Section 1 Championship Meet

Hamilton Qualifies 6 for State Meet

Terrible course conditions after torrential rains

by Myles Stryder
On Saturday the Hamilton harriers headed to Bowdoin Park to compete in the Section 1 Championship Meet. It was difficult to believe that the season was coming to an end so quickly. With all the cancellations this year, It felt like we had just begun. Like most of the rest of the season the weather was a factor Saturday as well. The day itself was not that bad, but heavy rains the night

bus being towed out of the mud

before left the course in the worst shape that we have seen it in our 11 seasons of racing there. The course was nothing but mud, mud and more mud. 

 The day started out quite gloomy when Jackie and Alyssa toed the line for their meeting with Haldane. Things went from bad to worse after the gun went off. As the girls wound their way up the hills the darkening skies opened up, a hard rain fell and the autumn leaves were blowing sideways. It was some of the toughest conditions I have ever seen our team compete in. The rain and mud made for slow times, but that did not stop Jackie from finishing her season by

Our girls medal

qualifying to run once more this year at States. Alyssa came up short today, but still managed to win a medal with a fine run on the tough Bowdoin course.

 Luckily, things began to clear up as the morning wore on and by the time the boys went at noon things the weather was looking much better, but after 4 races the same could not be said for the course. Although we had trained all week looking forward to running course PRs, it was obvious that those were not going to come today. The downhill sections were so bad that rather than encouraging his runners to pick up the pace, Coach Aiello was urging them to slow down and not get hurt. The goal for this season was to make Haldane

5 guys heading to states

race at this year’s championship meet, and that goal was accomplished. Though Hamilton came up short again, the Haldane runners were looking over their shoulders as they felt the breath of our guys right behind them. Dennis again led the way for Hamilton running a muddy 21:28. He was followed by Jason and Chris. Edwin was our fourth across the line at 22:20 and Brennan did a fine job at keeping our 1-5 spread a mere 1 minute 33 seconds. We ran 9 today with our freshmen Aaron and Jair getting a great lesson in what it feels like to compete at a championship meet. Tyler and Savallya both ran well also despite being covered in mud after both taking falls on the course. And with that we come to the end of our regular season.

 One more race for Jackie and the top 5 guys though as they continue to prepare for Saturday’s NY State Championship Meet and a return engagement at Sunken Meadows Park.

   

Tyler at the end of an excellent rookie season

Red Raiders love Croton Pt. Park

Another fun day in the park

By Myles Stryder

Due to an incoming storm the Westchester County Championship meet got moved up to a Friday afternoon. Though this meant the freshmen races and one JV race had to be dropped, it also meant we finally had a chance to run in some perfect weather conditions. The team seized the opportunity to put up some of its best times of the season.

After bouncing around for the last several years, it looks like Croton Point Park will be the permanent home of Counties. It certainly is a good choice. A relatively fast course with one big hill, good sight lines for spectators and the scenic beauty of the Hudson River all combines for a fine location. We were the first ones to arrive today. Having the park all to ourselves we got to have a nice relaxed warm up and we also got to feel the anticipation of the start of the meet grow as each bus rolled up and teams jumped out.

The first race today was the boys JV race. For some, this would be the last race of the season, as only

Our JV

the top 10 can move on to next week’s sectional meet. The boys headed to the line under cloudy skies and very cool temperatures. Not so great for standing around, but perfect for fast running. For freshmen Aaron and Jair Villa it was a graduation of sorts, and the PRs the two ran showed that they are going to be big contributors to the 2019 team. In fact Aarons’ time of 24:11 is fast enough to make him top 7 heading into next week. Jair was followed to the line by Joseph. Muhammad Hirji and Jonathon Thomas also finished out their seasons on high notes running their fastest times as well.

The clouds lightened up and so did the sky as the sun sank down to the west across the river. The starting line lit up with the colors of the uniforms glowing in the warm light as Jackie and Alyssa approached the line for their race. Today they had to run varsity and though they might not be ready to run at the front of the pack yet, they both PRd. Both ladies have grown tremendously this season with Alyssa taking almost 9 minutes off her time from Sunken Meadows.

The anticipation was peaking as the ladies were finishing and the boys varsity teams were approaching the line. The sun was lower now and the air was getting colder. The teams were striding, chanting and psyching themselves up for a championship race. This was cross country at its best. With a shot from the pistol, they were off. A stampede of runners thundered across the grass heading for the hills. Our boys were on today. Dennis stepped up and had his best race ever. Running 19:10 he puts himself at #5 on our all time list. Jason Atkins finally had his best race of the season. Captain Chris was right with

Tyler and Savallya high above the Hudson

him in the final stretch pushing the sophomore to a 19:43. Edwin followed Chris with a PR 20:15, leaving us all to wonder what might have been if he had not turned that ankle at the Gressler Meet. Brennan was #5 finishing four seconds behind Edwin with another PR. Tyler and Savallya also ran personal bests as they rounded out the squad for Hamilton.

It was a tired, but happy team the climbed on the bus as the sun set over the Hudson. One more week of work before our return to Bowdoin and a date with Haldane.

Coaches and Official's Meet

Boys run two top 10 Hamilton times at Bowdoin

by Myles Stryder

our top 3

After the cancellation of the Bobcat Run the team was itching to race. It had been almost a week and half since the League Meet. We had had some good practices and everybody was ready to go.  The morning dawned cold and gray as the team headed up 684 to Wappingers Falls. The Bowdoin Park course, site of the Section 1 championship meet in two weeks, is one of the toughest courses in Section 1. The first half is basically uphill and the second half runs down the same hill. Most of the team has run there before, so they knew what to expect. Luckily the sun began to poke through before the meet began and before long the sun was out making for a fine autumn day of running.

In the Girls’ race we only had one entrant, Alyssa. It was her first time on the course and she

Alyssa down the back side

ran it very well. She cruised the first half of the course, pacing herself up the hill. She bombed down the backside and was running great until she got attacked by a side stitch. It slowed her a bit in the last half mile, but she still finished up only a minute off her time from two weeks ago on a much easier Brewster course.

In the boys’ JV race it was Savallya and Joseph to the line for Hamilton. Savallya ran his best time ever at Bowdoin with a  25:37. He has been improving all season and he looked strong the whole race. Joseph’s ankle, which has been giving him trouble most of the season, flared up again on the steep downhill sections slowing down his time a bit.

Aaron was our only frosh today. And as such he was lucky enough to run the 9th grade course which doesn’t go up the hill. The kid ran strong finishing at 13:45.

The main event for us was the Boys Varsity race and for the first time since the Gressler Meet we had Edwin back in the line up. The race started quickly and our boys were in it from the start. Captain Chris led the way today. He came down the hill strong, but then forgot how long the flat section is at the end. Despite that, he finished with Hamilton’s 6th fastest time

Chris on his way to a top 10 Hamilton run

ever at Bowdoin, a fine performance of 20:33. Dennis was battling an upset stomach, but still ran a respectable 21:08, 9th fastest Hamilton time at Bowdoin. Jason’s plan for the day was to cruise the first half and blow down the backside of the hill. He came down the hill strong, but he also was slowed by a bad stomach. Edwin was fourth today. His plan was to run smooth and see how his ankle felt. Despite coming downhill gently he also ran a respectable 23:18. Brennan finished up the scoring for our squad. Suffering from a head cold he still ran a 23:29.

Bowdoin is a tough course, but it was good for the squad to get a chance to test themselves against it before the state meet qualifier in two weeks. The test then will be to see if they can run faster than they did today. Stay tuned, but first we head back to Croton Point for the County Championship meet next Saturday.

Jim Smith Invitational Meet

Hamilton kicks off Season at Sunken Meadows

by Myles Stryder

Fun in the sun at Sunken Meadows

September 18, 2018

After two false starts, one cancellation due to excessive heat and one to rain, the Hamilton Harriers finally got to the starting line today. The meet was the Jim Smith Invitational, a chance for our runners to check out the famous Cardac Hill and the rest of the tough Sunken Meadows course, site of this year’s state championship meet.

This meet was set up a little different than usual with races run by grade. Five of our twelve runners today were getting their first taste of cross country. Freshmen Aaron and Jair Villa and Sunjay Green were our first athletes to compete. All three heeded the advice of the veterans on the team and started out conservatively. All three ran well and finished within a minute or so of each other. Aaron led the way today, followed closely by his cousin Jair and Sunjay. The upperclassmen were all pleased with the  times that the youngsters put up today.

Alyssa Fitzgerald was our lone lady raider today. Heading to the line for her first cross

Alyssa's first XC race

country 5K she was a study in concentration. Her goal today was to beat the course and complete her first 5K. Coach Aiello knew she had it when she had the exact same focused expression at the 2 mille mark as she passed Coach Aiello heading up to Cardiac Hill. Mission accomplished, she ran well and finished strong.

Sophomore boys were the next race, this time it was Edwin Aguilera, Jason Atkins and new comer Tyler Field  blazing by the spectators and heading into the woods. Edwin and Jason both had very strong runs with Edwin leading the charge up Cardiac Hill. Any time you talk about the course at Sunken

Jason heading to Cardiac Hill

Meadows, the conversation always centers around its signature hill. What makes the hill so tough is its length, its sandy footing, its final brutally steep section and the fact that it comes just past the two mile mark of a three mile course. Edwin finishing at 22:22 had the fastest Hamilton time today, with Jason close behind at 23:01. Tyler got his first taste on cross country and he didn’t think Cardiac Hill was that bad.

The juniors were the last race of the day. Captain Chris Yeosock led the way with varsity teammates, Dennis Rambaran and Brennan Giglio close behind. Joseph Delgado and Savallya Boyini both crossed the finish lines with strong kicks to round out the eleventh grade team.

Feeling good with their performances, the team decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather to have a little fun on the beach. So it was time for a quick dip and some fun in the sun before boarding the bus for the long ride back to Hamilton. Next meet is Monday against Blind Brook.

Welcome freshmen

post race cool down

2018 season preview

Pre-season preview 2018:

some of the squad at the end of the first week

The first week of practice is done and it’s time to start looking ahead to the 2018 season. After last year’s excellent performance at the Section 1 Championship, expectations are high for this year’s team.

    Judging from what we saw in the first week of practice, Chris Yeosock is ready to race. Chris returns after a strong sophomore season. He has been training all summer building a solid aerobic base and strengthening himself in the gym. He comes into the season hungry and ready to improve. Right behind him is Dennis Rambaran. Dennis also comes into the season looking stronger. Both have matured nicely as runners and the improvement to their running form is noticeable.  Brennan Giglio and Jacob Estrada, are the wildcards for this team. Both of these athletes showed great potential last season. If they work hard we could have a very exciting varsity squad. Also returning from last year’s squad are Savallya Boyini and Joseph Delgado. The dynamic duo looked surprisingly strong on the first week’s hill runs. Our first week returning veteran squad is rounded out by Muhammad Hirji. Muhammad finished last year with a PR and is looking forward to continuing to improve his 5K times.

    Unfortunately, due to problems with their medical paperwork we were missing quite a few runners at the first week of practice, including some of our big guns. Coach Aiello has big hopes for this year’s squad. A lot of the hope is based on the return of a strong Jeffrey Quispe. Rumour has it that the senior has been running this summer and should be with the squad by the start of school. Finally last year’s freshmen phenoms Edwin Aguilar and Jason Atkins are also scheduled to appear during the second week of practice to kick off their sophomore years.  If everyone shows as promised, this will certainly be the strongest team Hamilton has put on the line in the last 10 years.

  The team is as also pleased to see some new faces as well. Three freshmen boys have joined the squad.  Sunjay Green, Aaron Villa and Jair Villa have all made favorable impressions on Coach Aiello with their mature attitudes during the first week of running. Finally, after finishing last year with no girls on the team, we have a female presence back on our team. Two first time sophomores, Alyssa Fitzgerald  and Jacqueline Praino. Alyssa comes to us after a strong spring track season of hurdling, and Jackie comes to us after a spring season of softball. Both ladies spent the summer following the beginner’s training plan and looked very strong last week.

  The team will have a tough season. Their league consists of distance powerhouses Pleasantville, Valhalla, Briarcliff and Croton as well as Westlake. The competition will be tough for leagues, but the team is hoping to compete well at the invitationals, Counties and of course all eyes are set on the Section 1 championship meet where they are hoping to give Haldane a run for their money. First meet of the season is scheduled for Wednesday, September 5th against Irvington.  See you then.