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Diego Rojas, leading a pack of runners during a dual meet on October 18, was the top finisher for the East Hampton boys cross country team at divisions last week. DREW BUDD
Both East Hampton boys and girls cross country teams had opportunities to win their respective Division III titles at the Division Championships last week at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park. But, due to circumstances largely out of their hands, conditions weren’t ideal and it led to slow times for the Bonackers.
Both the girls and boys were competing in the team championship races on October 25, thanks to winning and placing second in League V, respectively. The boys started the day racing under warm but cloudy skies, but once the sun came out, conditions quickly deteriorated. Unseasonably warm temperatures with high humidity made racing conditions difficult, plus the rain in the days prior made course conditions tough as well.
After five ambulances were called to Sunken Meadow to handle a number of calls of injured athletes, most suffering from dehydration and breathing issues such as asthma, officials decided to save the rest of the racing for another day, postponing the races until Thursday, October 27.
That didn’t necessarily help the Bonac runners, though, who had already competed. The boys, who, again, were expected to compete among the top teams in the division, wound up placing fifth, as Miller Place took home the Division III title. Diego Rojas, a junior, was the first Bonacker to cross the finish line in 19:07.5, which placed him 13th in the division. Liam Fowkes, another junior, placed 16th in 19:28.2.
“It was definitely a trifecta type of thing,” East Hampton boys head coach Kevin Barry said. “It was unusually hot with almost, like, 85 to 95 percent humidity, which made the heat index in the mid-80s. And the course conditions weren’t great on top of that.”
Barry noted that one athlete said to him, “I never thought I’d have to run over bodies.”
But, as East Hampton girls head coach Diane O’Donnell pointed out, at least none of the Bonac runners suffered severe injuries or illnesses from the meet. The girls, who had just as much a shot at winning their division title as their male counterparts, placed fourth. Sayville wound up winning the overall race for the girls. Dylan Cashin, a junior, finished fourth in the division in 21:02.9. Her classmate Ryleigh O’Donnell was the next Bonac finisher at 23:06.9, which placed her 14th.
Barry said his boys fared much better a few days later on Friday back at Sunken Meadow for the Freshman/Sophomore Championships. Liam Knight placed fourth overall in the freshman race, finishing the 4K run in 14:11.77. Juan Torres finished 12th in 14:34.64. Wyatt Smith finished 14th in the sophomore race in 14:38.39.
Both East Hampton boys and girls will be looking to bounce back at the Section XI Championships, also known as the state qualifier, this Friday back at Sunken Meadow. Again, both teams could be in the mix for Class B county titles, or at the very least, qualify some individuals for the New York State Championships at upstate Vernon Verona Sherrill High School on November 12.
