From start to finish, the Fayetteville-Manlius cross country team’s post-season push covers nearly two months and eventually takes the Hornets across America.
But it all began in 2011 with F-M sweeping both ends of Wednesday’s CNY Counties League American division championship at Central Square.
For the five-time defending national champion girls Hornets, the league meet involved sweeping each of the top seven positions in front of runner-up West Genesee, the same side it beat head-to-head just one week earlier.
Hannah Smith roared to the finish line in 19:01, comfortably ahead of Alana Pearl, who was second in 19:12. Jenna Farrell worked her way to third place in 19:26 as Emily McGurrin took fourth in 19:45.
Katie Brislin led the next Hornets’ wave, needing exactly 20 minutes for fifth place, while Maggie Malone got to sixth place in 20:14 and Michelle Duffy, in 20:34, was seventh.
Though F-M’s boys team could not quite manage that sort of domination, it still claimed each of the top four finishing slots. With 21 points, the state no. 1-ranked Hornets easily outlasted West Genesee (46 points), plus Central Square, Auburn and Oswego.
Connor Farrell found his way to the top spot, winning in a time of 17:03, as Ben Thomas fit into second place, nine seconds behind. Colin Fitzgibbons earned third place in 17:15 and Jules Wellner, in fourth place (17:21), completed that top-four sweep.
Mike Malone closed out F-M’s scoring grid, earning 11th place in 18:24, with Konrad Niemiec getting 18th place in 18:41 and Charlie Beeler running to 20th place in 18:54.
