Since the beginning of the season only one thing has been on the mind of Baldwinsville’s cross country (XC) team. A championship. The Baldwinsville Runners look to run towards that goal as their season begins to come to an end. They look to build on the success they have had so far this year with future contests against CNS and Tully, and race to the finish line hoping for a title the team craves so desperately.
In the coming weeks B’ville will face several tough challenges including another matchup with CNS and Utica Proctor that could dash their title hopes. For the team to be successful look to Ethan Pacheck to help lead the way. During the Tully invitational which was held on October 4th Pacheck recorded a time of 17:47 on the 3 mile course which helped Baldwinsville finish 4th. The Runners were behind only F-M, CNS, and Maine-Edwall in the standings. The team’s finish was possibly due to the fact that Coach Mike Foster rested most of his varsity. The move certainly paid off as the next week B’ville rolled past CNS to complete a 4-0 record and kept a strong lead in the National Division of the CNYCL. The victory was a direct result of the B’ville runner’s incredible display. The average of the team’s top 5 runners was 16:33 and 4 of the top 5 runners that finished were from Baldwinsville. Not to be forgotten, the boy’s JV team also duplicated the Varsity team’s success by also defeating CNS. Josh Bean’s 17 minute, 54 second finish of the course helped seal the deal for the junior varsity.
As the team prepares in the coming weeks for future opponents such as Utica Proctor, one thing is clear, the team wants to win. “If we beat them we will accomplish our goal of being regular season champions for the National Division of the CNYCL,” said head cross country coach Mike Foster. While claiming the division will be challenging, the team should be up to the task. If the past number of weeks is any indication, Baldwinsville is poised to accomplish Coach Foster’s goal. The experience the runners have against CNS, along with their past success against the North Stars, gives them an excellent advantage with the upcoming dual meets.
During the Manhattan College XC Invitational, which was held in New York City on Oct. 11, Baldwinsville placed 16th and was ranked 4th among the New York schools. Competing in the top seeded Eastern States Championship race, Baldwinsville was able to finish behind only race winner Don Bosco Prep (NJ) and finished ahead of two teams that were ranked among the top 10 teams in New York State. Shaun Thompson led Baldwinsville with a 23rd place finish despite the fact that he was tripped and fell during the race. Amazingly he completed the last two miles of the race with only one shoe. The Bees JV team participated in the race as well and finished a respectable 9th behind team champion Shenendehowa. The runners have a several more events taking place this month before finishing off their year with the Federation Championships which take place Nov. 15. The team will continue to focus throughout these events and work towards the goal set prior to the season by Foster.
For more information on the B’ville Runners team including scheduling, contact info, and photos visit their official website bvillerunners.com.
