Borough Championship Preview

Manhattan Varsity Boys – 9:00 AM

This has typically been the most competitive and difficult to predict of all the borough championships. This year, however, #4 HSMSE seems to be head and shoulders above the rest of the Borough. The battle for second between #6 Hunter College Campus and #8 Stuyvesant could be very close. The individual race is up for grabs as well, and there are any number of boys who are capable of winning it. Jasper Graham (Hunter), Marco Arrojo (#9 Lab Museum), and Wren Hansen (HSMSE) seem like the most likely winners.

Projected Top 4 Teams:

1. HSMSE

2. Stuyvesant  *defending champ

3. Hunter College Campus

4. Bard

Ten Runners to watch:

Wren Hansen (HSMSE)

Jasper Graham (Hunter)

Marco Arrojo (Lab Museum)

Tyler Horiuchi (Stuyvesant)

Christian Higgins (HSMSE)

Lucien Jaccon (Hunter)

Alexander Draves (Stuyvesant)

Wyatt Weller (LaGuardia)

Griffin Egozi (Bard)

Max Berkson (HSMSE)

Manhattan Varsity Girls – 9:15 AM

It can be argued that eight of the top 16 girls teams in the city reside in Manhattan. This has been the fastest Borough race each of the past three years. Melia Murphy (#14 Clinton School)  ran the third fastest time in PSAL history at this meet last year and did not win. This should be her year. #1 LaGuardia should win the team race pretty easily, but after that there are a number of teams who could claim second. #5 Stuyvesant, #7 HSMSE, #10 Beacon, or #8 Hunter College Campus could all claim second.

Projected Top 4 Teams:

1. LaGuardia  *defending champ

2. Stuyvesant 

3. HSMSE

4. Beacon 

Ten Runners to watch:

Melia Murphy (The Clinton School)

Leah Belyavsky (LaGuardia)

Noa Yirmiyahu (Hunter)

Phoebe Estep (HSMSE)

Eliam Brody (Stuyvesant)

Cameron Hetherington (HSMSE)

Eva Marmolejos (Columbia Secondary)

Sigrid Lussier (LaGuardia)

Ainsley Raha (Manhattan Center)

Isla Broadbent (Stuyvesant)

Bronx Varsity Boys – 10:00 AM

#1 Bronx Science will win this easily. #12 HS of American Studies and #13 RKA will battle for second.

Projected Top 4 Teams:

1. Bronx Science  *defending champ

2. HS of American Studies

3. Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy

4. Bathgate Educational Complex

Ten Runners to watch:

Elijah Hernandez (Bronx Science)

Eliot Faith (Bronx Science)

Lex Yeung (Bronx Science)

Aldo Hilpert-Navas (Bronx Science)

Christopher Thom (Bronx Science)

Declan Olds (HS of American Studies)

Mason Tejada (RKA)

Miles Dutra (Bronx Science)

Robert Tarbutton (HS of American Studies)

William Gillette (RKA)

Bronx Varsity Girls – 10:15 AM

#6 Bronx Science is the top team and #15 DeWitt Clinton looks to be a pretty clear 2^nd,  but RKA will battle #21 HS of American Studies for 3^rd if they can field a full team.

Projected Top 4 Teams:

1. Bronx Science  *defending champ

2. DeWitt Clinton

3. HS of American Studies

4. Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy

Ten Runners to watch:

Lily Rustin (RKA) *defending champ

Sally Kramer (Bronx Science)

Aisha Wajid (DeWitt Clinton)

Hazel Lyons-Baum (Bronx Science)

Saranya Vichaidith (Bronx Science)

Clara Grosso (Bronx Science)

Sakinah Wajid (DeWitt Clinton)

Salimata Timite (Evander Childs)

Amelia LoCascio (HS of American Studies)

Keira Elinson (HS of American Studies)

Staten Island Varsity Boys – 11:00 AM

This past weekend the #2 MSIT boys beat this same field plus the top Catholic programs on the Island. It’s very reasonable to expect that they’ll do it again this weekend. They are a very deep team. #7 Susan Wagner is a pretty safe bet for 2^nd.  (This is literally our preview from last year)

Projected Top 4 Teams:

1. MSIT  *defending champ

2. Susan Wagner

3. Curtis

4. Tottenville

Ten Runners to watch:

Adam Zarrilli (MSIT)

Tristan Acevedo (Susan Wagner)

Andrea Gallina (Susan Wagner)

Scott Kelly (MSIT)

Matthew Fasanella (MSIT)

Marcos Penaranda (Curtis)

Joshua Zaytsev (MSIT)

Jordan Calderon (MSIT)

Hodaifa Elkayfe (Port Richmond)

Ayman Alshawih (Susan Wagner)

Staten Island Varsity Girls – 11:15 AM

#2 Susan Wagner is head and shoulders above the rest of the teams on the island. Maeve Heck of #24 Tottenville should win this race. #19 Curtis and #23 MSIT should battle for 2^nd.

Projected Top 4 Teams:

1. Susan Wagner  *defending champ

2. Curtis

3. MSIT

4. Tottenville

Ten Runners to watch:

Maeve Heck (Tottenville) *defending champ

Riley Tefft (Susan Wagner)

Melisa Davila (Susan Wagner)

Genevieve Pantaleo (Susan Wagner)

Alisa Kiliarska (Susan Wagner)

Zoe Arellano (Curtis)

Meena Morris (Curtis)

Jenny Ren (MSIT)

Antonia Schnell (Susan Wagner)

Marissa Colon (Susan Wagner)

Brooklyn Varsity Boys – 12:15 PM

#3 John Jay Campus is in position to hand #5 Brooklyn Tech its first loss at Boroughs since 2015. It was pointed out to us that freshman Ethan Riordan ran for HS for Environmental Studies in Manhattan as recently as the Borough Freshman Championship. Four days later, he competed for John Jay Campus at Bowdoin Park. This mid-season transfer will have a large impact on this Borough Championship. #19 James Madison and Midwood will battle for 3^rd. Midwood has one of the fastest boys in the borough in Yousef Abdelhakim, so that will give them an advantage.

Projected Top 4 Teams:

1. John Jay Campus 

2. Brooklyn Tech *defending champ

3. Midwood

4. James Madison

Ten Runners to watch:

Henry Bissell (John Jay Campus)

Wilson Margolis (John Jay Campus)

Gavin Ashe (John Jay Campus)

Ethan Riordan (John Jay Campus)

Anders Collier (John Jay Campus)

Brayden Coleman (Brooklyn Tech)

Yousef Abdelhakim (Midwood)

Finn Bache (Brooklyn Tech)

Layden Irving (Thomas Jefferson)

Carter Pfaff (Brooklyn Tech)

Brooklyn Varsity Girls – 12:30 PM

No girls team other than #3 Brooklyn Tech has won this championship since 2010, but it wouldn’t totally surprise us if #4 John Jay Campus pulled the upset this year, especially if Brooklyn Tech rests some of its girls. The individual race might have come with some intrigue a month ago, but now Matilda Quinn (John Jay Campus) is the clear favorite. #11 Midwood seems like a clear 3^rd, to be followed by #18 Edward R. Murrow.

Projected Top 4 Teams:

1. Brooklyn Tech  *defending champ

2. John Jay Campus

3. Midwood

4. Edward R. Murrow

Ten Runners to watch:

Matilda Quinn (John Jay Campus) *defending champ

Sophie Walther (Brooklyn Tech)

Francesca Haidt (Brooklyn Tech)

Tatiana O’Neal (Brooklyn Tech)

Elizabeth Grogan (John Jay Campus)

Mika Ohashi (John Jay Campus)

Lily Korniewicz (Brooklyn Tech)

Maya Desideria Sullivan (Midwood)

Tula Halladay (Edward R. Murrow)

Noelle Barone (Midwood)

Queens Varsity Boys – 1:15 PM

The Queens boys race is always difficult to predict. #14 Metropolitan Campus is probably a slight favorite over #15 Francis Lewis. #18 HS for Construction looks like they’re in a rebuilding year, but usually puts out a competitive product. 4^th place is anyone’s guess.

Projected Top 4 Teams:

1. Metropolitan Campus

2. Francis Lewis *defending champ

3. HS for Construction

4. Townsend Harris

Ten Runners to watch:

Simon Bird (Metropolitan Campus)

Ryan Briones (HS for Construction)

Samuel Polles (Francis Lewis)

Jaafar Azzat (Long Island City)

Dennis Jeffrey II (Townsend Harris)

London Soto (Townsend Harris)

Benjamin Urbano (Thomas Edison)

Denzel Reyes (HS for Construction)

Alexandro Vallejos Solis (HS for Construction)

Skyler Dong (Francis Lewis)

Queens Varsity Girls – 9:40 AM

#9 Townsend Harris should win this going away. No other program in the borough comes close to matching them. All year we’ve been saying that we wish we got to see #17 Queens High School Complex, race more. But it does look like they have a good chance to grab their highest finish ever: 2^nd. #20 Francis Lewis could get in their way with a good run.

Projected Top 4 Teams:

1. Townsend Harris  *defending champ

2. Queens High School Complex

3. Francis Lewis

4. Bayside

Ten Runners to watch:

Natalia Piszczatowski (Townsend Harris)

Abigail Luna Morales (Maspeth)

Sophia Chen (Townsend Harris)

Manyata Chhetri (Townsend Harris)

Sophia Wu (Francis Lewis)

Tessa Cruz (Queens HS Complex)

Clea Jaumont-Charles (Queens HS Complex)

Naomi Vender-Wilson (Townsend Harris)

Fiona Loy Chan (Townsend Harris)

Annelise Rodriguez (Metropolitan Campus)

City Championship Field Prediction:

Boys:

Automatic Bids: HSMSE, Stuyvesant, Hunter College Campus, Bard, Bronx Science, HS of American Studies, MSIT, Susan Wagner, John Jay Campus, Brooklyn Tech, Midwood, Metropolitan Campus, Francis Lewis, HS for Construction

At-Large Bids: Lab Museum, Curtis, Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy

At-Large Bubble Teams: LaGuardia, Manhattan Center, James Madison, West End Secondary, Townsend Harris, The Clinton School

Girls:

Automatic Bids: LaGuardia, Stuyvesant, HSMSE, Bronx Science, DeWitt Clinton, Susan Wagner, Curtis, Brooklyn Tech, John Jay Campus, Midwood, Townsend Harris, Queens HS Complex, Francis Lewis

At-Large Bids: Beacon, Hunter College Campus, Manhattan Center, Columbia Secondary, The Clinton School, Bard

At-Large Bubble Teams: HS of American Studies, West End Secondary, Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy, Edward R. Murrow, MSIT, Tottenville, Bayside