Week Five Recap

It was an exciting weekend of racing headline by the Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park. All of the boys teams ranked in the top ten raced and all of the girls teams in the top 16 had either all or some of their girls race.

Fordham Prep Developmental #2 - Van Cortlandt Park

On Friday evening a few PSAL teams competed here. The top PSAL finisher was Dennis Jeffrey II of Townsend Harris. He finished 3^rd, covering the 4K course in 15:40 and leading his team to victory. Jack Costas of Lab Museum ran 18:55 to finish 36^th and Jonathan Dreux of Boys and Girls ran 19:16 to finish 39^th.

On the girls side, the Townsend Harris girls won easily, claiming 5 of the top 6 spots. Natalia Piszczatowski ran 17:01 to grab the win. Clara Morettini of Lab Museum ran 21:40 to finish 23^rd and Dalena Spencer of Boys and Girls ran 27:12 to finish 53^rd.

Suffolk Officials Invitational - Sunken Meadow State Park

Francis Lewis finished 10^th  of 24 teams in the Boys Varsity race. Their top three boys: Samuel Polles, Austin Zhu, Justin Horan finished within 4 seconds of each other, placing 49^th, 51^st and 52^nd.

On the girls side, Francis Lewis, led by Sophia Wu’s 68^th place finish in 25:16, finished 16^th. Bayside finished 17^th of the 19 teams, led by the 74^th place finish of Madison Herrera. She ran 25:41.

Manhattan Invitational - Van Cortlandt Park

Freshman Boys “A”

The freshmen from HSMSE finished 7^th in this race. Alexander Ludwig ran 9:41 to finish 39^th. The Bard boys were 9^th, led by 19^th place finish of Rafael Zimmer-Schnapp. He ran 9:07. Lab Museum finished 13^th, led by Sam Garral-Rives’s 66^th place finish in 10:11.

Freshman Girls “A”

Four PSAL girls finished in the top 15 of this race. The freshmen from Brooklyn Tech finished 3^rd overall. Sophie Walther of Tech won the race in 9:24. She was followed by Elizabeth Grogan of John Jay Campus in 9:33. Tech’s Lilah Murphy ran 10:18 to finish 9^th and Clementine Crouch of Bard was 15^th in 10:45.

Freshman Boys “B”

Stuyvesant was the only PSAL school to field a full team here, finishing 7^th of 15 teams. Stuy’s Peter Finck was the top PSAL finisher in the race, running 8:47 to finish 12^th. Andrew Limb Goldstein of John Jay Campus ran 9:29 to finish 48^th. Jeremiah Singh of HS for Construction finished 132^nd in 11:18.

Freshman Girls “B”

No PSAL programs fielded a full team here. Alice Meredith of Columbia Secondary ran 11:43 to finish 38^th Esme McCray of Lab Museum ran 12:47 to finish 69^th and

Freshman Boys “C”

The Brooklyn Tech boys finished 9^th of 14 teams here. Miles Albano ran 8:34 to finish 8^th. This was the fastest time by a PSAL freshman on the day.

Freshman Girls “C”

Fifteen girls programs fielded full teams in this race. The girls from HSMSE finish 11^th, led by Lilibeth Levy running 11:43 to finish 54^th. The LaGuardia girls were 13^th, led by Ellery Dufresne finishing 70^th in 11:59. West End Secondary was 14^th, led by Naomi Schmidt’s 86^th place finish in 12:38.

Freshman Boys “D”

Three PSAL programs fielded full teams here. Bronx Science finished 5^th, led by Rommel Barrett’s 6^th place finish in 8:35. MSIT finished 8^th led by the 19^th place finish of Leonard Diomede in 9:05. Curtis finished 10^th, led by Stephen Baron-Williams finishing 27^th in 9:17.

USATF Older Youth 4K race

There were no PSAL teams here, but there were a few PSAL athletes running unattached. Ilsa Gitt of Beacon ran 17:14 and Kenley Miller of Lab Museum ran 17:31. Future DeWitt Clinton Fast Freshman ™ Mariam Wajid ran 15:38.

Sophomore Boys “A”

Four PSAL programs fielded full teams here. Of the 23 full teams, Brooklyn Tech was 9^th, Bard was 10^th, MSIT was 14^th and HSMSE was 17^th. Caleb Tucker of Bard was the top PSAL finisher in the race, running 14:44 to finish 14^th. Brooklyn Tech’s Henry Todd was 17^th in 14:49 and Darius Collymore of John Jay Campus was 25^th in 14:56. HSMSE’s David Gurovich ran 15:22 to finish 39^th and MSIT’s Brandon Levintov ran 15:49 to finish 68^th.

Sophomore Girls “A”

PSAL girls took three of the top four spots in this race. Maeve Heck of Tottenville won the race in 15:33 and Stuyvesant’s Eliam Brody (16:49) and Isla Broadbent (16:58) finished 3^rd and 4^th, respectively. The Stuyvesant girls finished 2^nd as a team. Bard was 11^th overall, led by Lilly Jacobs running 20:42 to finish 57^th. Maya Kantrowitz of WESS ran 20:58 to finish 64^th.

Sophomore Boys “B”

The top PSAL finisher in this race was Miles Dutra of Bronx Science, who ran 14:20 to finish 10^th. The Stuyvesant sophomores outran the Bronx Science sophomores, however. Stuy was 6^th and Science was 7^th. Stuyvesant was led by the 33^rd place finish of Benjamin Jalkut who ran 14:50. Tyler Lee of Curtis ran 14:58 to finish 38^th.

Varsity Girls “A”

The LaGuardia girls finished 6^th in the race. New-to-XC phenom Leah Belyavsky ran 15:30 to finish 3^rd overall. Fast Freshman™ alert: Naya Gaudissard ran 17:12 to finish 42^nd for the Lions. The girls from Stuyvesant were 15^th in this race, led by Amanda Lee running 17:44 to finish 68^th. Right on their tail were borough rivals Manhattan Center, who finished 16^th.  They were led by Ainsley Raha finishing 58^th in 17:34.

Varsity Boys “A”

The top PSAL team in this race were the boys from Manhattan Center who finished 26^th. Junior Collin Toung and Freshman Borut Junior Vojnic medaled, finishing 48^th and 54^th, respectively. Columbia Secondary finished a dead-last 31^st, led by Daniel Pelaez running 16:37 to finish 152^nd. WESS didn’t have enough boys to score as a team, but Noah Katz finished 115^th in 15:49.

Varsity Girls “B”

Five PSAL teams raced here. The top PSAL finisher was Matilda Quinn of John Jay Campus who ran 15:23 to finish 5^th, which is more than a minute faster than she ran here last year. As a team they finished 22^nd. The top-finishing PSAL team in this race was Bronx Science who finished 17^th. They were led by new-to-XC junior Clara Grosso, who ran 17:21 to finish 58^th. Immediately following them were the girls from Hunter College Campus, finishing 18^th. Noa Yirmiyahu ran 16:33 to finish 26^th. The girls from Midwood were 20^th, led by Maya Desideria Sullivan finishing 63^rd in 17:23. Finally, DeWitt Clinton was 27^th. Aisha Wajid ran 16:30 to finish 22^nd.

Varsity Boys “B”

John Jay Campus finished an impressive 7^th in this race, with only twenty seconds separating their first and fourth runners. Henry Bissell ran 13:55 to finish 30^th. Junior Marco Arrojo led Lab Museum to a 22^nd place finish. He ran an impressive 13:24 to finish 8^th overall. The boys from Bard were 29^th, led by Griffin Egozi finishing 59^th in 14:29.

Varsity Girls “C”

The Susan Wagner girls finished 4^th of the 33 teams in this race. Melisa Davila ran 16:24 to finish 23^rd.  The Brooklyn Tech girls were 14^th, led by Lily Korniewicz running 17:09 to finish 49^th. Not far behind Tech were the girls from HSMSE, who finished 16^th. Sophomore Cameron Hetherington ran 16:45 to finish 40^th. WESS finished 23^rd, led by Ava Massimo running 18:08 for 84^th place. Lab Museum and Bard did not run enough for a team score, but Eleanor Lewis Jenkins (Bard) ran 18:05 to finish 79^th and Mirabelle Threadgold (Lab) ran 22:11 to finish 192^nd.

Varsity Boys “C”

MSIT ran an impressive 4^th here, with a 1-5 spread of just under a minute. Adam Zarrilli and Scott Kelly ran 13:25 to finish 12^th and 13^th, respectively. The Stuyvesant boys finished 16^th, with a 1-5 spread of just 35 seconds. Alexander Draves led the way, finishing 58^th in 14:18. Curtis was 23^rd. Senior Marcos Penaranda ran a quick 13:48 to finish 36^th.

Boys Eastern State Championship

Bronx Science finished 14^th in the stacked Eastern States Championships. Elijah Hernandez ran the fastest time of any PSAL boy on the day, finishing 39^th in 13:08. They only had 6 boys finish, so it’s possible one dropped out. HSMSE finished 26^th here. Wren Hansen led the Flying Dragons, running 13:38 to finish 87^th. Their 1-5 split was an impressive 1:05.

Girls Eastern State Championship

Melia Murphy of The Clinton School ran 15:05 to record an impressive top ten finish here.

Varsity Boys “D”

The Susan Wagner boys finished a respectable 9^th place here. Tristan Acevedo ran 13:17 to finish 14^th. HS for Construction didn’t field a full team, but their top runner, Ryan Briones, ran 15:16 to finish 117^th.

Varsity Boys “E”

With a few of their top runners seemingly having off days, Brooklyn Tech finished 22^nd. Finn Bache ran 14:05 to finish 47^th.  RKA finished 29^th, paced by Mason Tejada’s 90^th place finish in 14:37.

Varsity Girls “E”

HS for Construction ran four girls in this race, with their top finisher being Samantha Lam. She ran 23:32 to finish 206^th.

Varsity Boys “F”

The boys from Hunter College Campus finished 13^th. Jasper Graham finished inside the top ten (like we said he could), running 13:21 to place 9^th.  The LaGuardia boys finished 24^th. Top runner Wyatt Weller finished 69^th in 14:27.

JV Girls “A”

The LaGuardia girls finished 7^th, led by sophomore Mila Freidl’s 15^th place finish in 18:39. Adelaide McDonough’s 36^th place finish in 19:28 led the Bronx Science girls to a 16^th place finish.

JV Girls “C”

Brooklyn Tech finished 8^th place, led by a 15^th place finish by Maya Ochsenkuehn. She ran 18:10.

JV Boys “D”

MSIT placed 5^th here, led by a 11^th place finish by Michael Matiychenko. He ran 14:45. HSMSE ran 12^th here. They were led by Theodore Bieker running 15:26 to place 36^th.  Bronx Science finished right behind them in 13^th. Max Riccardi ran 15:13 to place 25^th.

JV Girls “D”

Stuyvesant finished 6^th, led by Eloise Dugdale who ran 19:13 to finish 28^th. WESS didn’t field a scoring team, but their top finisher was Genevieve Sanborn running 23:57 to finish 91^st.

JV Boys “E”

Stuyvesant was 5^th here. James Lu (14:56) and Ryhan Grennan (14:57) finished 7^th and 8^th, respectively. Sam Frader-Thompson finished 11^th in 15:14 to lead Brooklyn Tech to a 10^th place finish.

Manhattan Invite Merge Results

(Only Varsity races included in results)

Girls (175 teams)

39. LaGuardia

44. Susan Wagner

81. HSMSE

84. Brooklyn Tech

96. Hunter College Campus

97. Bronx Science

106. Stuyvesant

115. Midwood

116. Manhattan Center

120. John Jay Campus

121. Columbia Secondary

138. DeWitt Clinton

148. WESS

Boys (218 teams)

21. MSIT

22. Bronx Science

66. HSMSE

68. Susan Wagner

84. John Jay Campus

88. Hunter College Campus

104. Stuyvesant

129. Brooklyn Tech

154. Lab Museum

166. RKA

180. LaGuardia

182. Curtis

192. Manhattan Center

198. Bard

215. Columbia Secondary

BHXC PSAL Rankings – After Week Five

The picture is now much clearer, even though some top teams were missing some pieces this weekend.

Girls

1. LaGuardia - A new-to-XC phenom and a Fast Freshman™ have them holding on to this top spot, but barely. Most of their top girls from last year have not yet come close to their 2025 performances.

2. Susan Wagner - The emergence of a Fast Freshman™ helps make up for the fact that they are obviously dealing with some injuries among their top returners from last year. They’re closing on LaGuardia, but can they get there?

3. Brooklyn Tech - They finished low in the merge because their top runner is a Fast Freshman™ who ran the Freshman Race.  Arguably, three of their fastest six runners weren’t included in the merge results.

4. Bronx Science - Raced without their two top runners this weekend, hopefully not due to injury. Held afloat by a new-to-XC talent.

5. Stuyvesant - Finished low in the merge because three of their top five runners are sophomores. Only LaGuardia had more girls under 18 minutes this weekend than Stuyvesant did.

6. John Jay Campus - JJC LEAPS up this list due to the spectacular efforts of Matilda Quinn and their likely Fast Freshman™ Elizabeth Grogan. They may not have enough on the back end to jump any further, but only time will tell.

7. HS for Math, Science and Engineering - A great effort by sophomore Cameron Hetherington vaults them up the list. Their entire top five ran under 19 minutes this weekend.

8. Hunter College Campus - Solid effort this weekend. Four girls under 19 minutes with two more who probably could do it, but didn’t race.

9. Townsend Harris - Raced well on Friday night, but only have one girl under 18 minutes in the 4K.

10. Beacon - We sent them up last week and now we send them back down. They didn’t race at Manhattan, but converting their best 5K times to 4K leaves them behind all of these teams that raced this weekend.

11. Midwood - We are pretty sure that they weren’t missing any huge pieces this weekend. Two girls under 18 minutes for the 4K

12. Manhattan Center for Science and Math - We saw their best squad this weekend and they ran very well. Five girls under 20 minutes for the 4K.

13. Columbia Secondary School - We finally got to see their top girls run. If 4-5 can improve, they’ll jump up these standings.

14. The Clinton School - Only Murphy raced this weekend.

15. Tottenville - Only Maeve Heck raced this weekend. Not really sure where the rest of the team has been.

16. DeWitt Clinton - They are who we thought they were.

17. Bard - Didn’t appear in the merge because they only fielded three Varsity runners. A talented freshman and a few sophomores will add to this mix. Lack of a faster 5^th runner is what’s keeping them down here.

18. Queens High School Complex - Disappointed to not see them at VCP this weekend.

19. Edward R. Murrow - See Queens High School Complex

20. HS of American Studies - Did not race this weekend.

21. West End Secondary - Did not appear in the merge, but raced enough to complete a top five. They’ll need some help to qualify for Cities.

22. Curtis - Did not race this weekend

23. Francis Lewis - Beat Bayside at Sunken Meadow

24. Bayside - 17^th of 19 teams at Sunken Meadow

25. Lab Museum United - They raced over two days and their top runner ran unattached.

26. Maspeth - Did not race

Boys

1. Bronx Science - It’s quite possible we saw their best effort this weekend, and if so, the gap between them and MSIT has closed.

2. MSIT - A solid showing at Manhattan moves them into a virtual dead heat with Bronx Science.

3. John Jay Campus - We LOVE when a team makes us eat our words. A great showing this weekend jumps them up the list (and makes us feel better about our preseason predictions). They were lower in the merge, but their 5^th man ran the Sophomore race.

4. High School for Math, Science and Engineering - Huge showing this weekend has them on track for their first ever berth at the Federation Meet.

5. Brooklyn Tech - Honestly, they probably could be as low as 7^th on this list, but it wouldn’t feel right.

6. Hunter College Campus - Lower in the merge because one of their top runners had an off day, but if he’s on they’ll land about here.

7. Susan Wagner - Three solid pieces,  but there was a minute gap between 3 and 4 this weekend.

8. Stuyvesant - The good news is that they had 12 boys run within 42 seconds of each other this weekend. The bad news is that it was from 14:18 to 15:00, and that’s not yet fast enough to climb this list.

9. Lab Museum United - Marco Arrojo up front keeps them in the top ten.

10. Bard - No seniors in this group that should keep getting faster.

11. Curtis - Very solid effort by their top runner, Penaranda, but not much else after.

12. HS of American Studies - Did not race this weekend.

13. Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy - Have three boys within a minute, but will need more from 4 and 5.

14. Metropolitan Campus - Did not race this weekend.

15. CSIHS/McCown - Did not race this weekend.

16. Francis Lewis - 10^th at Sunken Meadow, nothing impressive enough to push them up this list.

17. LaGuardia - 180^th in the merge at Manhattan

18. Manhattan Center for Science and Math - Two solid runners, but nothing after that.

19. HS for Construction - Only raced three boys this weekend.

20. James Madison - Did not race this weekend

21. West End Secondary - Could not field a full team this weekend.

22. The Clinton School - Did not race this weekend.

Upcoming Meets…

Borough Freshman/Sophomore Championships at Parks around the City

ALL

George Calano - Collegiate School Invitational @ Van Cortlandt Park

Lab Museum, WESS, Townsend Harris

Section One Coaches Invitational @ Bowdoin Park

Bronx Science, HSMSE, HS of American Studies, John Jay Campus, Lab Museum, Stuyvesant

NYC XC Carnival @ Van Cortlandt Park

Francis Lewis, Lab Museum, Midwood