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Shelter Island cross country teams perfect in league races

COURTESY PHOTO The Shelter Island School's girls cross country team at the start of a race Tuesday at Goat Hill.
COURTESY PHOTO The Shelter Island School’s girls cross country team at the start of a race Tuesday at Goat Hill.

Driving rain, check. Blustery winds, check. Cold temperatures, check. Welcome to cross country races.

We had them all on Friday, October 2 when the Shelter Island School’s boys and girls teams raced at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park at the St. Anthony’s Cross Country Invitational. Some teams bowed out of the competition, but not the Indians. It may sound like torture to most, but believe it or not, an incredible amount of energy surrounded our athletes before and after the race. Hard to think that with such brutal conditions these runners tested their mettle against the raw elements and had fun doing it.

The boys team raced first in a 5K against some very tough competition that included teams as far away as the lower Hudson Valley. The powerhouse teams included St. Anthony’s, Pearl River, Archbishop Molloy and Suffern to name a few. The boys raced among 107 athletes and placed 10th out of 15 teams on a very wet and muddy course.

Scoring for the Island were 8th grader Kal Lewis (18:45) placing 20th, junior Will Garrison (19:33), sophomore Joshua Green (20:12), freshman Michael Payano (22:21), and 7th grader Tyler Gulluscio (22:35). Very close behind, the remaining Indians, 8th grader Liam Adipietro (22:37) and 8th grader Walter Richards (24:45) ran well despite the conditions.

The boys’ team league record is now 3-0.

The girls raced next in a 5K, among 91 athletes and placed 7th out of 12 teams. Scoring for the Indians were 8th grader Emma Gallagher (21:52) placing 12th, sophomore Caitlin Binder (23:25), sophomore Francesca Frasco (24:57), freshman Elizabeth Cummings (26:42) and freshman Lily Garrison (27:07). Junior Olivia Yeaman and 8th grader Lauren Gurney finished the mud-puddle-fest with times of 29:25 and 30:33, respectively.

The conditions could not have been any more dissimilar on Tuesday, October 6 when the Indians hosted Southold on their 2.5 mile home course at Goat Hill. The dry day and warm temperatures made for perfect racing conditions. The boys team defeated Southold by a score of 19-40. Scoring for the Indians were Lewis (13:54) placing 1st, Green (14:59) in 3rd, Garrison (15:10) in 4th, Jack Kimmelmann (15:22) in 5thand Jonas Kinsey (15:48) in 6th. The remaining Indians clocked times as follows: Jack Lang (16:00) in 8th, Payano (16:51) in 11th, Adipietro (17:24) in 13th, Gulluscio (18:04) in 15th and Richards (18:57) in 20th.

The girls team also defeated Southold with a score of 16-43. Scoring for the Indians were Lindsey Gallagher (16:07) placing 1st, Emma Gallagher (17:24) in 2nd, Binder (18:14) in 3rd, Frasco (18:51) in 4th and Cummings (20:35) in 6th. The remaining Indians clocked times as follows: Garrison (20:43), Yeaman (22:31) and Gurney (23:14). The girls’ team league record is also 3-0.

The coaches and team members would like to once again thank the Shelter Island Country Club for all its help in making a home course a reality, and all the fans who came out to support us Tuesday. Next on the Indians race calendar is the Westhampton Cross Country Invitational on Thursday, October 8 at Red Creek Park in Hampton Bays, followed by the Shelter Island 5K on October 17.