.png)
Saint Anthony's Represents Well At Georgia's WingFoot
Wingfoot Full Results | Photo Album
If the goal is to race well in the post-season, then you have to be ready to face teams you've never seen before after not sleeping in your own bed.
That was the mentality behind the trip down South for Saint Anthony's, a team that's looking to be in real contention at a shot at Team Cross Nationals. A dry run for things to come.
The Friars fared well, placing second against a nationally ranked Brentwood squad out of Tennessee. Led by a season best performance from Aidan Brancaccio, Saint Anthony's was able to expand their compression on the front end, without losing the depth on the backend. Still, thirty seconds in their 1-5 proved to be a strong factor in their 129-point finish. The race was the most competitive the team has faced, and they'll bring their quick 16:09 5-man average home to New York.
.png)
Corning Challenges Two Of Jersey's Best
Bowdoin Classic Full Results | Photo Album | Race Videos
As is tradition, Corning returned to the Bowdoin Classic for their first taste of the course that will hold Feds and Regionals. There, they encountered two nationally ranked teams going at it from a state just across the border.
Christian Brothers Academy, a team that has won the NXN title, has one of their best teams in years, but Union Catholic is a team on the rise in the distance running community, in both genders no less. The two are likely to square off many times this season, culminating at Regionals, and this was only a prelude of the action to come. On the day, CBA dominated the race, with a 51-second spread in their 1 through 7. Union Catholic would take second in the race, while they sat one of their key contributors. It would get bumped down to third in the merge, as NJ's Westfield snuck in from the first race.
Corning rounded out the Top 4, seeing some varying performances within their Top 5. Tevin McLaren took up the leader position in the finishing order, with Ashton Bange in second. McClaren finished 11th overall.
The performance keeps them right in the mix for a State and Regional title. It remains a three-team race come NXR, with Monroe-Woodbury putting up a strong argument in the Class A battle. Corning is the reigning Class A State Champion, and had demonstrated a strong ability to peak when it matters. It should provide some good matchups down the line.
- - -
Individually, Adam Furman (Tri-Valley) continues to put together a strong season. Never cresting 184 in Speed Ratings before, this is his second time over that mark in this early Season. Furman outleaned the field to win the Varsity 1 race, just over 16mins. Likewise, in Varsity 2, Joseph Perazzo (Susan Wagner) ran 16:04 to also push his highest Speed Rating up higher, the first time a PSAL athlete has been ranked Top 5 in the state in quite some time.
Top Ranked Individuals Face Off At BVille
Baldwinsville Full Results | Photo Album
At VVS Pre-States, all three were relegated to separate races, yet managed to all finish within the Top 6. At the Baldwinsville Invitational, we were able to see them head-to-head. It brought some of the best racing to date for in-state competition.
Nolan McGinn (Fayetteville-Manlius) outlasted the home team's Solomon Holden-Betts (Baldwinsville), as the former's constant pace countered the surging of the latter. Holden-Betts opened up leading the field through 1000 meters, but by two miles, was chasing McGinn, who had come away with a 40-second gap in the merge at VVS. That left an opening for Jake Passalugo (Fairport) to get involved, as he was trailing right on Betts through much of the race. The shared effort led to the highest Speed Ratings for the pair to date.
McGinn's winning time of 15:22 for 5000 meters serves as the new Course Record for the Baldwinsville venue, as well as reiterating himself as the only athlete over 190 this Season.
Passalugo, who finished in third, would lead his team to a strong victory, improving upon their performance from Pre-States. Not only was the race a major improvement for Passalugo, but his teammates each improved nearly 10 Speed Rating points a piece. It makes them the favorite for the Section 5 Class A Title, winning the meet over Ithaca by almost 50 points.
.png)