Ackermann takes third at Tully Invitational

Lady Bulldogs do well against state-ranked teams; VanWagenen takes fourth in boys’ race

By RICHARD A. ROSS

TULLY, NY — The results weren’t quite what they were last year when the Sullivan West girls won the Tully Invitational but then again, state-ranked Canastota wasn’t there. This year, the Lady Bulldogs came in third overall, finishing one point behind Pulaski, a team they beat last year by 10 points. Currently unranked, the Lady Dawgs will no doubt move into the state rankings after beating eighth-ranked Jordan-Elbridge and just being edged out by Pulaski, the seventh-ranked Class C team in the state.

April Ackermann (19:50.8) took third in the race, which was won by Erin Cowley (19:27.2) of Newark Valley.

Sullivan West’s Jessica Wagner (20:51) came in 15th and Chelsea Schadt 21:57) took 25th.

Coach George Shakelton was pleased with his team’s effort. Kendra Barker took 1:50 seconds off of her time from last week’s Lackawanna Invitational.

In the boys’ race, Mike VanWagenen finished fourth with a time of 17:07.3. Scott VanderNolen (16:37.2) of Tully won the race. Sullivan West’s Trevor Kreznar (17:49.2) garnered 11th place, Matt Gain (18:44.6) took 32nd and Brett Cucci (19:02) took 41st. The Sullivan West boys’ team finished fifth overall. Tully took first, Canastota finished second and Newark Valley took third.

This weekend, the Sullivan West cross-country team will travel to Orlando, Florida to take part in the Disney Classic. The team fundraised for two years for this trip, which is a reward for the seniors who have worked so hard. Racing in the 2A classification, the team will run on Saturday morning, October 8. They will be leaving school on October 7. After the race, the team will relax at Blizzard Beach in Disneyworld and return on October 9. Tri-Valley’s cross-country team will also be traveling to Disneyworld but will be running in the Class 4A race for smaller schools.

Bears run well at Van Cortland Park Invitational

BRONX, NY – Tri-Valley’s Courtney Roosa (17:14) took fourth place at Van Cortland Park on September 30 at an invitational meet which also featured runners from Fordham Prep, Irvington, Sacred Heart, Bishop Ford, Kellenberg and Horace Mann high school. Rachel Sanborn (18:27) finished fifth and Erin Beach (17:32) finished sixth.

In the boys’ race, Derek Smith (14:19) finished second.