Farewell, Class of 2026

The Class of 2026 graduates this month. Let’s look back at the careers of the top runners, starting with the Top Ten finishers from 2022 PSAL Freshman Championships.

Girls

1. Naomi Douglas (LaGuardia) - Freshman champ went on to win two PSAL titles and qualify for NXN as a junior. Led her team to a championship as a senior, running the fastest time in PSAL history at Van Cortlandt Park. Will run at Yale next year.

2. Kamora Ruelas (James Madison) - finished 23^rd in her only City Championship appearance as a freshman.

3. Aneika Owolabi-Fajana (James Madison) - finished 33^rd as a freshman in the varsity City Championship race and finished 2^nd in the Individual race as a sophomore. Did not run in November as a junior or a senior.

4. Emma Savonije (Stuyvesant) - Finished in the top 10 at PSAL Championship three times, helping her team win in 2022.

5. Lia Nina (James Madison) - finished 19^th as a freshman in the City Championship, never ran PSAL XC again.

6. Gretchen Kamm (Bronx Science) - Finished 34^th or better in three PSAL Championships, with her best finish being a 22^nd place run in 2022.

7. Jiya Patel (Stuyvesant) - Had finishes of 34^th, 16^th, 33^rd and 14^th in the City Championship over her career.

8. Olivia Nanes (James Madison) - the only one of her James Madison teammates to run in the PSAL City Championship all four years, earning a best finish of 21^st in 2024.

9. Katherine Siegel (Bronx Science) - Had a career-best finish of 38^th place in 2024

10. Beatrice Sireci (Bronx Science) - never ran XC again in the PSAL

Runners who finished outside the Top 10, but went on to have stellar careers:

28. Gwyneth Shupp (LaGuardia) - Finishes at the City Championship were 91^st, 22^nd, 2^nd, 6^th  Her improvement was a huge reason LaGuardia won the City Championship in 2025.

Jessica Ryan (Bayside) - Did not run - Ran XC as a sophomore, junior and senior. City Championship finishes went 48^th, 17^th, 28^th, qualifying twice for the NYS Federation meet.

Milani Modeste (James Madison) - Did not run - Ran XC as a junior and senior. Finished 29^th at City Champs in 2025 and qualified for the NYS Federation meet.

Boys

1. Alexander Jones (Brooklyn Tech) - won the City Championship in 2025, following up 9^th and 2^nd place finishes the previous two years. Highest finish at the NYS Federation meet was 44^th.

2. Pierce Siegel (Hunter) - Ran in the PSAL Championship as a freshman and a sophomore, finishing 25^th and 26^th, respectively. Did not run in 2024 and didn’t run at Cities in 2025.

3. Ariel Yaron (LaGuardia) - Ran three times in the PSAL Championship, placing 24^th, 12^th, and 51^st.

4. Simon Saffeyeh (MSIT) - Ran four times in the PSAL Championship, placing 51^st, 15^th, 5^th and 5^th again. Will run at the University of Chicago.

5. Benjamin Lee (Benjamin Cardozo) - never ran XC again in the PSAL

6. Jackson Mailer (Brooklyn Tech) - ran twice in the PSAL Championship, finishing 44^th and 16^th.

7. Dillon Chapuli (Brooklyn Tech) - Did not run in 2023. Finished 21^st in the 2024 PSAL Championship. His 2025 season ended early.

8. Isaac Tom (HSMSE) - finished 29^th in the 2024 City Championship, qualifying for the NYS Federation meet. Did not compete as a senior.

9. Raphael Ramot (Stuyvesant) - Ran four times in the City Championship, finishing 27^th, 11^th, 10^th and 10^th again.  Highest finish at the NYS Federation meet was 45^th.

10. Caio Gerjoi Bezerra de Souz (HSMSE) - never ran XC again the PSAL.

Runners who finished outside the Top 10, but went on to have stellar careers:

DQ. Benjamin Berman (Bronx Science) - Was DQ’d for elbowing and running Jones off the course down the finishing stretch as a freshman, but went on to be arguably the fastest runner in PSAL history, if you were lucky enough to see him race. All-State as a sophomore and as a senior, when he lost the Federation race in the last few steps. PSAL champion as a junior, and would have been as a senior, but chose not to run a single PSAL race. Qualified for NXN as a senior. Will run at Yale next year.

15. Aidan Fleming (Brooklyn Tech) - Ran in two PSAL Championships, finishing 36^th and 9^th.

23. Giuseppe Gambino (HS for Construction) - Showed improvement from 2022 to 2024 in the City Championship, finishing 108^th, 62^nd, and 14^th. 2025 season cut short by injury or illness.

Liam Hernandez (Bronx Science) - Did not run XC as a freshman. Finished 50^th, 6^th and 2^nd at three City Championship races. Best finish at the NYS Federation meet was 52^nd.

Ezekiel Cohen (LaGuardia) - Did not run as a freshman. Ran three times in the PSAL Championship, finishing 56^th, 102^nd (injured), and 3^rd. As a senior, finished 35^th in the NYS Federation meet, earning All-State honors.

Ramsey Hansen (Bard) - Did not run XC as a freshman. Recorded finishes of 94^th, 16^th and 21^st at the City Championship. Finished in the Top 50 at the NYS Federation meet in 2025. Will run at Boston University.

Umed Maru (Academy of American Studies) - Did not run XC as a freshman or sophomore. Had finishes of 7^th and 6^th at the PSAL Championships and earned All-State honors as a senior with his 25^th place finish at the NYS Federation meet.

Anand Maru (Academy of American Studies) - Like his brother, only ran as a junior and a senior, finishing 23^rd and 17^th, respectively at the PSAL Championships.