Leading off today: Saratoga Springs got the better of Fayetteville-Manlius for the second consecutive meet, but both got want they wanted -- a spot in the Nike Cross Nationals next weekend in Portland, Ore.
The Saratoga girls edged F-M 63-65 in the Nike Cross Nationals regional qualifier Saturday at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls. That gave both automatic berths, and third-place finisher Liverpool learned later in the day that it
had been awarded one of the nation's four at-large berths.
The F-M girls are four-time defending national champions and winners of 11 of the last 12 Nike Cross Nationals championships.
In the boys qualifier, F-M won with a dominating 28-76 margin over Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake as both qualified for nationals. Liverpool was third at 126.
The F-M boys were second at nationals a year ago and will be making the trip to Portland for the 11th straight year.
Defending national champion Katelyn Tuohy of North Rockland repeated as the regional girls winner in 17:14.0, followed by Claire Walters of F-M (17:54.7) and Kelsey Chmiel of Saratoga (18:06.3). Freshman Ella Kurto posted an 11th-place finish for Saratoga, which had scored a one-point win over F-M at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A championships this month.
Tuohy, a junior, ran 13 seconds faster a year ago, but there was no reason for her to go all out after taking command entering the final 1,500 meters in less than optimal course conditions.
"I was slipping all over the place," she said.
Parker Stokes of Maine-Endwell (15:51.0) won a close boys race over Saratoga's Shea Weilbaker (15:51.6), with the F-M trio of Garrett Brennan, Geoff Howles and Sam Otis next across the line. Tyler Berg was seventh in 16:07.0 to lead the Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa contingent.
More cross country: New York will be sending one boy and one girl to the Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego following top-10 finishes at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
