Way-too-early 2026 Preview

The 2025 PSAL Cross Country season is over, but it’s never too early to look ahead to next fall. So here is a way-too-early preview for the next fall season based mostly on merging this year’s top times at VCP for each runner and just getting rid of the seniors.

Borough Favorites

Boys:

Staten Island:  MSIT                                                    Tristan Acevedo (Susan Wagner)

Brooklyn:         Brooklyn Tech                                     Abraham Wilchins (Brooklyn Tech)

Queens:           HS for Construction                            Ryan Briones (HS for Construction)

Bronx:             Bronx Science                                     Christopher Thom (Bronx Science)

Manhattan:     Stuyvesant                                          Jasper Graham (Hunter)

Girls:

Staten Island:  Susan Wagner                                     Maeve Heck (Tottenville)

Brooklyn:         Brooklyn Tech                                     Matilda Quinn (John Jay Campus)

Queens:           Townsend Harris                                 Natalia Piszczatowski (Townsend Harris)

Bronx:             Bronx Science                                     Aisha Wajid (Dewitt Clinton)

Manhattan:     LaGuardia                                            Melia Murphy (The Clinton School)

City Championship Preview

Boys:

Clear Favorite:            

Bronx Science

No surprise here, despite the two-time defending champs losing 2 of their top 3 runners. This program was 2^nd in the Freshman race and won the Sophomore race, so there’s plenty of talent waiting in the wings.

Championship Contenders:

MSIT

The 2^nd team in the merge, they’re still a ways back of Science. But they were the 2^nd PSAL team at Feds and had the top JV team behind Science at Cities. In the new merge, they place 4 runners in the top 20.

Brooklyn Tech

Tech loses their top 2 runners and were only 3^rd in the JV race at Cities. They also didn’t finish in the top 3 at Freshman Cities for the first time since 2017. But they’re the largest high school in America, so they can’t ever be counted out.

Contenders to qualify for the Federation Championship:

John Jay

This squad didn’t hit their potential this season, but everyone returns again. In the merge, their top five all cross the line between 18^th and 34^th place and they land at 4^th in the team standings.

Stuyvesant

The defending Manhattan champs lose their top runner, but return 2-7 and had a Freshman team that finished 2^nd at Freshman Cities. The talent could be there to pass John Jay, but only time and work ethic will tell.

HSMSE

Could next year be the year? The Purple Flying Dragons sit 6^th in the merge that doesn’t include one of their top runners who missed the season with injury. His return would help them jump into 4^th place and qualify for the Federation meet for the first time in school history.

Susan Wagner

The Falcons return two runners in the top four in the new merge, but will need to find a 4^th and 5^th runner in order to make some noise. But the foundation is there.

Hunter

The Hawks return their top three runners, but will need to find a 4^th and 5^th in order to have a shot at the top four.

Cause for alarm

Bard

After back-to-back top ten finishes at Cities, it will be tough for this team to even qualify for Cities next fall, unless they find some talent to replace their top three runners (and their parent-coach).

Program on the Rise

Lab Museum

Coming off a season where they just missed qualifying for Cities, this team lands at 10^th in the new merge. Their top runner qualified for Feds this season and returns for his junior year next fall.

Girls:

Clear Favorite

LaGuardia

They lose their top two runners (Douglas and Shupp), but still land 20 points clear of Susan Wagner in the new merge. Their top five returning runners still all land in the top 20 and they’re the clear favorite to repeat.

Championship Contenders:

Susan Wagner

Susan Wagner doesn’t graduate a single runner from this year’s varsity squad. If Jackson and Rodriguez-King can regain their freshman form, they’ll creep closer to LaGuardia.

Brooklyn Tech

They only graduate 3 of their top 16 runners, and all of their runners who competed at Feds will be back. They went without a Fast Freshman™ this season, so they’ll be due for one next season.

Contenders to qualify for the Federation Championship:

Stuyvesant

This group loses three of their top five runners, including their top 2 finishers from Cities. They did land a Fast Freshman™ this season, so that will help. Their returning top seven only has one rising senior.

Hunter

Last year we sounded the “Cause for Alarm” bells on this squad, but we were wrong. They landed a solid group of sophomores and had two freshmen on their squad at Cities. They don’t graduate anyone and are poised to jump Stuy for the last Federation spot.

Bronx Science

The Lady Wolverines lose three of their top seven, but their top three runners return. If they stay healthy (which they could not do this season), they’ll be a serious threat to grab the last Feds spot.

HSMSE

They return all of their top seven runners from a team that qualified two runners for the Federation meet. They already have four runners who have broken 23 minutes at Van Cortlandt in their careers.

Townsend Harris

Seemingly always in the conversation to qualify for Feds, their entire top seven returns next Fall. However, their 3^rd through 5^th will have to improve if they want to race at Bowdoin in November.

Beacon

The 6th Manhattan team to land in the top ten in the new merge, they do lose their top two runners from this year’s City Championship race, but they had the top freshmen team by far and will look to try and develop that talent before next Fall. 

Cause for alarm

Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy

How quickly things can change. Last year, this was our “Program on the Rise.” We weren’t wrong as they finished 7^th at Cities and qualified two girls for the Federation meet. However, they don’t even have five girls returning, so it looks like they’ll be depending on freshmen next Fall.

James Madison

Three of their top four are lost to graduation, and even then they never reached the potential displayed by their dominant win at Freshman Championships in 2022.

Program on the Rise

Columbia Secondary School

Their top runner qualified for Feds this year and was the 5^th PSAL runner to cross the line. They’ve got a club girl at number two and a solid number three. Their four and five closed the gap as the season went on. They’re currently 9^th in the new merge, which would be an improvement from their 13^th place finish this Fall.