Ever since the early 1950s, high school cross country teams have come to this area to compete in the Baldwinsville Invitational.
The 67th edition of this venerable event took place last Saturday at Durgee Junior High School, with more than 60 schools taking part and a string of races all day in Large School, Small School, junior varsity and modified divisions.
In the girls Large School race, Justus Holden-Betts was the champion, her time of 17 minutes, 34.5 seconds the best of the day and well clear of the runner-up, Cicero-North Syracuse’s Kate Putman, who was second in 17:48.1.
Yet it was C-NS taking the team title with 71 points to B’ville’s 92 as the Northstars had four of the top 16 finishers in the team standings, while the Bees only had two.
Olivia Creelman got to 12th place in 18:57.8 as Annabelle Horan was 18th in 19:19.8.Vivian Holden-Betts made her way to 29th place in 19:53.1, just ahead of Leah Carpenter (19:56.1) in 32nd place. Maya Hewitt was 39th in 20:17.3 and Sarah Fawwaz posted 22:20.3.
As for the B’ville boys team, it got third place in its Large School division with 120 points, just behind runner-up Ithaca (115 points) as Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake swept the top three individual spots, Tyler Berg winning in 14:35.2, and easily took the team title, tol.
Connor McManus went 15:54.9 for 14th place, just ahead of Adam Davis, who was 15th in 15:56 flat. Colin Delaney got 28th place in 16:17.3 as Joe Licameli was 31st in 16:23.5, one ahead of Sam Kellner (16:23.7) in 32nd place. John Arvantides got to 35th place in 16:35.6, with Jack Michaels 45th in 16:42.9.
In the varsity Small School divisions, it was Skaneateles (163 points) edging Marcus Whitman (185 points) for the boys title and CBA, with 146 points, holding off Chittenango (155 points) for the girls title. Homer’s Teddy Mercer (15:50.0) and Vernon-Verona-Sherrill’s Delaney Brewer (18:06.5) were the boys and girls individual champions.
It was already quite a week for B’ville’s runners as they traveled to Long Branch Park to challenge Liverpool last Wednesday afternoon, unable to win on either side.
Against the girls Warriors, who sat atop the state Class A rankings, the no. 16-ranked Bees lost, 16-45, though it did sweep Syracuse West 15-50 to salvage a split.
Justus Holden-Betts finished in a time of 19:50, finishing fifth as Creelman was seventh in 20:35. Liverpool swept the top four as Jenna Schulz won in 18:08, ahead of Madison Neuner (18:47), Sydney Carlson (19:15) and Windsor Ardner (19:26).
The boys meet didn’t differ much from the girls results as B’ville, with its no. 14 state ranking, could not keep up with no. 3-ranked Liverpool in a 16-43 defeat, though it also won 15-50 over Syracuse West.
It was Davis leading the Bees, but his 16:46 put him in fifth place as, again, the Warriors swept the top four, Nathan Reeves winning in 16:22 over Carter Rodriguez (16:26), Jake McGowan (16:34) and Spencer Ruediger (16:39).
McManus finished seventh with a clocking of 16:50 as two other Bees reached the top 10, Garrett Vannatta posting 17:19 and Licameli finishing in 17:28.
The B’ville girls will get a chance to avenge its invitational defeat to C-NS Wednesday at Oneida Shores in a three-team race with Syracuse East before each set of Bees go to Rochester Saturday for the McQuaid Invitational.
