Cross Country begins

Cross Country season is finally underway, with the league seasons just beginning for Nassau and Suffolk. The Jim Smith Invitational is set for this Saturday. It’s one of the most competitive cross country invites of the season.

Now to clear a few things up. The Newsday cross country preview ran on Thursday. The purpose of the preview is to give an overview of what cross country fans can expect and let them know who some of the top teams and runners are.

I typically get emails from parents, coaches and athletes after the preview runs. Some praise the coverage, while others are critical. Just so everyone knows, when a runner or team isn’t included in the preview, it doesn’t mean that person or program isn’t worthy. Most of the time it is a matter of space. Every team and runner can’t be included. There are just too many to mention.

There are some oversights and some miss communications that can lead to mistakes in the preview, but a runner or team not being mentioned is never intentional.

As for the Top 5 in the Big Ten, which runs every Monday, it is a fluid list. Just because a team is in the top 5 one week, it doesn’t mean that team will be there next week. Good luck to every team this season.

TOP 5

BOYS
1. St. Anthony’s
2. Smithtown
3. Bayport-Blue point
4. Port Jefferson
5. Port Washington

GIRLS
1. North Shore
2. Northport
3. Smithtown
4. Ward Melville
5. Sachem East

Here are some other runners to watch:

BOYS

James Burke, Port Jefferson
Cameron Coneys, Harborfields
Anthony de Matteo, Hills West
Brendan Nyreen, Massapequa
Derek Palafox, Bellport
Evan Purdy, Shoreham-Wading River
Eric Ratner, Clarke
Nick Ross, Great Neck South
Ryan Scarpelli, Sachem East

GIRLS

Carolina Brown, Holy Trinity
Deidre Connor, Smithtown
Victoria D’Amato, Northport
Ryleigh Donegan, Center Moriches
Jessica Donohue, North Shore
Stephanie Gerland, Garden City
Erika Gulija, Southampton
Rachel Levy, East Meadow
Kelly Mahoney, Harborfields
Molly Reilly, North Shore