The New York State Cross Country meet is seven weeks away. Despite this, Genesee Valley Park will have the feel of a big meet when they host the McQuaid Invitational.
There will be 242 teams, with 195 of the teams coming from New York. This year’s meet features a large contingent of new schools with 36 total.
There are plenty of talented teams among the 242, including all 10 of the teams in the Section 5 boys and girls cross country polls.
The meet kicks off with a Girls Junior High Race at 9 a.m., and ends with the Alumni Open Race at 5 p.m.
For many runners, the course is deceptively difficult. It is mostly grass and moderately hilly, but when it rains (just like it did last year), the hills are much more treacherous and quick times are harder to achieve.
The course is extremely spectator-friendly, so parents who have athletes competing for the first time shouldn’t be intimidated by the large field. There are also 250 parking spots adjacent to the course.
The Canandaigua girls entered last week ranked third in the state cross country poll, the highest of any team in Section 5. The Braves should get an early test of what to expect at Sectionals, as they will be pushed Canandaigua and Penfield in the large school race.
Not many teams can boast the amount of veterans the Braves have on the starting line every race. CA’s talented top five is led by junior Kennedy Jensen, who is joined by seniors Kendall and Lauren D’Amore.
Can Penfield junior Katie Lembo continue her impressive season? Lembo is coming off a dominating performance at the GCC Invitational where she won the Group I Varsity Race by over 35 seconds.
Lembo had a memorable race at last year’s Invitational winning the Katie Harper Memorial Plaque for the fastest Section 5 Girls Time of the Day.
The Royal Comets have outstanding depth, led by sophomore Siobhan Quinn. She has plenty of help from veterans Alana MacDonald and Alex Cooper and eighth grader Sammy Watson.
The Rush-Henrietta boys team is currently ranked on top of the Section 5 poll. Royal Comet junior Mickey Burke should be in the running for the Charlie McMullen Memorial Plaque to the fastest Section 5 Boys Time of the Day.
Webster Thomas should battle with R-H for the top team in the large school race. The Titans have a strong top group of runners featuring Josh Goldstein, Sasha Andrievsky and Keith Johnson.
The Pittsford Mendon boys team should be another team to watch. Head coach Jason DeJoy boasts a veteran roster this fall, featuring talented upper classmen Matt VanVleck and Connor Green and sophomores David Azzara, Kevin Dooley and Evan Feigal.
The New York State Cross Country meet is seven weeks away. Despite this, Genesee Valley Park will have the feel of a big meet when they host the McQuaid Invitational.
There will be 242 teams, with 195 of the teams coming from New York. This year’s meet features a large contingent of new schools with 36 total.
There are plenty of talented teams among the 242, including all 10 of the teams in the Section 5 boys and girls cross country polls.
The meet kicks off with a Girls Junior High Race at 9 a.m., and ends with the Alumni Open Race at 5 p.m.
For many runners, the course is deceptively difficult. It is mostly grass and moderately hilly, but when it rains (just like it did last year), the hills are much more treacherous and quick times are harder to achieve.
The course is extremely spectator-friendly, so parents who have athletes competing for the first time shouldn’t be intimidated by the large field. There are also 250 parking spots adjacent to the course.
The Canandaigua girls entered last week ranked third in the state cross country poll, the highest of any team in Section 5. The Braves should get an early test of what to expect at Sectionals, as they will be pushed Canandaigua and Penfield in the large school race.
Not many teams can boast the amount of veterans the Braves have on the starting line every race. CA’s talented top five is led by junior Kennedy Jensen, who is joined by seniors Kendall and Lauren D’Amore.
Can Penfield junior Katie Lembo continue her impressive season? Lembo is coming off a dominating performance at the GCC Invitational where she won the Group I Varsity Race by over 35 seconds.
Lembo had a memorable race at last year’s Invitational winning the Katie Harper Memorial Plaque for the fastest Section 5 Girls Time of the Day.
The Royal Comets have outstanding depth, led by sophomore Siobhan Quinn. She has plenty of help from veterans Alana MacDonald and Alex Cooper and eighth grader Sammy Watson.
The Rush-Henrietta boys team is currently ranked on top of the Section 5 poll. Royal Comet junior Mickey Burke should be in the running for the Charlie McMullen Memorial Plaque to the fastest Section 5 Boys Time of the Day.
Webster Thomas should battle with R-H for the top team in the large school race. The Titans have a strong top group of runners featuring Josh Goldstein, Sasha Andrievsky and Keith Johnson.
The Pittsford Mendon boys team should be another team to watch. Head coach Jason DeJoy boasts a veteran roster this fall, featuring talented upper classmen Matt VanVleck and Connor Green and sophomores David Azzara, Kevin Dooley and Evan Feigal.
