Floyd 26 Longwood 30. Sept. 26

Girls Cross Country Outlook

Favorite: Bay Shore (5-0), Steve Borbet (24th year). Other Contenders: Shoreham-Wading River, Longwood, Bayport-Blue Point, Rocky Point, St. Anthony’s. Key Runners: Longwood senior Stephanie Henderson, Shoreham-Wading River junior Toni-Lynn Salucci, Bay Shore freshman Laura Cummings and Holy Trinity senior Kelly Flood. Meets to Watch: Manhattan College Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park (Bronx), Oct. 13. Suffolk Championships at Sunken Meadow, Nov. 2. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 28 Sep 2001:

Longwood 25 Sachem 32. Oct 3

CROSS COUNTRY

PAL Invitational. Stephanie Henderson of Longwood and Brendan Sullivan of Port Jefferson successfully defended their individual titles at the Suffolk County PAL Invitational at Fireman’s Field in Ridge. Henderson ran the 3.05-mile course in 18:10 and Sullivan in 15:19. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 06 Oct 2001

Suffolk County PAL Invitational

3.05 miles – at Fireman’s Field

GIRLS

1. Stephanie Henderson (Longwood), 18:10. Team Scores: 1. Bellport 86, 2. Shoreham-Wading River 100, 3. Longwood 116, 4. Sachem 160, 5. Kings Park 171. Oct. 6

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

Longwood 21 Middle Country 35

Westhampton 20 West Babylon 30

Kings Park 21 East Hampton 35

Islip 29 Comsewogue 31. Oct 10

SUFFOLK OFFICIALS CROSS COUNTRY MEET

3.1 Miles-At Sunken Meadow State Park

Girls

1. Stephanie Henderson (Longwood), 19:53.3; 2. Salucci (Shoreham- Wading River), 20:14.1; 3. Sundell (Northport), 20:22.9; 4. Goldstein (Miller Place), 20:43.9; 5. Dougherty (Riverhead), 21:05.5; 6. Kieffer (West Islip) 21:14; 7. Richards (Kings Park), 21:25.8; 8. Caranabuca (Miller Place) 21:31.7; 9. Rogers (Longwood) 21:35; 10. Allard (Miller Place), 21:35.7; 11. Koegel (Calhoun), 21:43.8; 12. Wilson (Shelter Island) 21:57.6; 13. Gould (Bellmore JFK), 22:01.1; 14. Bodamer (Bayport-Blue Point), 22:08.6; 15. Bugdin (Riverhead), 22:08.9; 16. Powlinson (Stony Brook), 22:10.8; 17. Mazzeo (Kings Park), 22:13; 18. Amero (Bayport-Blue Point), 22:13.7; 19. Anderson (Bayport-Blue Point), 22:14.6; 20. Schmidtt (Bayport-Blue Point); 21. Parente (Northport) 22:19; 22. Shanahan (Farmingdale) 22:25.3; 23. Derosa (Miller Place), 22:27.8; 24. Santoro (Kings Park), 22:28.6. Team Scores-Miller Place 72, Bayport-Blue Point 108, Longwood 113, Floral Park 178, Shoreham-Wading River 179, Kings Park 198. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 15 Oct 2001:

CROSS COUNTRY

NASSAU COUNTY COACHES ASSOCIATION CROSS COUNTRY INIVTATIONAL

At Bethpage State Park – 5K

Varsity 2

1. Jean Coleman (Wantagh) 18:46.5. 2. DQ (Longwood) 19:05.9. 3. Jen Campbell (Farmingdale) 19:53.9. 4. Katherine Murnane (Oceanside) 20:15.7. 5. Keri Koegel (Calhoun) 20:26.5. 6. Heather Rogers (Longwood) 20:36.4. 7. Elizabeth Dreyer (Floral Park) 20:40.6. 8. Dianna Procida (Wantagh) 20:47.1. 9. Amanda Davis (Longwood) 20:58.0. 10. Kristen Williams (Farmingdale) 21:01.7. 11. Beth Alizzi (Syosset) 21:08.8. 12. Amanda Edell (Oyster Bay) 21:10.8. 13. Tia Wofford (Farmingdale) 21:16.8. 14. Colleen Aldrich (Wantagh) 21:18.3. 15. Davia Palmeri (Floral Park) 21:22.2. 16. Michelle Gross (Floral Park) 21:44.2. 17. Caitlin McKee (East Hampton) 21:58.5. 18. Liz Weiss (Oceanside) 22:04.4. 19. Jess Vanbinsbergen (East Hampton) 22:06.1. 20. Alyna Bousquet (Longwood) 22:13.1.

Team scores: Wantagh 78, Longwood 78, Farmingdale 83, Floral Park 88, East Hampton 137, Oceanside 154, Calhoun 186. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 22 Oct 2001: 

SUFFOLK DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Sunken Meadow St. Park (3.1 Miles)

GIRLS – 1. Laura Cummings (Bay Shore), 19:15.4; 2. Toni-Lynn Salucci (Shoreham-Wading River), 19:33.4; 3. Tim Caramanica (Miller Place), 19:40.2; 4. Henderson (Longwood), 19:57.8; 5. Goldstein (MP), 20:07.4; 6. Lucarello (Floyd), 20:23.9; 7. Salerno (Rocky Point), 20:34.7; 8. Sundell (Northport), 20:36.7; 9. Brady (Sayville), 20:48.6. 10. Allard (MP), 20:57.9; 11. Higgins (Sachem), 21:00.1; 12. Ruggiero (Connetquot), 21:00.5; 13. Tumulty (RP), 21:01.1; 14. Heiser (Bayport-Blue Point), 21:01.5; 15. Malpigli (BS), 21:02.3; 16. Staten (BS), 21:05.0; 17. Anderson (B-BP), 21:05.3; 18. Rogers (Longwood), 21:05.5; 19. McGrath (Conn), 21:08.1; 20. Schmidt (B-BP), 21:13.00. Overall Meet Champion-Bay Shore. Division Champions-I: Sachem. II: Bay Shore. III: Miller Place. IV: Glenn. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 30 Oct 2001: 

Longwood’s Henderson Hangs On: [NASSAU AND SUFFOLK Edition]

Chris Antonacci. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 03 Nov 2001: 

Kevin Henderson saw his daughter emerging from the woods and started cheering wildly.

“Come on, Stephanie!” he cried. “Come on!”

Longwood‘s Henderson chugged down the home stretch on pace to finish first in 19:30.4, but Bay Shore’s Laura Cummings steadily creeped from behind to close the gap. When Henderson finally crossed the finish line as the Class A champ, she caught her breath, wiped away tears and then embraced her mother, Audrey.

“I was really emotional,” Henderson said a few minutes after the triumph. “I worked really hard for this, and now that counties are over, I can relax.”

Henderson logged 60 miles per week, including 4:30 a.m. runs, to qualify for the state championships. Her resolve was steadfast after she finished seventh in last year’s race despite battling croup, a respiratory ailment.

“I was just not going to let her beat me,” Henderson said. “I worked too hard for it.”

Cummings’ efforts did not go for naught as she led Bay Shore to the team title in 19:34.6.

Salucci Goes the Distance. From the sound of the gun, Shoreham- Wading River junior Toni-Lynn Salucci led an army of runners across the Sunken Meadow field and over a bridge.

She did not pace herself nor did she worry about the pack. She simply focused on the course, leading wire-to-wire to finish first in 19:40.8.

She sustained her speed long enough to hold off Rocky Point’s Melissa Salerno (19:42.5) down the stretch.

“It’s just easier for me that way,” Salucci said. “But I really had to push myself at the end.”

Thrice is Nice for Bayport-Blue Point. Bayport-Blue Point prepared for the postseason by going undefeated in what coach Neil Zarcone calls “arguably the toughest league in the state” with Shoreham- Wading River, Rocky Point and Miller Place.

But those schools are in the B bracket, leaving Bayport-Blue Point as the lone powerhouse in Class C. Mount Sinai’s Katherine Guilfoyle (21:19.9) was the top individual, but Bayport-Blue Point dominated the team race with seven runners in the top 10 to easily win its third straight title.

“We just wanted to have a strong showing at the meet,” Zarcone said. “Our focus is on the state meet. We told the girls to run strong, but don’t push it.”

Wilson in Rhythm. Even though she was the defending champ, Pierson/ Shelter Island sophomore Tara Wilson fretted over the race so much during the previous couple of days that her teammates called her “Twitch.”

But she listened to her favorite rapper, JaRule, on the more-than- two-hour bus ride and won the D race by 45 seconds in 21:18.6.

“That settled me down,” Wilson said. “I just channeled my thoughts.”

SUFFOLK CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS/

STATE QUALIFIER

At Sunken Meadow State Park – 3.1 Miles

Class A-1.Stephanie Henderson (Longwood), 19:30.4; 2. Laura Cummings (Bay Shore), 19:34.6; 3. Ginine Lucarello (William Floyd), 20:21.2; 4. Lindsey Sundell (Northport), 20:30.9; 5. Ellen Dougherty (Riverhead), 20:44.8; 6. Allison Kieffer (West Islip), 20:47.5; Team Scores-Bay Shore 65, Bellport 83, Sachem 111. Class B-1. Toni-Lynn Salucci (Shoreham-Wading River), 19:40.8; 2. Melissa Salerno (Rocky Point) 19:42.5; 3. Kim Caramanica (Miller Place), 20:14.2; 4. Daisy Goldstein (Miller Place), 20:33.3; 5. Kathryn Allard (Miller Place), 21:06.6; 6. Caitlin Brady (Sayville), 21:13; 7. Denise Tumulty (Rocky Point), 21:23.0; 8. Michele Lauer (Rocky Point), 21:26.2. Team Scores- Miller Place 45, Rocky Point 51, Shoreham-Wading River 68. Class C- 1.Katherine Guilfoyle (Mount Sinai), 21:19.9; 2. Diane Heiser (Bayport-Blue Point), 21:29.0;3. Deanna Schmidt (Bayport-Blue Point), 21:37.5; 4. Stevie Bodamer (Bayport-Blue Point), 21:51.6; 5. Katie Anderson (Bayport-Blue Point), 21:56.4; 6. Danielle Amero (Bayport- Blue Point), 22:29.4; 7. Alysha Rodriquez (Bayport-Blue Point), 22:46.8; 8. Laine White (Bayport-Blue Point), 22:48.3; 9. Teresa Ayala (Mount Sinai), 23:04.7; 10. Megan Schuck (Hampton Bays), 23:12.2; 11. Jessica Waterbury (Mount Sinai), 23:43.6; 12. Corinne Schlichter (Greenport/Southold), 24:12.8. Team Scores-Bayport-Blue Point 20, Mount Sinai 47, John Glenn 73. Class D-1. Tara Wilson (Pierson/Shelter Island), 21:18.6; 2. Hannah Powlison (Stony Brook), 22:03.0; 3. Lily Greenberg (Pierson/Shelter Island), 24:12.0; 4. Beth McMillen (Port Jefferson), 25:42.0; 5. Mary Grace Sheppard (Pierson/ Shelter Island), 26:33.0; 6. Jodi Brewer (Pierson/Shelter Island), 27:04.0; 7. Nari Song (Stony Brook), 27:13.0; 8. Ashley Baker (Stony Brook), 27:14.0; 9. Lindsay Noblit (Port Jefferson), 27:53.0; 10. Nicole Clark (Pierson/Shelter Island), 28:03.0. Team Scores-Pierson/ Shelter Island 21, Stony Brook 34, Port Jefferson 99.c

HIGH SCHOOLS / STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS / GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY / Salucci Surprises for Fourth in ‘B’: [NASSAU AND SUFFOLK Edition]

Jason Molinet. STAFF CORRESPONDENT. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 11 Nov 2001:

Elma – Shoreham-Wading River junior Toni-Lynn Salucci could hardly believe it. First she passed Starpoint’s Angela Kudla, the reigning state champion. Then Salucci jumped in front of Wantagh’s Jean Coleman, a second-place finisher a year ago.

But as the state cross country Class B race drew to a close yesterday, Salucci still trailed a pack of runners in what would become the fastest state meet in seven seasons. One year after placing sixth, Salucci finished fourth in a strong field, traversing the 3.1-mile course at Elma Meadows Golf Club in 19 minutes, 11.4 seconds.

Tracey Brauksieck of Homer (Section III) took the B title in 18:23.2.

Kudla, the Section VI champion, could do no better than fifth (19:22.1). Coleman was sixth (19:27.2).

“I just wanted to finish in the top 10,” Salucci said. “I wanted to run my best – no regrets.”

Three of the past four state Class B champions hailed from Long Island. Coleman, the two-time Nassau individual champ, was supposed to be the worthy successor to Clarke’s Danielle Jelley (1999) and Sayville’s Jillian Mastroianni (1997-98). Especially after letting Kudla steal the race down the final stretch last November.

Coleman took the setback in stride. She was as graceful as ever.

“I may not feel 100 percent,” said Coleman, a black trash bag filled with clothes and shoes weighing her down as she spoke. “But I’m happy because I did the best that I could. I’m not going to be upset about it. I know I put in the work over the course of the season to do it. On some days it all comes together, and on others it doesn’t.”

Miller Place, with four of its seven runners registering personal bests, finished in a third-place tie with Syracuse-Westhill with 107 points in the Class B race. It’s the third straight top-three finish for Miller Place.

“I think we all ran awesome,” said Miller Place junior Kim Caramanica, who placed seventh (19:32.8) and was the team’s oldest runner this weekend in Buffalo.

Things certainly looked bright for Longwood‘s Stephanie Henderson when she advanced to the state meet for the first time as an eighth grader in 1997. But Henderson hadn’t been back until yesterday, when, as a senior, she placed sixth in the Class A race (19:01.5). Saratoga Springs eighth-grader Nicole Blood won in the fastest time of the day, 18:10.4.

“I thought I would have been here every year,” said Henderson, who had an upper respiratory infection sideline her last season. “It just seemed I never ran the race I thought I could at counties. I just had to get back here one more time. I did and I ran a good race.”

STATE GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Elma Meadows Golf Course – 3.1 Miles

Class A: 1. Nicole Blood (Saratoga Springs), 18:10.4; 6. Stephanie Henderson (Longwood), 19:01.5; 7. Laura Cummings (Bay Shore), 19:05.4; 15. Brittney Criscuolo (East Meadow), 19:26.2. Team Scores: 1. Saratoga Springs 24; 5. Bay Shore 122; 9. East Meadow 199. Class B: 1. Tracey Brauksieck (Homer), 18:23.2; 4. Toni-Lynn Salucci (Shoreham-Wading River), 19:11.4; 6. Jean Coleman (Wantagh), 19:27.2; 7. Kim Caramanica (Miller Place), 19:32.8; 15. Melissa Salerno (Rocky Point), 19:52.6; 17. Daisy Goldstein (MP), 19:54.2. Team Scores: 1. Honeoye Falls-Lima 49; Tied-3. Miller Place 107; 10. Wantagh 205. Class C: 1. Veronica Gobeyn (Williamson), 19:26.7; 15. Jacque Wachsman (Friends Academy), 20:16; 20. Diane Heiser (Bayport-Blue Point), 20:27.7. Team Scores: 1. Skaneateles 64; 4. Bayport-Blue Point 117; 11. Carle Place 299. Class D: 1. Molly Huddle (Elmira- Notre Dame), 18:24.5; 32. Tara Wilson (Shelter Island), 21:12. Team Scores: 1. Bronxville 52; 10. Shelter Island 254.