Madelyn Fowle sprinted through Schenectady’s Central Park to claim the girls’ Division II title at the 86th Grout Invitational with a time of 16:51.7 on Saturday. Her victory powered Colonie to its 14th team championship in the event, despite a roster featuring 12 newcomers to cross country.
Fowle, a freshman, finished just behind Division I leaders Camryn and Avery Flynn of Washingtonville, who both clocked 16:31.5. Eighth-grader Layaal Awad and sophomore Nina Kimball also contributed top finishes, placing second and sixth respectively in the Division II race. Colonie’s coach MaryAnn Reilly-Johnson pointed to the team’s youth as a sign of future promise. “It is so exciting, this year we have 12 brand new girls who have never run cross country before and 16 returning,” she said. “All the girls love running this course. We have a nice little crew coming along.”
Fowle said she enjoyed the challenge of the 2.75-mile course. “I liked it,” she said. “I was trying to catch up to them or stay close to them,” referring to the Washingtonville twins who set the pace at the front.
While the girls’ Division II race spotlighted Colonie’s emerging talent, the boys’ Division II event featured a tight duel between Schenectady’s Cainen Aceto and White Plains senior Pierce Biffert. Biffert edged ahead with 450 meters left to finish first in 14:16.5, with Aceto taking second at 14:22. Aceto said he was aiming to break 14:40 and called the race one of his favorites. “I was leading most of it but first-place (Biffert) passed me, he ran a good race too,” Aceto said. “That was tough, he had a crazy kick.”
White Plains took the boys’ Division II team title with 31 points, while Schenectady placed second with 71. Albany’s Saleem Ismail and La Salle’s Woody Castle also made the top ten individually.
In the boys’ Division I race, senior Declan Lyman of Christian Brothers Academy finished second behind North Rockland’s Andrew Maltbie, who won in 14:30.4. Maltbie’s team secured the Division I boys’ team championship with 33 points. Bethlehem finished runner-up with 43, supported by top-ten finishes from Daniel McNabb, John Deer, Elijah Ketzer, and Mason Bergeron.
On the girls’ side, Washingtonville swept the top three spots in Division I, with the Flynn twins leading the charge and the team taking the title with 19 points. Shaker and St. Francis Prep followed in second and third.
Class C events crowned different champions. La Salle’s senior Kelsey Mooney won the girls’ title in 17:13.6, while Broadalbin-Perth took the team crown. The boys’ Class C winner was Jaden Lewis of Delhi/South Kortright in 14:20.7. His team also secured the boys’ Class C team championship, helped by Madden Richards and Devin Dietz finishing second and third.
Colonie’s 14th Grout Invitational team title adds to a long history of success at the event, but the team’s youth suggests more strong performances may lie ahead. Coach Reilly-Johnson’s remarks and the individual results reflect a squad blending experience with promising new talent.
According to Yahoo Sports.
