East Hampton High School will send two of its cross-country stars to the state championship in Queensbury, N.Y., on Nov. 14.
Jasper Samuelson, a junior, finished third in the boys Class B race at the Section XI Championship at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park Thursday afternoon with a time of 17:44.2. That’s an average pace of 5:43 per mile.
Zoey Falkenhan, the first-ever seventh grader to participate in Bonac varsity sports, finished sixth in the girls Class B race with a time of 20:11, which works out to 6:30 per mile.
“I'm so proud of Jasper. If anyone deserves to be on that bus to the state championships, it's Jasper,” said Kevin Barry, the boys head coach. “He came so close last year, missing by one place and one second. He was on a mission all summer and fall. He's truly one of the hardest working young men I have had the pleasure to coach in my 39 years of coaching cross-country.”
Falkenhan had a tough race, taking a fall before getting back up and finishing with a state-qualifying time.
“She had moved up to fifth and stayed there until the moat, and she had a trip and fall at the moat which pushed her back to sixth,” Diane O'Donnell, the girls head coach, said. “She was beside herself when she came through the chute. She was completely shocked. The girl that bumped into her was twice her size. It was probably like getting hit by a mountain. She recovered. She got her composure back. She's a real little champion. She's very mentally strong.”
Laura Martinez, a senior and team captain, finished 15th and missed the state cut but ran a strong time of 21:39.6.
“These three kids that we finished the season with, they worked really hard together this past week. It's good to see the camaraderie and people working for a common goal. It was a great meet for us. This was a banner year,” O'Donnell said.
Pierson High School of Sag Harbor also had a terrific showing at the meet. Evelyn Rizzo, an eighth grader, won the girls Class D race in 19:57.6. She will head to the state championship with Josie Mott, a junior who finished sixth in 23:37.3.
Pierson’s boys team took third place in the boys Class D division. Lincoln Fischer, a sophomore, finished fourth in the Class D race with a time of 18:35.1, while Leo DeKleva Hawker, a freshman, finished fifth in 18:41.1. Both qualified for the state championship.
The Ross School is also sending one of its cross-country runners to Queensbury. Elle Foard, a junior, finished fourth in the girls Class D race with a time of 23:07.2.
