New York City XC Showdown
Confederation Championships for AIS, CHSSA, and PSAL,
Sunday, November 9th at Van Cortlandt Park
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One time long ago, New York City runners and teams ruled the trails and won the races that were then known as national championships, and the old-timers will tell you that those Golden Era runners would leave today's runners in their dust.
The first part of the above statement is true, the second is not. The old-timers may indeed tell you the guys of a half-century back and the decades before that were pretty fast, but the Friars, and Dutchmen, and Flyers, and Rams, and Knights, and Engineers, and Falcons, and Hornets, and Tigers and other teams lining up at Van Cortlandt Park this Saturday are speeding faster than the old legends. The girls of course were not allowed to run back in the old days, but they are now running times that would make the olden day officials drop their stopwatches like the proverbial hot potato.
On Sunday more than 2700 runners will be scattering the cinders in three separate sports association championships. On the day after the NYSPHSAA State Championship is being held up north in Canton, the three New York City high school confederations will be holding their championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The day kicks off with first the AIS (Association of Independent Schools) races and then the PSAL (Public Schools Athletic League) in the morning, and the CHSAA (Catholic High School Athletic Association) in the afternoon. The results of the four meets will determine selections for the combined NY Federations Championship on Saturday, November 15 at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls.
The strong CHSAA contingent will be running in its 87th consecutive boys' championship, while the girls like the NYSPHSAA crew in Canton will be celebrating a 40th jubilee. NYC running history records maven George Febles notes for the NYC meet that this is the 50th anniversary of Power Memorial's Kevin O'Brien inaugural shattering of the 13:00 barrier at VCP with a 12:50, that the CHSAA record of 12:16.4 in 1975 by Bishop Loughlin's Luis Ostolozaga is in jeopardy, and that last year's 12:58 average by Chaminade was the first time under 13:00.
Among the highly anticipated match-ups and big issues to settle at VCP are:
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Can St. Anthony's get back on top of the guy's CHSAA? Last year Chaminade knocked off the perennial king, but the Friars are looking very very strong this year.
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Who's the top runner in the girls' AIS? The quartet of Ella Ketchum of Poly Prep, Carolina Beroutsas of Nightingale-Bamford, Paris Calcignini of Convent of the Sacred Heart, and Julia Stevenson of Hackley have broken away from the rest, and now they just have to decide who's best.
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Which guy posts the top time on the day? Though the CHSAA has a lot of fast runners like Xavier's John Rice, Fordham Prep's Conor Lundy, and St. Anthony's Patrick Tucker, the top rated guy is Marco Pompilj of Collegiate of the AIS.
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Can McKee Tech get three in a row in the girls' PSAL? The flock of Sea Gulls have come out on top the last two years and are favored again, but Benjamin Cardozo could make a run if everyone is healthy.
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Can a Brooklyn team hold on to the PSAL guys' crown? Last year Midwood won the title, and this year Brooklyn Tech has opened a gap over the rest of the pack, but Staten Island's Susan Wagner is coming on strong.
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Can Staten Island's Notre Dame end the Friars' reign? St. Anthony's has won the last three girls' CHSAA crowns, but a ND has a top trio of Sydney Rice, Keianna Mitchell, and Lauren Pitarresi that could help the Gators snap up the title.
