Southampton runners Eric Wittenburg and Erika Gulija will be making their third consecutive trip to the New York State Cross Country Championships at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School (Section III-Central New York) on Saturday after qualifying in the Section XI (Suffolk County) race at Sunken Meadow Park on Friday, November 4. In the boys Class C race, Wittenburg finished ninth overall in 18:36.30 on the hilly 5K (3.1-mile) course, while Gulija was eighth overall in the girls Class C race in 22:31.30. All runners from the winning team qualify for states, along with the top five individual runners not from the winning school. Port Jefferson won the boys race and Wittenburg was the fifth fastest runner not from Port Jeff, just making the cut for states. Center Moriches won the girls ‘C’ race, and Gulija was the fourth fastest individual not from Center Moriches.
Cailin Riley on Nov 8, 2011