Westhampton Beach Senior Max Haynia Wins New York State Class B Cross Country Title

With just over six months left to his high school career, Westhampton Beach senior Max Haynia has accomplished quite a bit, from becoming an Eagle Scout to an AP Scholar. On Saturday, he accomplished something he personally feels tops it all.

Haynia topped the 115-runner field in the New York State Class B Championship cross country race at Vernon Verona Sherrill High School in 16:09.7 to win the state cross country title, finishing 20 seconds ahead of the next finisher, Brewster senior Patrick Ford. He is just the second male runner in Westhampton Beach history to win a state title, the last being Kevin Hogan in 1989.

“It’s definitely the coolest one I’ve done so far, 100 percent,” he said in comparing his many other accomplishments. “You only get four state champs a year on the guys side, so.”

Haynia ran what his head coach John Broich, and others, said was a very impressive race, one that only took him about the first three-quarters of a mile or so to take a lead, which he never relinquished. Haynia, who admitted he was nervous the morning of the race, actually described the start as slow, thinking that maybe the field was waiting to see how he was going to take the race out. Once he realized no one else was going to take the lead, Haynia decided to go out.

“The pace just seemed way too slow. I thought they were all tired already,” he said. “I was shocked to see that, somewhat.”

Once he realized it was his race to lose, Haynia didn’t let off the gas one bit and went down the final stretch all by his lonesome.

“It’s was an insane moment,” he said of winning the race. “I knew the whole season I had a good shot at winning, but after actually winning it, I’m going to go in with a huge confidence boost going into the regional meet for the national qualifier. Just by looking at my speed rating, I wasn’t sure I had it in me to do that until yesterday, so it was a huge confidence booster knowing that I could contend with everyone in the state.”

That’s exactly what Haynia did, too. He not only won the Class B race by 20 seconds, but with all of the results from the different races (classes A, B, C and D) merged together, Haynia’s time put him third overall in the state behind a pair of Class A runners in Baldwinsville senior Solomon Holden-Betts (16:06.9) and Arlington junior Ethan Green (16:09.1), both of whom were just mere seconds ahead of Haynia.

“If he was in the ‘A’ race running with those two, I think Max would have had the best time in the state,” Broich said. “He was by himself basically the whole time in his race. You give him some competition and I think he could have ran even faster.

“As far as runners go, I don’t know if there’s anyone that prepares quite like he does,” he added. “His preparation and his work ethic and his dedication to his training plan is really what got him to where he is. He’s even proven me wrong a few times, but I usually air on the side of caution.”

After winning the county cross country title on November 4, Haynia was expected to be named the Suffolk County Runner of the Year, but surprisingly that award went to Bay Shore junior Jake Gogarty. Broich took issue with that and voiced his opinion to county officials and coaches — the award is based on a coaches vote from throughout the county. Broich said that his first issue was that not nearly every one of the 60 or so coaches in the county voted, and then on top of that, Haynia won every race he was in this year and had a faster time than Gogarty at Sunken Meadow, although not at the state qualifier.

“The coaches who didn’t vote for him just gave him more incentive to prove them wrong,” at the state meet, Broich said.

Haynia agreed that it did give him even more incentive to win on Saturday, but now that he’s won, it’s basically water under the bridge.

“There was definitely a chip on my shoulder knowing that I had something to prove, apparently, to some people, but it’s a coaches vote,” he said. “Whatever they say, that’s what they saw at that meet. But I got to show them that I’m not only best runner in Suffolk County, but on Long Island, by far.”

Westhampton Beach junior Trevor Hayes placed 10th in the state on Saturday, finishing the race in 17:08.8 and good enough to join his teammate as a First Team All-State runner. Hayes’s accomplishment gets overshadowed a bit by Haynia’s, but Broich said it is in no way something to be overlooked. Broich felt that if Hayes was completely healthy — he partially tore his hamstring a few weeks back — and was in his top running shape, there’s no doubt in his mind that Haynia and Hayes would have finished one-two again, just like they did at the county meet.

“At [Sunken Meadow Park] in the beginning of the season, Trevor was already running 17 flat. He never met that again basically because of his injury,” he said. “With the same training plan as Max, if he didn’t get that injury, there’s no doubt in my mind he is right there with Max.”

Hayes will be back next year, although to continue what has been a long line of strong runners competing at the state meet, just like Haynia did following the graduation of Gavin Ehlers last year; Ehlers placed second in the state last year.

But the season could be far from over for Haynia. Forgoing next weekend’s Federation Championships — which encompasses all of the state’s top runners in public, private and Catholic schools — Haynia has his sights set on the Nike Cross Nationals Regional Qualifier, which is November 26 at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls.

In order to achieve his ultimate goal, which is to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals, which are December 3 at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon, Haynia will have to be one of the top five individual runners outside of the top two team’s runners at regionals. With a renewed confidence, Haynia feels he an accomplish that, and Broich said he’s not going to start doubting his top runner now.

“He wants to go to Oregon. That’s his goal. And when he puts something in his head, when he wants it, he seems to get it, and is on track with all of it,” he said. “He’s got a strong will and he’s an exceptional athlete.”