Local running skill on display at Section BKW takes C crown
By Jordan J. Michael
SARATOGA The Section II cross-country championship in Saratoga is the most important meet of the year. Sometimes, one point can determine a title.
The BKW boys’ team won the Class C crown by one point over Voorheesville, 46-47, at Saratoga State Park on Friday afternoon.
The Bulldogs ousted the Blackbirds’ quest for a third straight title. “BKW got it done today,” said Voorheesville Coach Steve Relyea. “It was their day. This is why we run the race.”
“We have three seniors that put their heart and soul into this course,” said BKW Coach Bill Tindale. “Winning Class C is all I could have asked for. We wanted it more than Voorheesville today.”
Bulldog and Blackbird runners dominated the top 10 and no one knew who won at the end of the race. Coaches, parents, and the runners themselves hung around the finish line, waiting for the scores and times to be posted.
Coach Tindale and his runners left the scene to celebrate, once word had spread of their single-point victory.
“I was so nervous just standing here and waiting for the score,” said BKW runner Dave Haverly. “I could have run the race again because I couldn’t stand still.”
Voorheesville came in second place, despite having Conor Cashin finish first and Ian Powell in fourth. Cashin had a time of 15:58 and Powell was at 16:41.
Connor Devine was BKW’s top finisher in fifth place with a time of 16:50. Jeff Moller and Josh Glick finished right behind him in seventh and eighth. Sean Reynolds and Dave Haverly took 12th and 14th respectively.
The Blackbirds’ Talyor Treadgold crossed the line in 10th place with a time of 17:12. Nathan Bub and Tucker Bourque finished 11th and 21st.
The top five runners for each team were tallied and the Bulldogs escaped with the dramatic win. “All of my runners finished in the top 15, so we had a smaller gap than Voorheesville did,” said Tindale.
The Blackbirds earned only five points for its top two finishers, but Bourque’s 21st place finish may have been the deciding factor.
“Nothing is promised in this sport,” Relyea said. “A better or worse finish by any runner on both of our teams would have made a different outcome. This isn’t simple.”
The Guilderland boys’ team received fifth place in the Class AA division with 179 points. Chris Cure finished 29th overall with a time of 16:54 and Caleb Doak took 33rd at 17:00.
Girls
Relyea had no reason to be disappointed. Earlier on, the Voorheesville girls’ team won first place in Class C with 46 points. It was the Ladyirds’ first sectional title since 2005.
All of Voorheesville’s runners finished in the top 20. Michelyn Little took fifth overall with a time of 19:24 and Casey Morrison came in seventh with 20:20.
The Ladybirds will take Little, Morrison, Zoe Edmunds, Sawyer Cresap, Grace Giampaglia, Sarah Madden, and Carla Planz the state meet.
“We arrived here and we had the first race of the morning,” said Relyea. “They were warmed up and all ready to go and it really showed out there on the course. They had fire in their shoes.”
BKW wasn’t far behind in third place with 97 points. Courtney Tedeschi and Christina Bartonicek finished fourth and sixth, earning a spot in states. Martha Mackey, Rachel Raiti, Angela Cunningham, and Haley Matott also ran in the 3.04-mile race.
“This is by far the biggest meet of the year and everyone is really excited,” Tindale said. “It’s good to be excited but you don’t want to over react and lose composure.”
The Guilderland girls’ team placed third in Class AA with a score of 96. Kelly Camardo was the top finisher for the Dutch in 12th place with a time of 18:28. “We had a solid showing today. Class AA is beyond competitive,” she said.
“Our goal was third today because Saratoga and Shenendehowa are ridiculously good,” said coach Dave Kosier. “I’m glad that we beat Colonie because they beat us earlier in the season.”
Lynley Joynt crossed the finish in 18th place with a time of 18:43 and Bridget Daley came in 20th at 18:50. Michelle Fish, Erin Mossop, Anna Pickett, and Allie DiMura all finished in the top 30.
“We had some excellent running today but I’m curious about the merge,” Kosier said. “It’s interesting to see where your team falls in all of Section II.”
The merge is all of Class AA, A, B, C, and D combined. The Lady Dutch were sixth out of 49 teams in Section II. The Guilderland boys were 13th out of 63 teams.
The Voorheesville girls merged in 18th place, while the boys came in 12th. Cashin was the 20th fastest in Section II.
The BKW boys were 14th and the girls were 21st.