --- Van Cortlandt Park --- 2:58 PM to 3:58 for 7 Races |
Much of the day's action at Van Cortlandt Park will be devoted to the Letter races, and there are great matches on hand for all. Time was a bit limited for pulling in info from all of the different states. Also apologies to non-NY teams if the rating scores don't quite capture your full strength, as some of the estimations are really tough. The following summaries should give at least some idea of what's in store for the girls' 6 Letter duels.
Overview
Every year in the Manhattan Letters there is the Race of Death where strong teams struggle to finish in the top 10 behind a slew of dreadnoughts. Often it is the A race, which this year is more of a low-key affair. One obvious choice for the scary RoD is C in which at least 32 runners with 100+ TRs will be clawing and shrieking through the 2 1/2 miles. The other choices are likely F and B, so be happy or at least relieved if you were assigned to A, D or E. Three Clash of the Titans struggles could pit Delaware's #1 team Padua against the strong NJ power Haddonfield in B, Corning versus the habitually strong MA power Lincoln-Sudbury in C, and Suffern versus Cornwall in F. Last year's Letter winners A through F were Penfield, Bronxville, Rumson-Fair Haven, Suffern, Clarence, and Pearl River.
All the races appear to have chances for some great battles either for the title or a top 5 finish. A special highlight for the Letter races is the presence of two of the top runners in the nation competing to post the best time of the day, as Haddonfield's Brianna Gess runs in Race B and Corning's Jessica Lawson goes in Race C. Both will be looking to get some great story lines from Manhattan
Cheers to all, and remember not to start sprinting all out when you come out of the woods. There's still 600 meters to go.
Race A
Time: 2:58
Teams at the Top: Greenwich (100.0), Conestoga (99.6), Liverpool (99.6),Bay Shore (93.4), North Penn (80.2), Trinity (62.2)
Runners with Hops: Kate McCormack - St. John The Baptist (124), Abby Gugel - Jordan-Elbridge (120), Ally Schlosse - Parsippany (115), Tori Spiezio - Greenwich (115), AnnaMarie Shultz - Conestoga (115), Maddy Marone - Middletown North (110), Mariah Jno-Charles - Bellport (107), Juliana Basla - Liverpool (107), Caelyn Reilly - Bay Shore (106), Maia Henry - Liverpool (106), Brooke Wright - Greenwich (106), Phoebe Clowser - North Penn (105), Johanna Nasman - Conestoga (103), Morgan Chewning - Liverpool (103), Abby McNamara - Liverpool (100), Carolina Beroutsos - Nightingale-Bamford (100), Anna Jurew - Nightingale-Bamford (100)
Overview: After the pyrotechnics of the Eastern States race, things calm down a bit for the Class A contest between the small Witches of Greenwich and the large Conestoga and Liverpool teams. SJB's Kate McCormack has the best power rating and finished 19th in the F race last year.
Race B
Time: 3:10
Teams at the Top: Padua Academy (112.4), Haddonfield (105.8), Shoreham-Wading River (98.8), Baldwinsville (94.6), Rumson-Fair Haven (94.4), Niskayuna (89.2), Immaculata (104.2), Nanuet (74.2)
Runners with Hops: Brianna Gess - Haddonfield (145), Lydia Olivere - Padua (127), Katherine Lee - Shoreham-Wading River (124), Sarah Marvin - Pawling (124), Abby Spiers - Niskayuna (120), Rachel Lehnert - Rumson-Fair Haven (119), Aaliyah Regg Wajid - Dewitt Clinton (119), Marissa Lathrop - Baldwinsville (116), Emily Paolucci - Padua (115), Natalie Marra - ESM (113), Erin Spadaccini - Padua (113), Brooke Madry - Nanuet (111), Kaitlyn Ohrtman - Shoreham-Wading River (110), Karlee Panella - Padua (106), Maizy Ludden - Baldwinsville (106), Alex Coghlan - Spotswood (103), Lexi Sciortino - Niskayuna (103), Grace Bugara - Lakeland-Panas (103), Hannah Anderson - Rumson-Fair Haven (102), Sunjum Nagpaul - Lakeland-Panas (102), Juliet Hull - New Hartford (101), Meg Schroeter - Haddonfield (100), Alex Hays - Shoreham-Wading River (100), Regan Robertson - Padua (100)
Overview: The action gets louder in Race B where Delaware power Padua will be looking to hold off NJ's Haddonfield for the title. The two team's frontrunners Brianna Gess and Lydia Olivere are the top two in the indiviual lists, and Gess might move into the national top 10 rankings with a big performance at Manhattan.
Race C
Time: 3:22
Teams at the Top: Corning (119.2), Lincoln-Sudbury (108.0), Bronxville (100.8), Rush-Henrietta (99.8), North Rockland (97.6), Lowell (96.4), Hackley (96.2), Chatham (95.4), Tappan Zee (93.6), Tatnall (89.4), Jamesville-Dewitt (88.4), Midlothian (84.6), Cicero-North Syracuse (82.0), Northwest (80.4), New Providence (75.2)
Runners with Hops: Jess Lawson - Corning (150), Alex Cooper - Rush-Henrietta (130), Sydney Clary - Lincoln-Sudbury (125), Alex Harris - North Rockland (124), Kaitlyn Ryan - Bronxville (120), Jillian Turner - New Providence (120), Natalie Rogus - Corning (120), Anna Galbraith - Chittenango (119), Kassidy Ayres - Tappan Zee (119), Kaley Richards - Lowell (118), Delia Hayes - Bronxville (117), Katie Butler - Corning (116), Morgane Butler - Lincoln-Sudbury (115), Madeline Ustanik - Corning (116), Hannah Butler - Jamesville-Dewitt (116), Julia Stevenson - Hackley (115), Megan Friscia - New Providence (115), Sammy Watson - Rush-Henrietta (114), Claire Gomba - Hackley (112), Rachel Fairbanks - Jamesville-Dewitt (112), Kelsey Turner - New Providence (110), Siobhan Quinn - Rush-Henrietta (109), Ariel Keklak - Lincoln-Sudbury (109), Abbie Bigham - Chatham (106), Gabby Go - Northwest (104), Alexa Baback - Lincoln-Sudbury (103), Victoria Sanfilippo - St. John Villa (108), Jillian Turner - New Providence (105), Claire Tantillo - North Rockland (101), Kieran Hanrahan - Tatnall (101), Caroline Foley - Tatnall (100), Laura Walsh - Chatham (100)
Overview: The deathly Race C features not only NY's top-rated runner in Jessica Lawson but also her Corning team that is coming off a strong performance in the big McQuaid-AAA race. The Hawks may well be pitted against last year's E Race runner-up Lincoln-Sudbury of MA whose numbers cited here are based on last year's Manhattan performance since there are no 2014 results for them yet. Small power Bronxville is coming off a win in Race B last year and has a 6-year state championship streak going. Lawson's huge effort at McQuaid has not been fully recognized yet, but getting the top time at Manhattan may get her name a little more in the news.
Race D
Time: 3:34
Teams at the Top: Monroe-Woodbury (107.0), Pearl River (105.2), Queensbury (104.6), Northport (93.0), Red Bank Regional (89.2), St. Anthony's (82.4)
Runners with Hops: Lauren Sapone - Red Bank Regional (130), Lisa Farjado - Bishop Kearney (126), Katie Munks - Monroe-Woodbury (124), Kierstan Kral - Monroe-Woodbury (117), Jackie Thorne - Northport (115), Mary Borkoski - Pearl River (115), Ella Ketchum - Poly Prep (114), Erika Yamazaki - Fiorello LaGaurdia (113), Danielle Soprano - Queensbury (112), Annie Kurdziel - Monroe-Woodbury (112), Grace Moore - Calhoun (111), Ailish Durcan - Pearl River (109), Sherri Metcalfe - Queensbury (109), Kaitlyn Harding - Pearl River (108), Samantha Hoagland - Colts Neck (101), Alexis Bartlett - Queensbury (101), Maggie Kyle - Nyack (100), Katie Ackner - Queensbury (100)
Overview: Pearl River has a three-year streak of Letter championships going at Manhattan, so you know the Pirates will be in the running here. They will be facing their NY-B Class B rival Queensbury who won a state championship last year, and also a Monroe-Woodbury team that has been coming on strong lately. Bishop Kearney's Lisa Fajardo is coming off a Mayor's Cup win at VCP last week, and she appears to be set for a showdown with Red Bank's Lauren Sapone.
Race E
Time: 3:46
Teams at the Top: Guilderland (112.6), West Morris-Mendham (99.4), North Hunterdon (97.6), Ward-Melville (96.2), Warwick Valley (92.6), John Jay-Cross River (91.2), Academy of the Holy Names (78.2)
Runners with Hops: Eve Glasergreen - North Hunterdon (137), Vicky Martinez - Fox Lane (132), Emily Burns - Guilderland (131), Courtney Breiner - Emma Williard (119), Emily Bini - Guilderland (116), Gemma Nuttall - John Jay CR (113), Sarah Forman - Guilderland (113), Cara Sherman - Mohonasen (110), Molly Dearie - Ward Melville (110), Jenny Prial - Warwick (109), Camille Bertholon - St. Dominic (109), Defne Sement - West Morris Mendham (107), Faith Reynolds - Ward Melville (104), Alyssa Jourdin - Guilderland (104), Lydia Williams - Holy Names (104), Kaylee Scott - Holy Names (104), Olivia Fanshawe - Guilderland (103), Brooke Nohilly - John Jay CR (103), Calynn Cerniglia - Emma Williard (102)
Overview: Guilderland has been moving up the charts in the NY rankings, and after a big win at Bowdoin two weeks ago the Silver Warriors look set to go for gold in Race E though North Hunterdon and Mendham will be giving chase. The race could feature the best individual battle of the day as North Hunterdon's Eve Glassgreen comes off a win and second best time overall at the huge NJ Shore Coaches race, and she will be facing Fox Lane's Vicky Martinez who had the top time overall at Six Flags Wild Safari and with Guilderland's Emily Burns who had a win at Bowdoin.
Race F
Time: 3:58
Teams at the Top: Cornwall (112.4), Suffern (110.4), Ithaca (104.0), Colonie (102.6), Shaker (102.0), Clarence (95.8), Garden City (92.4), Notre Dame-SI (89.2), McKee Tech-SI (87.2), Our Lady of Lourdes (80.0)
Runners with Hops: Rachel Ludwidkowski - Suffern (129), Maryanna Lansing - Shaker (129), Steph Gerland - Garden City (127), Lauren Truble - Ithaca (126), Beatrice Boylan - Cornwall (124), Lauren Chapey - Mamaroneck (122), Kate Zendell - Suffern (121), Katrina Patterson - Clarence (121), Ashley Wallace - Cornwall (117), Lizzy Rayle - Ithaca (116), Jen Gerland - Garden City (115), Caroline Timm - Lourdes (115), Payton Czupil - Shaker (113), Sylvia Frank - Ithaca (112), Selena Colon - Ardsley (111), Taylor McClay - Eastport (111), Zoe Scileppi - Cornwall (109), Elisabeth Rott - Clarence (109), Sydney Rice - Notre Dame (108), Kathryn Tenney - Colonie (107), Bellame Bower - Colonie (107), Dara Cuffe - Cornwall (106), Hannah Mellino - Cornwall (106), Kam McIntosh - Suffern (105), Amanda Chamber - Colonie (103), Elizabeth Bossut - Cardozo (103), Mary Kate Drennan (102), Carolyn Pellegrini - Colonie (101), Keianna Mitchell - Notre Dame (101)
Overview: Five teams with speed rating averages of more thah 100 TR will face off in Race F and will be fronted by NY-B leader Cornwall and NY-A power Suffern. Three other Class A teams who should be vying for the crown are Ithaca, Colonie, and Shaker in a packed field. As many as ten runners will have a good shot at the individual title as the day draws to a close in the twilight setting of the Back Hills.