Hamilton kicks off Season at Sunken Meadows
by Myles Stryder
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| 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
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.
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| Alyssa's first XC race |
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
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.
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| Jason heading to Cardiac Hill |
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.
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| Welcome freshmen |
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| post race cool down |
