Runners Face Stiff Opposition, Elements

This was a weekend for the ages. Not so much for the performances on the courses but for the shape that most courses were in. Coaches and athletes will be talking about the 'Snowtober' winter storm that hit lower New York, New Jersey and Connecticut for years.

It was also the final weekend in New York before Sectionals begin Thursday.

Section 9 MHAL Championships — Mazzuca and Waligurski win

Alfredo Mazzuca won the boys' race in 15:48 to lead his mates to a 47-51 victory over Rhinebeck. Onteora's Emily Waligurski and Julia Rubin-Armstrong went 1-2 in the girls' race, but it was not enough to overcome a strong Rhinebeck squad which beat Red Hook, 62-91.

Section 2 Colonial Council Championships — Holy Names dominates for win

The Holy Names girls — scoring 22 points to beat Fonda-Fultonville by 50 — swept the top three places as Catherine Maloy, Leah Triller and Jacqueline Willsey nearly broke the tape together in 18:26. Fonda-Fultonville won the boys' meet, 44-54, over Ichabod Crane.

Section 2 Suburban Council Championships — Shaker and Saratoga win titles

The Shaker boys looked strong again as it beat Saratoga Springs, 23-62. The Bisons' Mike Lubrik and Jon Vallecorsa placed 1-2 to lead the way.

The Saratoga Springs girls won another Suburban title — this time 33-55 over Burnt Hills. The Blue Streaks averaged 18:05 on the 3.04-mile course with Taylor Driscoll, Estela Smith, Katie Treichel and Keelin Hollowood placing 2-3-5-8. Lizzie Predmore of Shen won the race in 17:20.

Rockland County Championships — Pearl River sweeps titles; Zendell wins individually

There's a rising star at Suffern High in freshman Kate Zendell — who won the title over Pearl River's Kelly Hayes, 17:49-18:00. Megan Young of Nanuet — a state cross champion two years ago — was third.

But the story of the day was just how good Pearl River's girls looked. The Lady Pirates put four in the top eight, all of them breaking 18:40 on the famed Bear Mountain course. PR outscored Nanuet, 39-61, with Suffern (71) and North Rockland (76) just behind. The Pirates are now ranked fifth in New York State, one which often sends four teams to Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon.

The Pearl River boys also won the county title, beating three-time defending champ North Rockland, 43-56. Mike Kiernan's charges won the first title for the coach.

"It's very satisfying because the kids wanted this," said Coach Kiernan. "It was important to them, and they ran extremely hard. They're all hurting right now. I'm proud of them."

Section 1 Northern County Championship — Turi, Bottalico, Brewster boys, Arlington girls all win

The Brewster boys won the team title, 62-93, but it appeared that Arlington rested its varsity guys. Still, a 17:23 average for Brewster again sets up a great matchup this Friday with Pearl River in the Section 1 Class B Championships.

The Arlington girls turned the tables on Brewster, winning 55-86 as Brewster's Arianna Bottalico won yet another race. Mike Turi of John Jay-EF took the boys' crown in 16:22.

Westchester County Championships — Postponed three times over weekend, finally canceled

Coaches and athletes were hoping to get this meet in Monday after school but that will not happen as school districts are closed all over while snow and trees litter each available course. Meet directors are exploring options of rescheduling after Sectionals, but there are many challenges to that plan.

OCIAA Championships — Cornwall girls, Warwick boys win titles

The Warwick Valley boys swept the top three places in the boys' varsity race to beat rival Washingtonville, 33-109. Paddy Grandinali won the three-miler in 15:26.

Gianna Frontera ran a very fast 17:36 to beat Holly Cavalluzo of Valley Central, but Dara Cuffe led her Cornwall teammates to victory as she placed seventh in 18:53.

Section 8 Conference Championships — North Shore girls look great

The snow forced this meet from Saturday to Sunday but that didn't stop the North Shore girls, 25-55 winners over Valley Stream North. The Shore's top four looked as good as anyone's as Samantha Nadel, Brianna Nerud, Jessica Donohue and Elizabeth Caldwell placed 1-2-4-5, broken up only by Friends Academy's Kelsey Margey.

Garden City also looked strong in winning the Conference II title, 30-42 over Wantagh.

SUNYAC Championships — Geneseo sweeps titles

With the top four finishers, the SUNY Geneseo men had a dominant showing at the State University of New York Athletic Conference Championships at Bowdoin Park, winning their 11th conference title in program history. Click here for a full story.

Liberty League Championships — St. Lawrence wins 18th straight

The No. 10 St. Lawrence men won the team's 18th-straight Liberty League championship in accumulating snow at Vassar College Saturday. St. L senior John Johnston won the individual title for the second straight year, but the conditions knocked out the timing system, delaying the release of the official results.