New York's Top Runners
Again, with last year's action being greatly curtailed and split across both fall and spring for different sections, a clear picture for the upcoming XC season is hard to assemble. We'll just offer up a listing of some top runners who merit special watching.
Elizabeth Lucason (Camden). Lucason leads off not because she is the top rated runner returning this fall but because she is the only state champion from 2019 that will be in action this year. She won the Class C title on the ice at Plattsburgh, and the last time States was held at Chenango Valley in 2016, Lucason was 4th in the Class B race with a nifty 132 speed rating. Her 3rd place at the AAU Indoor Nationals in mid March in a 3000m race won by Brooke Rauber shows that Lucason could be set for a big senior year.
Karrie Baloga (Cornwall). The junior finished 2nd in the Federation meet and then 11th at Foot Locker Nationals back in 2019, and she looks ready to succeed Tuohy in 2019 and Rauber in 2020 at the top of NY's leaderboard. Baloga was one of a handful of runners who ran in XC meets in the fall and then carried on into the spring a little bit and posted the top speed ratings in the state behind Rauber.
Ella Kurto (Saratoga). Now a senior, Kurto led the Blue Streaks to a massive win at the 2019 NXN Nationals, and her 14th place was third fastest among runners who were sophomores or freshman. Kurto has a huge wealth of talent behind her on her squad and she will likely be challenging Baloga for the States Class A win.
Emily Bush (Saratoga). The fastest up-and-coming runner on the Saratoga team behind Kurto may be Bush, who ran very impressively in track and had the second fastest leg after Kurto on the Blue Streaks' national record setting 4xMile champs. She was the 5th runner in for Saratoga at 2019 Nationals as an 8th grader, and she appears ready to make a huge jump in 2021.
Mackenzie Hart (Saratoga). Sticking with the packed Blue Streaks team, the senior Mackenzie Hart -- whose sophomore sister Alycia Hart was also part of the 4xMile national record setters -- is the second highest rated Saratoga runner from last year's XC season and was the third Blue Streak in at 2019 Nationals.
Kate Putman (Cicero-North Syracuse). The junior had a big performance down in Florida at the AAU XC Nationals in December with an 11th as the second NY runner in after Rauber.
Daphne Banino (Ursuline). The Koala senior posted strong results in the fall in XC and then ran the 4th fastest time in the state in 1500m during the outdoor season.
Brynn Bernard (South Lewis). As an 8th grader in 2019, Bernard finished 2nd in States Class C behind Lucason and 5th at Feds and last year she had an impressive 10th at the Northeast XC championship. This year with South Lewis dropping down to Class D, she and her senior sister Lexi Bernard will be hoping to lead the Falcons to the state title.
Hannah Kaercher (Fayetteville-Manlius). The junior Hornet will be leading FM's campaign for its 15th straight trip to NXN and a shot at a 12th title. A strong outdoor track season indicates she may be ready to roll.
More Runners with High Expectations: Also watch for Carthage's McKinley Fielding as she recovers from hip surgery after a big fall 2020 XC season, Saratoga's Sheridan Wheeler who was the second Blue Streak in at the 2019 NXN, William Floyd's Zariel Macchia who is top rated among that always unpredictable freshman class, Corning's Faithe Ketchum who may be tops in Section 4 if she can stay ahead of sophomore teammate Sarah Lawson, and Jericho's Ana Markovina who should get a lot more chances to impress outside of Section 8 this year.