Photos: Birds And Dutch Girls Sweep Titles
On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Guilderland and Voorheesville cross-country teams both competed in the Blackbirds invitational held at the Swift Road town park. Guilderland girls won with 21 points and the boys came in second with 47 points while Voorheesville girls won with 30 points and the boys finished sixth with 126 points.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Off they go: The Guilderland girls cross-country team all break off from the starting line as they race onto the course.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
One big group: Members of the Voorheesville girls team head onto the course as the other teams all surround them.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Trail running: Blackbirds’ Avery Grant heads up the rocky trail on the first lap of the varsity race. Grant won the division two event with a time of 19:33.4.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Pushing hard: Guilderland’s Alexa Kosier digs into the rocky trail as she heads up the small hill as she follows another runner. Kosier finished fourth in the division one event with a time of 20:16.1.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Deep breath: Guilderland’s Braelyn Cornell exhales as she heads up the hill. Cornell finished third in the division one event with a time of 20:09.8.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Hill battle: Blackbirds’ Chloe Kinzel looks up the hill as she competes against a Mohonasen runner during their first lap. Kinzel finished in 10th in the division two event with a time of 23:26.1.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Leading the pack: Guilderland’s Violet McCutcheon looks at the hill as the two other runners behind McCutcheon follow her up the small hill. McCutcheon finished 18th in the division one event with a time of 23:27.3.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Steady feet: Blackbirds’ Madi Bordeau looks down at the trail to make sure she doesn’t fall as she goes up the hill. Bordeau finished 13th in the division two event with a time of 24:10.2.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
All smiles: Blackbirds’ Marlie Grant smiles as members of the boys team cheer her on as she makes her way up the hill. Grant finished in 19th in the division two event with a time of 24:52.2.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
In the zone: Blackbirds’ Jenna Curl drafts off the runner in front of her as they make their way up the hill. Curl finished in 18th in the division two event with a time of 24:48.5.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Dominant win: Guilderland’s Addison Vellekoop uses her last kick to extend her lead as she heads towards the finish line. Vellekoop won the division one event with a time of 18:30.0.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Finishing strong: Blackbirds’ Savannah Schmidt makes her final push as she heads towards the finish line. Schmidt finished second in the division two event with a time of 19:48.8.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Relaxed at the finish: Guilderland’s Julia Beyer comes down the final leg as she heads towards the finish line. Beyer finished fifth in the division one event with a time of 20:44.5.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Floating along: Guilderland’s Kara Whiteside after making the final turn, sprints down the final stretch. Whiteside finished 8th in the division one event with a time of 21:21.0.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Locked in: Blackbirds’ Shayla Hyman looks towards the end as she sprints down the final leg. Hyman finished in 5th in the division two event with a time of 22:32.2.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Going all out: Guilderland’s Amaris Macasaddug pushes herself to make one last pass as she makes her way to the finish. Macasaddug finished 15th in the division one event with a time of 23:08.8.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Staying ahead: Blackbirds’ Mary Genovesi makes one last push as she tries to stay in front of Albany Academy’s Eliana Goldman. Genovesi finished 31st in the division two event with a time of 26:29.3.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Dominating the hill: Guilderland’s Alex Goldman sprints up the hill as he leads ahead of the Ichabod Crane runner. Goldman finished 6th in the division one event with a time of 17:31.5.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Ascending fast: Guilderland’s Young Xu runs up the hill quickly as he follows a fellow runner. Xu finished 9th in the division one event with a time of 18:05.4.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Hair aflying: Guilderland’s Graham Clarke drafts up the hill behind his fellow teammate Young Xu during the first lap. Clarke finished 8th in the division one event with a time of 17:59.4.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Running together: Guilderland’s Joshua Melchoir (481) and John Wang (497) follow one another as they battle the first hill. Melchoir finished 13th in the division one event with a time of 18:20.6 and Wang in 14th with a time of 18:31.0.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Rocky road: Guilderland’s Ben Mayer digs into the ground using his spikes as he ascends the hill during the first lap. Mayer finished 15th in the division one event with a time of 18:36.0.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
In sync: Blackbirds’ Peter Coffey (534) and Judah Buckley (536) follow one another as they race up the hill during their first lap. Coffey finished 25th in the division two event with a time of 21:04.2 and Buckley finished 31st with a time of 21:41.8.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Arm pumping: Blackbirds’ Mason Curl picks up speed as he approaches the finish line. Curl won the division two event with a time of 16:48.0.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
At the line! Guilderland’s Ryan Kolb battles Albany Academy’s Eamon Taylor as they are neck and neck towards the finish line. Kolb finished 11th in the division one event with a time of 18:13.6.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Easy finish: Blackbirds’ Hayden Heckler makes his final push as he approaches the finish line. Heckler finished 35th in the division two event with a time of 22:13.3.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Almost there: Blackbirds’ Joe Cocci comes around the final turn and makes his way towards the finish line. Cocci finished 42nd in the division two event with a time of 23:12.3.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
His own pace: Blackbirds’ Mohammad Abdallah makes the final turn and pushes away from the small hill as he approaches the finish line. Abdallah finished 50th in the division two event with a time of 29:22.6.