PSAL Boys Preview
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2025 in Review
Despite not having their top runner available because he did not run a single PSAL meet, Bronx Science won the City Championship in convincing fashion. They were also 4th in the Federation meet, their sophomores won again and their freshmen were 2nd. Brooklyn Tech finished 2nd again and perhaps concerning for them was that their freshmen didn’t finish in the top three for the first time since 2017. MSIT finished 3rd and also had the City Champion freshmen team. Stuyvesant was 4th and both their freshmen and their sophomores finished 3rd. At the Federation meet, Benjamin Berman and Christopher Thom of Bronx Science, Umed Maru of Academy of American Studies and Ezekiel Cohen of LaGuardia earned All-State honors.
2026 Preview
Borough-by-Borough Breakdowns:
Staten Island
Unlike some of the other boroughs, six of the top seven finishers from the Staten Island Borough Championship return this Fall. The top eleven runners from that race were from either MSIT or Susan Wagner. MSIT lost a few boys, but has enough depth to make that up and then some. Susan Wagner lost their 4th man, but only have four returning runners that have broken 20 minutes. It’ll be a tough task to take down MSIT. Curtis is the likely 3rd place finisher, but they could be pushed by Tottenville or New Dorp if they can round out their top five. Tristan Acevedo (Susan Wagner) and Adam Zarrilli (MSIT) will likely contend for the City Championship.
Prediction: 1) MSIT 2) Susan Wagner 3) Curtis
Brooklyn
Brooklyn Tech hasn’t lost the Brooklyn borough championship since 2015, but based solely on returning runners, this looks like it could be the year that John Jay Campus knocks them off. John Jay returns everyone from last year’s 10th place finish at Cities, in which one of their top runners, Henry Bissell, didn’t score. Bissell, Gavin Ashe and Wilson Margolis form a solid top three. Adding two rising sophomores (Gavin Yi and Joseph Manzo) that have already broken 19 minutes should be the recipe needed to knock off Tech. Brooklyn Tech loses four of their top five runners to graduation and didn’t win the City Freshmen Championship for the first time since 2018. All signs point to a down year for them. But, like we always point out, the sheer number of boys to choose from in their building make that an unlikely possibility. Midwood has one of the top returning runners in Yousef Abdelhakim and should take 3rd. James Madison could give them some competition, though.
Prediction: 1) John Jay Campus 2) Brooklyn Tech 3) Midwood
Queens
We weren’t really close on this one last season, as Francis Lewis took home the title and we didn’t even rank them in the top three. Academy of American Studies never found the supporting cast for the Maru brothers and finished 4th in Queens. A lot of the top talent in the borough was lost to graduation, so it will be interesting to see who steps up. HS for Construction probably has a slight edge over Francis Lewis, seeing as they return the two top runners in the borough, Ryan Briones and Denzel Reyes. Metropolitan Campus should have enough to hold off Townsend Harris for 3rd. Benjamin Cardozo could surprise here and Forest Hills will need to find more talent in order to break into the top three.
Prediction: 1) HS for Construction 2) Francis Lewis 3) Metropolitan Campus
Bronx
Bronx Science will win this easily. Rising junior Christopher Thom had an outstanding sophomore campaign and is the top returning runner in the Bronx. RKA had a roster of 12 boys last season, 11 of which were sophomores or freshmen, and returns their top runner, Mason Tejada. HS for American Studies returns their top runner, Declan Olds, and lost only one of their top six runners and should have enough to fend off RKA for second.
Prediction: 1) Bronx Science 2) HS for American Studies 3) RKA
Manhattan
After not being ranked in the top three in our season preview last season, Stuyvesant won the Manhattan borough championship and finished 4th in the City. The other four contenders (HSMSE, Hunter, Bard, LaGuardia) finished 6-9 at Cities and were separated by only six points. However, Manhattan lost a lot of talent to graduation. The top returning runners are Wren Hansen (HSMSE), Marco Arrojo (Lab) and Jasper Graham (Hunter). Stuyvesant lost their top runner, but return six runners who have broken 19 minutes at VCP. HSMSE has perhaps the top returning runner, and three others who have broken 19. Hunter should find themselves in third, but pushed by Lab Museum, who should have enough firepower to qualify for Cities this Fall. Bard and LaGuardia lost a lot of talent and will struggle to return to the same form they saw in 2025.
Prediction: 1) Stuyvesant 2) HSMSE 3) Hunter
Back Hills XC - Preseason Rankings
1. Bronx Science - Rising junior and All-State runner Christopher Thom will lead the Wolverines this year as the top returner in the PSAL. They’ve got seven runners who have run 17:45 or faster and are highly likely to three-peat unless they’re befallen by injury or they choose not to run any PSAL meets.
2. MSIT - Senior Adam Zarrilli should contend for the individual championship and he’ll be followed by a tight pack that should all be under 18 minutes by November. Scott Kelly had a successful track campaign and rising sophomore Chenul Gamage could make a leap. Plenty of depth here, but probably not enough talent to catch Bronx Science.
3. Brooklyn Tech - I know, how can we have John Jay Campus beating them in Brooklyn, but have Tech ranked ahead of them here? Brooklyn Tech has a front runner in Abraham Wilchins that John Jay Campus does not have. They also have a number of unproven juniors and seniors that could easily make a leap with a solid summer of training. However, as of right now, they only have two returning runners that have broken 18 minutes.
4. John Jay Campus - As previously discussed, John Jay Campus returns all seven varsity runners from last year. This group could end up with one of the lower 1-5 spreads in the league and that will help them come November. With only two seniors on this squad, we could be seeing them ranked this high for a few years to come.
5. Susan Wagner - With Tristan Acevedo and Andrea Gallina, they could have two runners in the top five in November. That could help ease the impact of a large 1-5 spread that will make it difficult for them to break into the top four.
6. High School for Math, Science and Engineering - This is another example of a team ranked ahead of a team we have beating them in their borough. HSMSE has a front runner in Wren Hansen that Stuyvesant lacks. This group only loses their 5th main from the 2025 squad and often run in a tight pack.
7. Stuyvesant - Losing top runner Raphael Ramot to graduation will hurt, but they do return runners 2-8 from last year’s squad. However, only one returner, senior Tyler Horiuchi has broken 18 minutes.
8. Hunter College Campus - Senior Jasper Graham didn’t run faster than he did as a sophomore, but he still ran under 17:20 last year to lead this squad. They lost a few boys to graduation and will have to find competitive 4th and 5th runners if they hope to move up these rankings.
9. Lab Museum United - This is a team capable of finishing in the top ten, which would be a program-best, if everyone stays healthy and shows steady improvement. Juniors Marco Arrojo and Jaisimha Dattatreyan had very solid sophomore seasons and are ready to lead this team. This group probably won’t have any seniors in their top seven, so 2026 could just be a stepping stone to bigger things.
10. Bard - Bard loses four of their top five runners to graduation, but their top returner is only a sophomore, Leo Brody. They have a solid roster, so it won’t surprise us if their younger returners can step up and help Bard to another top ten finish at Cities.
11. HS of American Studies - Top runner Declan Olds returns, as do many of their varsity squad from last year.
12. Curtis - Top runner Preston Chin returns, as do many of their varsity squad from last year. (yes, just like HSAS)
Honorable Mention: HS for Construction, Francis Lewis, Midwood, Metropolitan Campus
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