Bethlehem prevails in tight race to win Class A girls' cross country title

QUEENSBURY - The harsh reality of the Section 2 cross country championship meets is that only the victorious teams earn berths to the state title competition.

State rankings have no bearing on who qualifies for states, so when the team scores began to post at the conclusion of the Class A championship Saturday on the 5-kilometer course at Queensbury High School, the wait offered plenty of anxious moments for Bethlehem, Guilderland, Saratoga Springs and Shenendehowa as the quartet of top-ranked teams across the state awaited the outcome.

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In the end, three top-10 finishes propelled Bethlehem, the 2024 state champion, to a three-point win over Guilderland with Shen placing third and Saratoga a close fourth.

Sophomore Sophia Chromczak (18:24.3) led Bethlehem with a second-place finish behind the victorious Riley Lynch (18:06.5) of Shenendehowa to key the Eagles team title.

Chromczak, a key contributor to the state title team two years ago, was followed by teammates Anna Chrapowitzky in fourth, Tess McNamara in eighth, Sophie Syed in 11th and Tiffany Akpieyi, who clinched the win with her 23rd place finish.

"The team changes every single year but everyone is great," Chromczak said. "I think the older runners can help the younger runners what the course is like and give them advice."

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Shen's Lynch got out early and set the pace before clearing plenty of room between her and the rest of the field as she entered the chute toward the finish line free and clear on her way to the individual title.

"I was super excited to see what I could do today and what my team could do," Lynch said. "I felt like I was in control. At the mile, I was leading, I was scared near the finish, to be honest, because it was slippery."

Shen's effort was bolstered by a third-place finish from Edith Schanz and a 10th-place showing by freshman Katie Perkins.

Guilderland had top 10-finishers in Tara Iyer (sixth), Teagan Davis (seventh) and Braelyn Cornell (ninth).

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Early morning showers gave way to afternoon clouds but as the Class B race, the last of eight contests, got underway, the heavy rain returned but despite the added elements, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake impressed in the wet and muddy conditions.

Sophomore Serafina Battuello slogged her way through the course with a time of 19:05.6, 15 seconds ahead of defending champ Kiera MacIntosh of Scotia.

Though only the top five runners on each team count in the team standings, Burnt Hills impressed with six runners finishing in the top 10 as the Spartans received big efforts from Everleigh Greer, Ella Bodenstab, Adalyn Greer, Cecelia Malizia and Lily Cartier.

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Holy Names junior Maeve Joyce won her second straight sectional title in Class C with a time of 18:08.7, while Voorheesville had the next four runners across the line in Savannah Schmidt, Avery Grant, Shayla Hyman and Salma Sayahi to win the team championship.In Class D, freshman Lakely Laudato of Duanesburg denied Chatham's Madeline Waring in her bid for a third straight Section 2 title with a thrilling win, finishing in 19:40.5 with Waring crossing the line in 19:43.

Juliet Gulisane's fifth-place finish helped Greenville win the team crown by one point over Duanesburg.

Section 2 girls' cross country championship results

Class A

Team scores

Bethlehem 48, Guilderland 51, Shenendehowa 55, Saratoga 64, Colonie 177, Niskayuna 182, Shaker 203, Ballston Spa 243, Columbia 258, Albany 280, Schenectady 322.

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Top finishers

Riley Lynch (Shenendehowa), 18:06.5; Sophia Chromczak (Bethlehem), 18:24.3; Edith Schanz (Shenendehowa), 18:31.9; Anna Chrapowitzky (Bethlehem), 18:38.2; Erin Moleski (Saratoga), 18:38.5; Tara Iyer (Guilderland), 18:44.3; Teagan Davis (Guilderland), 18:52.4; Braelyn Cornell (Guilderland), 19:09.0; Katie Perkins (Shenendehowa), 19:15.3.

Class B

Team scores

Burnt Hills 28, Averill Park 64, Scotia 65, South Glens Falls 101, Queensbury 128, Mohonasen 155

Top finishers

Serafina Battuello (Burnt Hills), 19:05.6; Kiera MacIntosh (Scotia), 19:20.6; Leah Hamm (Scotia), 19:52.4; Mae Miller (Averill Park), 20:02.1; Everleigh Greer (Burnt Hills), 20:07.1; Ella Bodenstab (Burnt Hills), 20:08.4; Adalyn Greer (Burnt Hills), 20:14.7; Julianna St. John (South Glens Falls), 20:22.0; Cecilia Malizia (Burnt Hills), 20:25.1; Lily Cartier (Burnt Hills), 20:25.1.

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Class C

Team scores

Voorheesville 21, Broadalbin-Perth 68, Cobleskill-Richmondville 109, Ravena 124, Schalmont 140, Fonda-Fultonville 155, Mechanicville 182, Ichabod Crane 199, Tamarac 220, Corinth/Hadley-Luzerne 230, Schuylerville 262.

Top finishers

Maeve Joyce (Holy Names), 18:08.7; Savannah Schmidt (Voorheesville), 18:50.3; Avery Grant (Voorheesville), 19:36.0; Shayla Hyman (Voorheesville), 19:38.1; Salma Sayahi (Voorheesville), 19:48.2; Kelsey Mooney (LaSalle), 19:56.9; Paige Rogers (Mechanicville), 20:14.9; Peper Weddell (Ravena), 20:20.9; Viviana DiMezza (Broadalbin-Perth), 20:21.9; Emma Roberg (Coxsackie-Athens), 20:33.8.

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Class D

Team scores

Greenville 52, Duanesburg 53, Maple Hill 56, Hoosic Valley 67, Lake George 111.

Top finishers

Lakelyn Laudato (Duanesburg), 19:40.5; Madeline Waring (Chatham), 19:43.1; Anna Leo (Mayfield-Northville), 20:22.0; Aubrey Spar (Maple Hill), 20:27.8; Juliet Gulisane (Greenville), 20:36.6; Nahla Squires (Hoosic Valley), 20:46.1; Maebh Nesbitt (Warrensburg), 21:20.3; Addison Reutzel (Maple Hill), 21.46.8; Amelia Bink (Hoosic Valley), 21:51.0; Kathy Wu (Berlin), 21:56.2

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This article originally published at Bethlehem prevails in tight race to win Class A girls' cross country title.