ESOPUS – The local cross-country season reached an exciting peak as area teams gave everything they had at the highly anticipated Section IX Cross Country Championships in Esopus this week, marking a spectacular conclusion to a great season of local races. On November 3, student-athletes from Orange, Ulster, Sullivan and Dutchess counties competed fiercely for class titles, showcasing their hard work and dedication throughout the season.

Monticello’s Baya Titus brought home a silver medal finish in the girls Class B finals. Titus ran a time of 19:26 and punched her ticket to the NYSPHSAA Championships at Queensbury High School on Saturday, November 14. Anika Bhatia finished in the top 30 with a time of 23:19, followed by Sophia Keller 35:39 and Vani Patel 49:37.

In the boys Class B race, Monticello’s Giovanni Gutierrez finished in 18:06 and Cameron Stalter in 18:09, both securing top 30 finishes. Other notable finishes from the Panthers were Gianni Rodriguez 18:50, Yamein Wheeler 19:32, Jiahnny Sebastian 19:38, Giuliano Fransisco 20:21, and Mikhah Gibbs 24:46.

Liberty’s Adriana Ponce landed in the top 20 in the Class C finals, running a 25:02. Sophia Duarte finished in 26:01, Bridgette Mateo Cruz finished the course in 27:50, and Meily Valencia Bamac completed the course in 33:21. Colin Dasraj ran the course in 20:23, followed by Misael Juarez Perez, 20:59, Chase Golzak, and Angel Gomez both ran a 25:31.

Fallsburg’s Heaven Wilson finished in the top 30 with a time of 26:11, and Helen Vasquez ran a 29:11 to finish the day.

Jozyr McNeil was the top finisher for the Comets completing the course in 21:59, followed by Robert Perrera, 24:50, Cristopher Rivera Flores, 25:07, and Justin Peralta Rosa, 38:19. 

The Tri-Valley Bears dominated the girls’ Class D finals, standing head and shoulders above the competition. Anna Furman secured first place with an impressive finishing time of 18:18, marking her fifth sectional win! Following her, Maria Gelsomino claimed second place with a time of 20:16, while Angelina Hinkley took fourth place at 21:14. Their youngest competitor, 8th grader Amaya Meade, finished in fifth with a time of 21:15. Addison Dymond came in sixth at 21:19, and Allyson Chevalier rounded out the top seven with a time of 21:32. Sophia Horton also performed well, finishing in 13th place in 23:51. The Tri-Valley boys also had a solid showing. Liam Morey finished in third place in 17:26. Brady Knight finished in fifth with a time of 18:14, followed by Álvaro Aca in 6th at 18:35, Jay Barnes, 8th place, in 18:40, and Owen Morey rounded out the top 10 finishing in 19:02. Lorenzo Haffner finished the course in 11th place in 19:04, and Liam Weyant ran the course in 20:06. All fourteen Tri-Valley athletes will run at the state meet next weekend. 

With this victory, the Bears’ teams have repeated as Section IX Class D champions.

Sullivan West’s Bryce Bressler soared to victory in the Section IX Class D boys cross country championships, clocking in at an impressive 17:13 to claim the individual title. His remarkable performance led a strong showing for the team, as fellow runners also made their mark on the leaderboard. Giuseppe Gardner secured second place with a time of 17:19, while Morgan Whitcomb finished ninth at 18:50. Rounding out the top finishers, Rivington Faires took twelfth with a time of 19:12, Jasper Lantz finished fourteenth at 19:19, and both Keison McHenry and Charlie Berner crossed the line at 19:52, finishing in 18th and 19th places, respectively. Gretchen Petry and Madison Ackerman had top 10 finishes, running at 22:39 and 22:53, respectively. Lillian Bressler finished the course in 23:33, Layla Wilkin, 24:48 and Isabella Parisi ran a 27:10 to round out Sullivan West’s runners. Heading to states for the Bulldogs is Giuseppe Gardner, Bryce Bressler, Morgan Whitcomb, Madison Ackerman and Gretchen Petry.

Eldred’s Mary Blaut ran the challenging course in 24:36 to put her in 15th place in the girls Class D finals. Empress Torres finished in 28:09, in the top 25! Henry Scully finished the race in 22:10, first for the Eldred boys. He was followed by Nason Fein, 23:59, and Jaxen Counts 24:42.

Representing the Rockland Wolves at states next weekend is sophomore McKenzie Lundeen. Lundeen finished in 11th place with a time of 23:10. Teammates Alex Jones, Othello St. John and Bartolomeo Bubbico finished the course in 22:35, 27:16, and 27:34, respectively.

Notable team finishes

Boys Girls

Tri-Valley 32 Tri-Valley 15

Sullivan West 38 Sullivan West 56

Burke 79 Burke 65