The beauty of High School sports is that there is always a new face ready to debut. Seniors graduate, and new athletes come in to take their place. Each week, we take a look at one of the names that are here to stay over the next few years, as they take on the veterans of our Sport.
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Section 1 has long been a hotbed of distance running talent. Many athletes start in Middle School, and can be seen coming up through the ranks. Adriana Pettinelli of Scarsdale can now be added to that list.
Starting as a youth runner, she was already impressive. In 6th Grade, she was running 4:53 for the 1500m, and hitting 7th overall at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, besting many as much as two grades up. As a 7th Grader, she was under 5mins for the full mile, running at Brooks PR. As an 8th Grader, it was down to 2:12 in the 800m, and 4:39 for the 1500m.
Flash forward to 2024, and she's finally hit high school. Unlike many her age, she didn't move up to Varsity as a Middle Schooler, still maintaining a rigorous club schedule of events. But when she began to run for Scarsdale, the Section took notice.
She opened her season with a win at Warwick. She would take second at Suffern behind Sophia Semo of Cornwall. Another win at the Arlington Admiral Invite. And this past weekend, she was the highest-placing Freshman in the field of Easterns at Manhattan.
Her best Speed Rating of 131 is the second highest for any athlete in the Class of 2028.