BERNE — Berne-Knox-Westerlo cross-country Coach Bill Tindale sees a lot of potential for his teams this fall.

The boys’ team is battling some small injuries but once the runners get healthy, Tindale sees that team as competing well in the Western Athletic Conference and at the sectional meet.

The girls’ team, though small in number, features one of the best small-school runners in the area — Ada Lauterbach.

The Bulldogs had a strong showing at the Guilderland Invitational Meet on Saturday.
"I’m very pleased," Tindale said about the meet. "Ada finished third and the girls’ team finished fifth out of 14 teams. We have a mix of experience and youth on the team. We will improve."

Lauterbach clocked 17:46 on the course at Tawasentha Park in Guilderland. Gina Cristaldi of Broadalbin-Perth won the race in 17:11.

Christina Bartonicek was the next BKW finisher. She came in 21st.

Katrina Yakel finished 30th, Courtney Tedeschi was 37th, Rachel Raiti was 45th, and Haley Matott was 52nd at the Guilderland meet.

BKW finished fifth with a combined score of 134 points.
"Kristina Yakel, Christina Bartonicek, and Ada, ran well," Tindale said. "At the end of the year we will be in the top two or three in the league."

The Lady Bulldogs finished second to Voorheesville at the Fonda Invitational. Although teams scores were not officially kept, Tindale figured out the team scoring after the meet.
"We were second out of 10 teams," he said. "I’m extremely happy with that. We have two ninth-graders and they get better every time they run."

Raiti and Matott are ninth-graders. Tedeschi is a seventh-grader.
"They are all going for the fourth runner spot," Tindale said. "They have showed maturity. We have older runners, and the top runner in the league; they now figure to pace each other. Finishing in the top half in a big invitational, I’m pleased with that."

Boys’ team

Jared Finke was the top finisher for the BKW boys’ team at the Guilderland Invitational. He finished in 14th place in a time of 16:13.

Dave Haverly was the next BKW finisher coming in 28th. Tom DellaRocco was 31st, Josh Glick was 37th, and Tim David was 46th.
"The guys’ team was undermanned on Saturday," Tindale said. "When we get healthy, this team will do well. We had some guys that improved their times quite a bit. I’m not thrilled with our place as a team, but I know we will improve."

The Bulldogs finished seventh with 157 points.
"It’s a mix of little things," Tindale said of the injuries. "Fort Plain this Saturday, will be the first time we compete as a complete team. We can get a top three in both guys and girls. We just didn’t want to take any chances this early in the year."

Finke has taken over as the leader of the boys’ team.
"He is the team captain and has taken on a leadership role," Tindale said. "We have a group of six or seven runners that will be a pack for most of the season."

Jeff Mueller will fill in with Glick, Haverly, DellaRocco, and David. Conor Devine, an eighth-grader, and Tyler Merrill will also be strong runners.
"We’ll have seven or eight guys that will do well in the league meet," Tindale said.

Also running for the Bulldogs this fall are David and Ethan Crevaets, Dalton Lyons, Jon Delong, David Tiernan, and Alon Willing.

"All good runners"

The varsity teams are a little smaller this year. Tindale said there are 14 runners on the boys’ team and six runners on the girls’ team.
"They are all good runners," Tindale said of the girls’ team. "They come every day. We just have to hope no injuries occur because the team can do very well. The girls are all healthy, and I hope it stays that way. The girls have a great attitude, and, if we stay healthy, we have a chance to perhaps compete for a league championship in October."

It’s a group of athletes that Tindale believes will be key contributors now and in the future.
"It’s a good mix," the coach said. "We have three seniors [Finke, Tiernan, and Merrill] and the rest are underclassmen. The younger guys get better every day."