With fall slowly fading into winter, we’ve seen the end of most of our fall sports. We’re wrapping up sectional competitions, and final practices and banquets have been scattered throughout this first week of November. Cross country specifically just concluded their season with their sectional championship on November 2nd.
The cross-country season is one that is known for both its length and the grueling nature of the training involved. Our XC runners have been training hard since mid-summer, and their drive and determination have certainly paid off this season. All of the long runs, overspeed workouts, and lift sessions have led to incredible success on both the boys and girls teams.
The season came and went with many PRs and victories through both league meets and premier invitations such as the John Izzo Invitational, also commonly referred to as pre-sectionals, and the McQuaid XC Invitational, which hosted nearly 6,000 racers. Our girls’ varsity team (Josie Suppo, Kesey Shaffer, Bella Cointot, Julia Lum, Sophia LaPenna, Lydia VanRensselaer, and Maeve Donlon) took the win at the Izzo Invitational at Letchworth State Park, bringing them recognition as the team to beat at sectionals.
At the county championships, the girls varsity team placed fourth with 143 points and the boys varsity team placed 15th with 369 points. Because of the training process and how it lines up for the championship season, the week prior had been a taper week for the runners, and it led almost every single Victor athlete competing to a new seasonal record. We also had many All County award winners, which include Josie Suppo, Maggie Christenson, Kelsey Shaffer, Bella Cointot, Sophia LaPenna, Julia Lum, Maeve Donlon, Brady Wortmann, and Colin Maynard.
The sectional championships on November 2nd were another successful day for both the boys’ and girls’ teams. The girls’ team placed third overall, which is the highest placement in a very long time for the cross-country team. The average team time was about 19 minutes and 53 seconds for 3.1 miles, and the average mile split was about 6 minutes and 24 seconds. The boys team placed 11th overall with an average time of 17 minutes and 39 seconds for 3.1 miles. Their average mile time was about 5 minutes and 41 seconds.
Among the many successes of the season was that of freshman Josie Suppo. Josie (pictured left), placed 6th overall in the Section V Class A1 sectional championship race with a personal record time of 18:41, securing herself a spot in the state championship this coming weekend. Not only is her time an incredible accomplishment, but she is also the first state-qualifying runner for the Victor cross-country program in over a decade. Congratulations Josie! We wish you luck at the state championship race and can’t wait to see what you do in the years to come.
This year has been incredible on both the girls’ and boys’ sides, so congratulations on your success, many victories, and new records. A special congratulations to all of our XC seniors, Bella Cointot, Julia Lum, McKenzie Zafuto, Aryan Moore, Ian Schwab, Joe Wick, and Brady Wortmann, for your hard work and dedication throughout the years! Good luck in your future endeavors!
