F-M girls still rule the roost in New York

By Adam Kopet of DyeStat

New York has dominated NXN since the event first began as NTN in 2004. A New York team has won the girls championship every year but one, the year Fayetteville-Manlius finished second.

F-M itself has been a dominating force. The Hornets have won 10 of the past 11 NXN titles. This year appears to be like many of the others after they return six from last year’s championship squad.

As has been the case the past two years, Saratoga Springs and North Rockland should both be factors at the state, and possibly national levels. Neither team qualified for NXN last year after disappointing NXR New York results. Both teams will want to return to Portland after the success New York teams had in 2015.

Rounding out the top five, Shenendehowa and Niskayuna enter the season in a virtual tie. Niskayuna has steadily improved over the past few seasons and could challenge for an at-large position at NXR New York this year.

The majority of the top individuals in the region represent the top five teams. Only Katherine Lee, a senior from Shoreham-Wading River, is not. Lee is the defending NXR New York champion.

1. Fayetteville-Manlius: The Hornets only graduated one runner from the NXN championship team from last year. Sophomore Claire Walters leads the way in what will likely be another championship year, the 11th for F-M if it happens.

2. Saratoga Springs: The Blue Streaks return six runners from last year’s fifth-place NXR New York team. They are led by junior Kelsey Chmiel, who finished fifth individually at NXN last year.

3. North Rockland: The Raiders graduated only one runner from the team that finished fourth at last year’s NXR New York. They are led by sophomore Katelyn Tuohy, who won the mile at New Balance Nationals Outdoor in 4:45.95.

4. Shenendehowa: The Plainsmen continue the trend of only graduating one runner from last year’s team. They ran their best race of the season at NXR New York to finish second last year and earn an automatic berth to Portland. Senior Hannah Reale is Shenendehowa’s top returner.

5. Niskayuna: The Silver Warriors have steadily been improving over the past few years. Senior Abigail Spiers is their top returning runner and could help lead Niskayuna into a potential NXN at-large qualifying position.

Watch list:

West Genesee

Guilderland

Benjamin Cardozo

Monroe-Woodbury

East Aurora