Sachem XC Teams Off to Strong Start

There have been a number of successful and competitive cross country matches for Sachem teams this fall.

Sachem East’s Justin Allone was named Newsday Athlete of the Week for his run of 17:29 and win in the Varsity “A” race at the Suffolk Coaches meet last weekend.

Sachem North girls cross country won its second invitational race in two weeks at the Suffolk Coaches Invitational.

The team was led by the front-running tactics of sophomore Molly Ramirez (first overall in the girls varsity A race) and junior Jordyn McDonnell (fourth).

Seniors Gabby Mott (11th), Allaura Dashnaw (15th), Becca Block (28) rounded out the top five finishes in the race. Junior Danielle Czarnecki (31st) and senior Nicole Batinsey (36th) had strong races and displaced top five scorers in all but one of the other 15 teams in the race. Sachem North edged out second place finisher Kings Park by a score of 57-59.

The Sachem North average of 22:15 qualified the team for the County Championship Meet held at Sunken Meadow on November 3.

That Sachem North hit this standard – one of only three Suffolk teams to do so on a day so hot that the last three races of the meet were cancelled due to heat alert conditions – is a credit to the training and determination (as well as athlete hydration and the shady team area we sought out at the start of their day at Sunken Meadow) of team members.