ONONDAGA COUNTY – As it has done for more than seven decades, Baldwinsville’s cross country teams served as a host for a massive early-autumn invitational meet.
The 71st edition of the Badwinsville Cross Country Invitational last Saturday featured 11 races, from modified and junior varsity divisions to varsity small-school races in the mornings and large-school races to cap the meet in the afternoon.
And it nearly would include a home victory from girls star Kamryn Barton, who finished second in the Large School division.
Barton’s time of 18 minutes, 49.2 seconds on the Durgee Junior High School course was topped only by the 18:25 from Auburn’s Kamryn Barton, who led the Maroons to the team title in a 15-team field.
B’ville was fourth, with Yolanda Wei supporting Barton as she got 13th place in 20:00.6. Two spots behind her, Ella Defio was 15th in 20:05.1, while Sophia Cavalieri got 27th place (21:09.7) and Rachel Becker was 32nd among team runners in 21:30.7.
In the boys Large School race that followed, B’ville also finished fourth behind Ithaca, Auburn and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, with Ithaca’s Noah Hilker taking individual honors in 15:46.1.
Noah Covert, covering the course in 16:03.3, got eighth place for the Bees. Adam Kozman (16:11.7) just missed the top 10 for 11th place, while Paul Clark got 14th place in 16:27.6.
Wyatt Decker ran 17:15.7 for 28th place as Doug Clark, in 17:20 flat, beat out Jacob Guelli (17:20.1) and Logan Bolton (17:28.0), each of whom was in the top 25.
In the Small School varsity races, Mexico won the boys division and South Jefferson the girls division, with South Lewis’ Colin Stafford (boys, 15:57.2) and Brynn Bernard (girls, 18:58.4) sweeping individual honors.
Before all this, B’ville visited West Genesee last Wednesday afternoon and split the meet, rolling to a 17-46 victory over the Wildcats in the boys edition.
Covert’s time of 17:23 flat at Camillus Middle School beat out the 17:26.6 from Kozman as Ryan Wilson, third in 17:28.4, was well clear of WG’s Michael Gomes (17:41.0) in fourth place.
Bolton finished fifth, in 17:57.6, while Guelli (18:26.2) rounded out the scoring column. Decker (18:38.0), Clark (18:47.7) and Will Cornell (18:57.1) all had top-10 finishes, too.
B’ville’s girls lost 19-42 to West Genesee, who had a top-three sweep led by Chloe Fietze, who won in 20:12 flat, more than a minute ahead of the field.
Without Barton in the lineup, Wei paced the Bees, getting to fourth place in 21:29 flat as Defio, fifth in 21:29.5, had the Bees’ only other top-10 finish.
