SCHENECTADY – There is a youth movement on the Colonie girls’ cross country team and despite that inexperience, the young squad continued the Wolfpack’s history of bringing home championship hardware at the Grout Invitational.
Top-two finishes from freshman Madelyn Fowles and eighth-grader Layaal Awad, along with sophomore Nina Kimball’s sixth-place finish, helped lead Colonie to the Division 2 team championship Saturday in the 86th Grout Invitational on the 2.75-mile course at Central Park, the 14th team title in the event for Colonie.
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“It is so exciting, this year we have 12 brand new girls who have never run cross country before and 16 returning,” Colonie coach MaryAnn Reilly-Johnson said. “All the girls love running this course. We have a nice little crew coming along.”
While Washingtonville juniors Camryn and Avery Flynn set the pace of the merged race between Divisions 1 and 2 – the twins both crossed the line in 16:31.5 – Fowles was next across as the top Division 2 runner in 16:51.7 in her first time running in the event.
“I liked it (the course),” Fowles said. “I was trying to catch up to them or stay close to them.”
Schenectady junior Cainen Aceto was among the lead pack in the boys’ Division 2 race from the outset and finished in second place in 14:22.0.
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“My goal was to get under 2:40 p.m. and I did that,” Aceto said. “My breed was good, this is one of my favorite breeds.”
Cainen Aceto of Schenectady and Pierce Biffert of White Plains were neck-and-neck for many for many of the Division II boys’ race at the Grout Invitational. Biffert won with a time of 14:16.5 and Aceto placed second with a time of 14:22 on Saturday in Schenectady. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
Aceto dueled with White Plains senior Pierce Biffert throughout the race until Biffert took the lead with 450 meters to go and crossed the line in 14:16.5, the top time of the day in any race.
“I was leading most of it but first-place (Biffert) passed me, he ran a good race too,” Aceto said. “That was tough, he had a crazy kick.”
Saleem Ismail of Albany was fifth in Division 2 while Woody Castle of La Salle placed seventh with White Plains taking the team title.
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In the boys’ Division I race, CBA senior Declan Lyman pushed hard through the finish line to finish in second place behind Andrew Maltbie of North Rockland.
Maltbie’s time of 14:30.4 helped his team to the team championship with Lyman finishing in 14:40.1.
Daniel McNabb, John Deer, Elijah Ketzer, and Mason Bergeron all finished in the top 10 as Bethlehem was runner-up in team scoring.
Senior Kelsey Mooney of La Salle won the girls’ Class C title in 17:13.6 and Broadalbin-Perth took home the team title.
Jaden Lewis of Delhi/South Kortright won the boys’ Class C race in 14:20.7 while Madden Richards and Devin Dietz placed second and third to lead the Patriots to the team crown.
The field runs just after the start of the Division I and Division II girls’ race at the Grout Invitational on Saturday in Schenectady. (Jim Franco/Times Union)
86th Grout Invitational Results
Boys’ Division I
Team scores
North Rockland 33, Bethlehem 43, CBA 59, Ballston Spa 96, Yorktown 117, Middletown 172, Mohonasen 183.
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Individual results
Andrew Maltbie (North Rockland), 14:30.4; Declan Lyman (CBA), 14:40.1; James McCarron (North Rockland), 14:41.5; Emmanual Perez-Nieves (North Rockland), 14:51.0; Daniel McNabb (Bethlehem), 14:53.6; John Deer (Bethlehem), 14:56.2; Drew Tretiak (CBA), 15:03.9; Elijah Ketzer (Bethlehem), 15:08.5; Quis John (Yorktown), 15:09.2; Mason Bergeron (Bethlehem), 15:12.7.
Boys’ Division II
Team scores
White Plains 31, Schenectady 71, LaSalle 93, Washingtonville 105, Averill Park 118, Monticello 132, Albany 151.
Individual results
Pierce Biffert (White Plains), 14:16.5; Cainen Aceto (Schenectady), 14:22.0; Connor Dominick (White Plains), 14:40.7; Robert Admirand (Washingtonville), 14:56.8; Saleem Ismail (Albany), 14:59.4; Clark Miklic (Averill Park), 15:00.3; Woody Castle (LaSalle), 15:01.9; Michael Grande (White Plains), 15:02.3; Kellen Doherty (White Plains), 15:02.9; Jackson Shaver (White Plains), 15:19.6.
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Boys’ Division C
Team scores
Broadalbin-Perth 52, Mayfield-Northville 101, Delhi-South Kortright 143, Fort Plain 169, Galway 177, Cobleskill-Richmondville 177, Greenville 202, Lake George 228, Mechanicville 230, Schoharie 245, Sauquoit Valley 259, Johnstown 284, Berne-Knox-Westerlo 288, Corinth/Hadley-Luzerne 305, Oneida 320.
Individual results
Jaden Lewis (Delhi/South Kortright), 14.20.7; Madden Richards (Broadalbin-Perth), 14:50.6; Devin Deitz (Broadalbin-Perth), 14:53.1; Evan Paliwoda (Cobleskill-Richmondville), 15:01.1; Gavin Winacott (Schuylerville), 15:03.6; Anthony Bauer (Mayfield-Northville), 15:14.3; Owen Weiss (Broadalbin-Perth), 15:19.9; Jakob Ford (Greenville), 15:21.7; Cowin Wilber (Greenville), 15:25.4; Makaio Potts (Corinth/Hadley-Luzerne), 15:28.0.
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Girls’ Division I
Team scores
Washingtonville 19, Shaker 58, St. Francis Prep 71, Averill Park 109, Ballston Spa 118.
Individual results
Camryn Flynn (Washingtonville), 16:31.5; Avery Flynn (Washingtonville), 16:31.5; Elizabeth Roa (Washingtonville), 17:04.3; Sydney Lozza (Washingtonville), 17:07.8; Emma Stone (Shaker), 18:16.1; Lily Glickman (Averill Park), 18:31.1; Michelle Charles (St. Francis-Prep), 18:41.7; Lilly Rodriguez (Middletown), 18:42.0; Veronica Kenick (Shaker), 19:00.0; Emelia Decarvalho (Washingtonville), 19:17.7; Lilly Higgins (Shaker), 19:30.3.
Girls’ Division II
Team scores
Colony 42, Yorktown 52, North Rockland 71, White Plains 82, Albany 119, Mohonasen 145.
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Individual results
Madelyn Fowles (Colony), 16:51.7; Layaal Awad (Colony), 17:08.6; Catherine Hansel (Yorktown), 17:17.4; Ashley Hosein (North Rockland), 17:17.9; Ava Hosein (North Rockland), 17:27.9; Nina Kimball (Colony), 17:32.5; Baya Titus (Monticello), 17:41.1; Jordan Gibson (Amsterdam), 17:53.0; Emily Cullen (Yorktown), 18:02.6; Isabella Reidy (White Plains), 18:03.1; Teresa Damato (White Plains), 18:10.4; Tess Moore (Albany), 18:13.1.
Girls’ Division C
Team scores
Broadalbin-Perth 82, Cobleskill-Richmondville 97, Schalmont 98, Sauquoit Valley 110, Oneida 128, Fonda-Fultonville 130, Ravena 140, Greenville 167, Mechanicville 195, Galway 212
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Individual results
Kelsey Mooney (LaSalle), 17:13.6; Piper Weddell (Ravena), 17.18.6; Molly Myatt (Oneida), 17:28.0; Julia Ryan (Saranac), 17:46.8; Anna Leo (Mayfield-Northville), 18:02.4; Sophie Scribner (Broadalbin-Perth), 18:09.9; Viviana DiMezza (Broadalbin-Perth), 18:10.4; Ella Ridgeway (Oneida), 18:11.2; Aurelia Comer (Delhi-South Kortright), 18:14.1; Isabella Candee (Oneida), 18:26.5.
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This article originally published at Young Colonie girls’ cross country squad adds to program’s Grout Invitational trophy collection.
