Pierson Boys and Girls Run Well in Losses to Bayport-Blue Point

Last week’s tri-meet against Bayport-Blue Point and Southold marked the beginning of a new era for the Pierson boys and girls cross country teams. A new course was implemented at Mashashimuet Park in Sag Harbor and new faces are stepping up for the Whalers.

Despite both teams losing their respective meets on October 7, viewers got a glimpse of what the future could hold for them.

Head coach Yanina Cuesta was pleased with her girls’ performance at the park.

“They’re a strong team,” she said of Bayport. “I knew it was going to be a tough race. It was going to be us being healthy and pushing really hard.”

Seventh-grader Evelyn Rizzo dusted every other girl at the meet, posting a time of 19:38, finishing ahead of second place Isabella Klein by 30 seconds.

“Obviously, Evelyn is kicking butt,” Cuesta said. “She’s a seventh-grader and very, very competitive. She’s making the rest of the team competitive as well.”

“It feels good playing at the varsity level,” Rizzo said. “I like to compete with the older kids.”

Senior Sara O’Brien, who Evelyn regards as a mentor on the team, finished the race in 20:49, while sophomore Josie Mott ran a 21:52 to round out the top three for Pierson. Other finishers included Bennett Greene, who finished in 22:49, Maggie Greenwald, who finished in 24:29, and Olivia Stiglitz, who crossed the finish line in 25:08.

As for the boys, they picked up the pace compared to previous meets, with every single member of the team setting a new personal record. Coach Paul Stoutenburgh is ecstatic about their potential, coaching a group with only one junior, the rest being sophomores or younger.

Stoutenburgh replaced longtime Whalers’ coach Joe Amato this season. Amato had initially retired from coaching before heading up the Westhampton Beach boys cross country program.

“I’ve always had a passion for running.” Stoutenburgh said. “This is my first year coaching cross country, and so far it’s been a blast. We have a small, but dedicated and hardworking, group of boys this year. We’re a relatively young team, who have all shown great sportsmanship, dedication and high potential for running performance.

“I’m very lucky to have Quincy Renaud, a junior, returning for another season of cross country,” he continued. “We recently welcomed sophomores Shayne Schroeder and Zach Browngardt. We have three freshmen on board — Riley Simmons, Lincoln Fischer and Jaxson Schuman — and we’re also excited to have eighth-grader Leo Mogavero running with us.”

Freshman Riley Simmons did the heavy lifting for the Whalers in last week’s home meet, finishing in 17:52.

“It was a really hard race.” Simmons said. “I was really tired from the invitational last weekend, but really it’s all a mental game. Midway through the race, my body felt horrible, but I told myself to push through. I set a new PR today, and that’s all I can really ask for.”

Fischer (18:57) and Schuman (19:17) rounded out the podium for the Whalers. Other finishers were Renaud (22:29) and Schroeder (23:32). Browngardt, Mogavero and sophomore Ben Ezeir (who’s out due to injury) did not compete.

The new course was another element of last week’s race, but, generally speaking, it got the thumbs up from everyone.

“The coaches liked a 5K, so that we could keep 5Ks across the board,” Cuesta said. “I worked really hard to try and keep most of the course that we had, but extended here and there so that we could make it a full 5K. It took me four tries of running and biking the course to figure out how to make it fit.”

Coach Stoutenburgh is also adjusting.

“The new course has worked out very well,” he said. “It’s more intricate, with more turns than before. However, no one has made a wrong turn and the course allows viewers to see much of the race.”