by Kurt Wheeler
The Cazenovia girls cross country squad gathered on Nov 13 to celebrate their team and individual accomplishments during a successful fall 2019 campaign.
Topping the list of accolades was their undefeated, 6-0 regular season effort to earn the OHSL Liberty-National crown for the second year in a row. The league title was the girls’ fourth in the past ten years as they earned an overall win-loss record of 54-6 (.900) during that span.
The Lakers also ran well in eight multi-school meets over the course of the season, highlighted by the Manhattan Invitational, the largest race in the northeast. Their big meet achievements included a fifth-place finish at the OHSL Liberty championships and a seventh-place effort among 22 teams in the Section III Class C championships..
Overall, the girls garnered nine all-league recognitions, led by Finlay Stover, who ran her best race of the year to earn first-team honors.
Molly Hart, Isla Stover and Lauren McLean all earned second team recognition while a big portion of the Laker pack that was the key to the squad’s success all season earned honorable mentions. Mary Williams led that group, followed by Claire Braaten, Melanie Michael, Mia Chesbrough, and Emma Steinberg.
They were also successful in the classroom during the season, earning team scholar-athlete status for the 22nd year in a row.
The top three quarters of the roster achieved a grade point average of nearly 943 during the season as part of the state-wide New York State Public High school Athletic Assocation competition. Eleven members of the team earned individual scholar-athlete honors, led by Melanie Michael and Claire Braaten.
The 2019 Lakers were the epitome of teamwork, not relying on one or two stars, but working together to achieve success throughout the season. The second-largest squad in program history, all 19 girls contributed to the team all fall. Five different girls earned first-place finishes among the team during the season with nine girls earning top-five finishes and eleven girls earning top-seven finishes.
Given the team’s incredible depth and unified effort, it was difficult to select just three for athletic department honors.
Hart was recognized as Most Valuable Runner, earning six first-place finishes during the fall along with the fastest 5K time of the season. Stover earned a Career Contribution award as a top-three runner for the Lakers during all three of her seasons in Cazenovia.
McLean , an eighth-grader, earned Rookie of the Year honors as she finished first in three races for the team and placed in the top four in every meet. Senior Captain Eleanor Wester was also recognized for her leadership of the team throughout the season.
With only three seniors graduating and a talented group of runners moving up from the undefeated modified team, the future continues to look bright for the Lakers in 2020.
