2007 XC Race Schedule/Results....

COMPETITIONS 

(Click on Competition for Team Results/Summary/Outstanding Performances)

Meet: West Genesee @ Auburn--9/12

Meet Results

Boys Varsity

Score: WG-19, Auburn-42

Dual Meet Record: 1 - 0

Girls Varsity:

Score: WG-18, Auburn-42

Dual Meet Record: 1 - 0

Meet Summaries

Boys:  All the summer mileage and tough August team practices came to the fore as the boys put forth a tremendous team effort. Steve Houghmaster, Tom Hopkins and Billy Gabriel put together an impressive 1-2-3 finish against a highly regarded and ranked Auburn lead runner. Taking 11 of the top 15 places, the guys made a statement to themselves: they can be very good this season. The statement to others will come this Saturday at the Chittenango Invitational.

Girls: Running without #2 Sarah Kibby, the 'cats nevertheless put great team depth out on the course, taking 7 of the top 10 places enroute to a convincing victory. Front-runners Colleen Smith and Katie Rothenberg cruised the course, with a lot of Wildcat company, including some step-up performances by Jessica Emanuelli and Amanda Brown.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Steve Houghmaster/Tom Hopkins/Tom Brogan

Girls: Katie Rothenberg/Jessica Emanuelli/Amanda Brown

(Top)

Meet: Chittenango Invitational(Jamesville Beach)--9/15

Meet Results

(Full Results: www.leonetiming.com)

Boys Varsity

Team Place: Division I: 3 of 19(Merge: 9 of 63)

Girls Varsity:

Team Place: Division I: 3 of 16(Merge: 7 of 51)

Boys Junior Varsity:

Team Place: Division I/II: 6 of 17

Girls Junior Varsity:

Team Place: Division I/II: 6 of 13

Meet Summaries

Boys: With three runners in the top-20 of their Division I race and a third place finish, the boys took a step up in their drive to return to the top teams of Section III. A team top-10 finish in the 63 team merge confirmed that this edition of the 'cats is clawing their way up. With solid efforts, Steve Houghmaster and Billy Gabriel proved they are two of the top sophomores/freshmen respectively in the section. Though there was some invitational meet rust to shake off, 8 of the 10 runners in the varsity section ran all-time personal records. Excellent JV efforts were also recorded by freshman Alex DeJohn, Bob Sova and Brett Smith. Next up is the formidable F-M squad in a 9/19 dual meet on the WG home course.

Girls: It started off rosy for the Wildcats. Four came across the line in the top-18, including a 7th by Colleen Smith and 11th by a steadily improving Katie Rothenberg--with Sarah Kibby right behind in 12th. Katie Bott clocked a personal record in finishing 18th. But the 5th for the girls was not there on this day, forcing them to accept a third-place finish in their Division I race. Despite the slip, they closed the day 7th of 51 teams in the merge and with the knowledge a tighter 1-5 will dramatically change things. Gut race of the day goes to Katie Riley who, despite a bad fall early in the race, collected herself and fought to a personal record and the 6th best team time of the day.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Billy Gabriel/Greg Moynihan/Alex DeJohn

Girls: Colleen Smith/Katie Rothenberg/Katie Bott/Katie Riley/Alicia Martin

(Top)

Meet: West Genesee vs. F-M(Home)--9/19

Meet Results

Boys Varsity

Score: F-M - 22, WG-36

Dual Meet Record: 1-1

Girls Varsity:

Score: F-M - 15, WG-50

Dual Meet Record: 1-1

Meet Summaries

Boys:   The boys gave it a go against state-ranked F-M, with Steve Houghmaster and Tom Hopkins earning top-4 places. The Hornets shut the door following that, with a 5-6-7 finish locking up the victory.  The 'cats will look to close that 1-5 gap as they have a week to train for their upcoming dual meet with Corcoran.

Girls: Defending National Champions F-M looked the part(and look to repeat) as they thoroughly dominated a Wildcats squad without their lead runner and several others nursing slight injuries. It was no contest as the Hornets grabbed the first 7 places enroute to a shut-out of the 'cats.  They move on to training and await visiting Corcoran next week.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Steve Houghmaster/Tom Hopkins/Tom Brogan

Girls: Sarah Kibby/Katie Rothenberg

(Top)

Meet: West Genesee vs. Corcoran(Home)--9/26

Meet Results

Boys Varsity

Score: WG-15, Corcoran-48

Dual Meet Record: 2-1

Girls Varsity:

Score: WG-15, Corcoran-50

Dual Meet Record: 2-1

Meet Summaries

Boys:  The boys mustered an impressive team performance as several top runners enjoyed come-from-behind course moves which led to a 1-5 scoring sweep by the 'cats. WG also captured 8 of the top 10 places and 12 of the first 15 across the line. With a number of improved course times and the return of Ron Ta, the team is beginning to jell. They will hopefully continue in that direction at McQuaid where they return to the large-schools seeded race for the first time in a decade.

Girls: Facing an incomplete Corcoran team, the girls focused on pack running strategies and strategic course moves. Colleen Smith returned from injury with a cautious building effort. Running all alone the 2nd half of the race, senior captain Sarah Kibby continued an impressive season with a personal best on the home course. Like the boys, many runners improved their season course times. The girls look ahead to their second invitational test of the season when they jump into one of the most competitive races of the country this season when they join two of the nation's top-5 teams and six state top-20 teams in the McQuaid girls large-schools seeded race this Saturday.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Billy Gabriel/Jon Richardson/Steve Menges

Girls: Sarah Kibby/Katie Riley/Amanda Brown

(Top)

Meet: McQuaid Invitational--9/29

Meet Results

(full meet results--click)

Boys Varsity

Team Place: 13 of 14(Large Schools Seeded Race)

Girls Varsity:

Team Place: 7 of 13(Large Schools Seeded Race)

Boys Junior Varsity:

Team Place: 8 of 27

Meet Summaries

Boys:  The boys hit a bump in the road--at the wrong time. It seemed a case of big-race shock for some critical scorers who, despite coaches' warnings, had no 'plan B' for a fast-paced race full of talented runners going out hard and staying fast. The 'cats have time to re-group and work on race strategies in two dual meets before heading to NYC for their next big opportunity--the Manhattan Invitational.

Girls: If you can get excited about a middle-of-the-pack finish, the Wildcats squad should with their McQuaid performance. Racing with several key runners either just back from injury or nursing pesky knee/hip problems, the girls confronted a race field with two national top-5 teams(F-M/Burnt Hills) and state top-25 teams(Hilton, East Aurora, West Seneca West, Liverpool, Baldwinsville,Ithaca). This was easily the most highly contested, talent-ladened race in the country so far this season. Hoping to put together a credible team improvement over their disappointing third-place finish at the 9/15 Chittenango Invitational, the not-yet-100% team beat #8 ranked West Seneca West, beat #11 ranked Liverpool and tied #13 ranked Baldwinsville, losing to them on the 6th runner tie-breaker. Sarah Kibby was again the spark, racing well in leading the 'cats, but the shrinking 1-5 runner gap of 1:18 tells the team's story on this day. The team wanted to demonstrate they are a state team to be reckoned with--and they did. Next big stage: Manhattan Invitational.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Tom Hopkins/Ryan Gillett

Girls: Team Effort

(Top)

Meet: West Genesee vs. Nottingham(Home)--10/3

Meet Results

Boys Varsity

Score: WG-17, Nottingham-46

Dual Meet Record: 3-1

Girls Varsity:

Score: WG-15, Nottingham-50

Dual Meet Record: 3-1

Meet Summaries

Boys:  The Wildcats allowed only one Nottingham running in the top-15 places as they subdued the Bulldogs for their third dual meet victory on a cloudy and breezy but warm afternoon. Step-up performances and significantly improved course times belonged Garrett Smith, Greg Moynihan, Billy Gabriel, Bob Sova and Alex DeJohn. The boys train through the weekend in preparation for Oswego and the Manhattan Invitational.

Girls: The dual meet season continued rolling along for the girls as they grabbed the first eight placing in victory over the Buccaneers. Significant PR improvements were registered by Katie Naton, Colleen Smith, Allison Reichel and Kathleen O'Meara.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Billy Gabriel/

Girls: Colleen Smith/Allison Reichel/Kathleen O'Meara/Katie Naton

(Top)

Meet: West Genesee vs. Oswego(Home)--10/10

Meet Results

Boys Varsity

Score: WG-19, Oswego-39

Dual Meet Record: 4-1

Girls Varsity:

Score: WG-15, Oswego-48

Dual Meet Record: 4-1

Meet Summaries

Boys:  In the first 800 meters, the Wildcats put to rest any thoughts by hopeful Oswego of an upset. Running 1-2-3, Steve Houghmaster, Tom Hopkins and Billy Gabriel powered to 'cats to 6 of the top-10 spots and victory. Highlights included some heroic running by a slightly ill Hopkins, a surprise new course record by Houghmaster, who ran alone for four and half of the course's 5 k's, and a new member to the 17:00 club--an improving Andy Incaudo. Still in search of that tight 1-5 gap, the team heads south to NYC for the Manhattan Invitational.

Girls: The girls continued their winning ways in dual meets by taking the first five places in a controlled team effort. Katie Bott ran a personal record in placing 3rd for the 'cats, with many of the major improvements occurring in the JV ranks by Brittany Ellis, Rachel Hefti and Molly Hollenbeck. The girls will try to put together a major team effort in Manhattan this weekend.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Steve Houghmaster/Steve Menges/Andy Incaudo

Girls: Brittany Ellis/Rachel Hefti/Molly Hollenbeck/Katie Bott

(Top)

Meet: Manhattan Invitational--10/13

Meet Results

Boys Varsity

Team Place: 8 of  43(Boys Varsity "C" Race)

Girls Varsity:

Team Place: 2 of 39

Boys Junior Varsity:

Team Places: Results not yet available

Races: Boys JV "A"/"B"/"D"

Girls Junior Varsity:

Team Place: Results not yet available

Races: Girlss JV "A"/"C"

Meet Summaries

Boys:  Hidden in their 8th place finish is the 'news' that this group continues their steady improvement into the late-season. They gave several other highly regarded Section III teams a run for their money behind Steve Houghmaster, who was the section's top runner in the race. His still-unofficial time(Manhattan scoring is slow and antiquated) of 12:51.9 will be the WG all-time best on the historic VanCortlandt course, eclipsing the 1983 13:11.0 mark set by John Benson. The varsity squad also ran the 2nd best WG team cumulative time ever--1:08:49--trailing only the 1985 squad time of 1:08:11. A stunning effort by Billy Gabriel moved him into the #4 all-time spot on that WG list, with gutsy Tom Hopkins, still running under-the-weather, taking the #7 spot. It was a great day to be a Wildcat.

Girls: High hopes, lower results. The girls' varsity desire to put together a total team effort was not translated into reality as two of the top five ran slower times than in 2006, negating fine improvements by Sarah Kibby and Katie Bott. While they  brought home a 2nd place trophy, this squad was capable of better and is still looking for a team effort worthy of their individual talents. They get another chance this coming weekend at the Marathon Invitational.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Varsity Team Effort

Girls: Katie Bott/Sarah Kibby/Amanda Brown/Molly Hollenbeck

(Top)

Meet: West Genesee vs. Henninger, 10/17

Meet Results

Boys Varsity

Score: WG-18, Henninger-45

Dual Meet Record: 5-1(Division: 4-1)

Girls Varsity:

Score: WG-15, Henninger-50

Dual Meet Record: 5-1(Division: 4-1)

Meet Summaries

Boys:  Running against an incomplete Henninger squad, the 'cats enjoyed a day of incredible mid-autumn weather and plenty of personal records on their home course. The team now gears up for big opportunity at this Saturday's Marathon Invitational where they collide with several state top-20 teams.

Girls: The first fifteen runners across the finish line were Wildcats, so the day was devoted to closing gaps and registering best course times for the home dual meet season. The girls accomplished both and now look at the Marathon Invitational and a challenging seeded race.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Billy Gabriel/Andy Incaudo/Ethan Wojcik

Girls: Katie Bott

(Top)

Meet: Marathon Invitational, 10/20/07

Meet Results

Boys Varsity

Team Place: 5 of 14

Girls Varsity:

Team Place: 4 of 14

Boys Junior Varsity:

Team Place: 2 of 14

Girls Junior Varsity:

Team Place: 3 of 7

Meet Summaries

Boys:  The boys took to the tough, tilted 5k Marathon Invitational course and held their own against solid CNY/Southern Tier teams. Steve Houghmaster's 5th place finish(2nd best of all Section III runners) was the highlight, but the improving races of Garrett Smith and Ron Ta might provide that #5-6 punch the team will need against Baldwinsville and at the Sectional Championship. Biggest fun, though, had to be watching the JV squad scrap and claw its way to 2nd place with team-running that produced an awesome 37.6 second  #1-5 gap and two individual top-10 finishers.

Girls: Their best team-time of the season and a 26 second shrinkage in their #1-5 runner--are the girls peaking at the right time? Could be. Despite the tough course, top-5 runners Katie Bott and Kayla Murphy registered season 5k PR's. The girls JV squad also ran well, placing two individuals in the top-10 to place 3rd. The girls will need to keep the good stuff going as they collide with #13th ranked Baldwinsville this Wednesday in a dual meet.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Boys JV squad

Girls: Katie Bott/Kayla Murphy/Jessica Emanuelli/Amanda Brown

(Top)

Meet: West Genesee @Central Square/Baldwinsville--10/24

Meet Results

Boys Varsity

Score: WG-17, C-Sq-42/Bville-22, WG-35

Dual Meet Record: 6-2(Division: 5-1)

Girls Varsity:

Score: WG-18, C-Sq-39/WG-28, Bville-28(Bville wins on 6th runner)

Dual Meet Record: 6-2(Division: 5-1)

Meet Summaries

Boys:  A game effort by the Wildcats came up short against the #11 state-ranked Bee's. The 'cats put four in the top-10, including a superb tactical race win by Steve Houghmaster, but were unable to match the depth of Baldwinsville. They had no such trouble with Central Square, putting 4 runners ahead of C-Square's lead man for a convincing victory. The race was marred by marking problems on the C-Square course and a miscommunication that left no one at the finish line to hand our place cards to runners. We are still awaiting places and times for our #8-23 runners. It was an unfortunate last meet for runners not advancing to Sectionals. For the top-10 moving on, tightening up their #1-5 gap will be critical for success at this coming Friday on the Jamesville Beach sectional course.

Girls: The girls went off at sunset and finished with a full moon rising. For awhile it looked like the good moon was rising on them as they ran their best team-time of the season and were leading in the race against #12 state-ranked Baldwinsville until the B-ville lead runner opened a slight lead on our WG pace setter, until some 'shifting contact lens' left another 'cat blurry-eyed and until another was unable to 'catch' at least one place in a Bville pack. The result was a 28-28 tie with Bville claiming victory based on the 6th runner tie-breaker system. Ouch. Still, some extremely strong running by the Wildcats opens the door to a strong Sectional Championship showing this Friday.

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Steve Houghmaster/Ethan Wojcik/Steve Pietruniak

Girls: Katie Bott/Katie Rothenberg

(Top)

Meet: Section III Championship(Jamesville Beach)--11/2

Meet Results

(Full Results: www.leonetiming.com)

Boys Varsity

Team Place: 4th(Section III Merge: 5 of 65)

*Course = 3.05miles?

Girls Varsity:

Team Place: 2nd(Section III Merge: 2 of 53)

Meet Summaries

Boys:  What's left to say? No, they didn't win sectionals, but they left the race course with the vow to return in '08' to do just that. The reason for such lofty expectations was a team peak performance when it mattered most and at least three school superlatives for a team that will return 9 of its 10 sectional finishers: 1. First WG individual Sectional Champion--sophomore Steve Houghmaster; 2. Highest WG team finish-4th; 3. Highest WG merge finish-5th. This '07' team should be feeling nothing but pride for the enthusiasm, dedication and gut performances it produced during this season.

Girls: They made a team goal in early September to finish 2nd at sectionals. Saturday, following a long wait, they put their game faces on and made good on that goal. It would take a team effort, and that's what the girls delivered. Once the F-M tsunami passed, it was Baldwinsville, Cicero-North Syracuse(both ranked above WG) and Liverpool battling it out with the Wildcats. All the 'cats came up big, beating runners ranked above them, surging late in the race and running the hills tough. Colleen Smith provided a highlight with a ferocious final mile where she moved from a no-qualifier position, passing several runners and sprinting down CNS's Taylor Wendler to finish as the #4 individual qualifier for 'states.' The team's 2nd place finish in the overall merge means another goal--Federation Championship qualification--is still achievable. They train and wait this week for team selections to be made at the State Meet....

Outstanding Performances

Boys: Steve Houghmaster(Class AA Sectional Champion/State Qualifier) & Team Effort

Girls: Colleen Smith(State Qualifier) & Team Effort

(Top)

Meet: State Championship(Norwood-Norfolk)--11/10

Meet Results

Meet Summary

Boys: In his first taste of state championship XC racing, Steve was introduced to volume and ferocity as the AA race was loaded and quick. They went out fast--and stayed fast. Steve ran solid, finishing in the top half of racers. Disappointed but now well versed, he can look back on an accomplished sophomore season and ahead to an even better junior campaign that will extend beyond 'states.'

Girls: Colleen returned for a second state championship and ran one of her best races of the season in an incredibly powerful Class AA field. Now firmly established as one of Section III's top runners, she can look forward to a great senior season on the trails. For the girls team, they again narrowly missed receiving a Federation Championship bid, needing a few stronger 1-5 runner invitational performances. That, however, will be an issue for the '08' Wildcats to address. This season is a wrap.

(Top)

Meet: Federation Championship(Bowdoin Park)--11/17

Meet Results

(No teams qualified)

Meet Summary

Boys:

Girls:

(Top)