John Jay runs away with Queensbury cross-country honors

By JIM MACLEAN 

They remember it well. They are familiar with the course, the scene of their greatest triumph, but the John Jay girls cross-country team had to put that memory behind them and focus on the task at hand.

John Jay made the trip upstate on Saturday, Sept. 26, along with 148 other teams from around the state to compete in the Queensbury Invitational meet. 

It is known as the “pre-state” championship meet, on the same course as the New York state championships coming up on Nov. 14. All of the top runners in the state want the chance to compete in the invitational as a chance to learn the course and get ready for the state meet. 

Last year, John Jay did the pre-state meet and finished second, setting the stage for a return trip to the state finals where the Wolves won the N.Y. State Class B team championship. Three of the girls from that team are gone, but the rest return with vivid memories and they want to prove that they can do it again. They took the first step at the invitational, finishing first in the Division IV race with a team score of 121, nipping Monroe-Woodbury in second place at 124. A total of 24 teams competed in the Division IV race, including Section 1 rival Pearl River in 11th place.

A good way to start the season, but John Jay coach Dey Dey is quick to point out it’s not how you start, but how you finish.

“I know what they can do so I wasn’t surprised — I believe in them that much— I knew they could do it,” Dey said of his team. “All of them did a good job. They are all getting much, much better. They are starting off in a good place, but the plan is to get better if they want to get back there in November. They are in a good position to accomplish a lot.”

Junior Mia Haimelin led the way for the Wolves as she finished fifth in Division IV and 17th overall with a time of 18:40.4. Sophomore Maya Serai was next for the Wolves in eighth place and 27th overall at 18:53.3, followed by sophomore Brodie Albert third in 22nd place.

Those three were part of the state championship team score last year, the veterans leading the way, followed by three newcomers in the top six for John Jay with freshman Rylee Gaudron in 29th place and freshman Lila Rotter in 58th place to round out the top five times for the team score.

Cecelia Kaleda was 105th as an eighth grader, followed by junior Megan Krebs, freshman Alyvia Anderson, and junior Charlotte Krebs as the nine varsity girls competing in the race. An impressive way to start the season for a team with no seniors on the course as John Jay looks to defend its Section 1 and New York State Class B titles.