The J. Taylor Finley Middle School co-ed cross country team experienced some ups and downs and twists and turns this past fall under first year coach Jarrad Richter.
The premier meet of the season came at the Sunken Meadow Invitational, which saw Ethan Goleski, Thomas Breingan, Jessica Kuom and Aidan Pope pace the young team.
Kuom and Riley LaCosta captained the Finley squad, which included 29 seventh and eighth grade boys and girls.
Kuom’s season included four finishes in the top three of races, including a pair of victories. “Jessica is a natural runner and a team leader,” Richter said. “She has the desire to be great and she has a bright future ahead.”
Goleski also enjoyed an outstanding fall campaign with three top three race finishes, including one win. “Ethan gives it his all every time he gets out there on the course,” Richter said. “His photo finish against Elwood was one of the highlights of the season.”
Among all the Finley female runners, Kuom posted the best times for the one mile (6:38) and 1.5 mile (10:27) distances. Goleski had the best marks for the boys over the one mile (6:16) and 1.5 mile (9:36) race courses.
“Finley cross country had a bit of a rough go this season in the win-loss columns, but a few individual accomplishments during the season provided excitement and motivation for the team and showed that Huntington has a bright future in cross country,” Richter said.
The Finley boys’ team lost two meets by a single point and a third meet by three points. But win or lose, the boys and the girls gave it their all.
Finley’s full co-ed roster included seventh graders Ella Ackerman, Michaela Dopico, Felicity George, Robert Giordano, Ella Granito, Amalia Heinz, Molly Hodgkinson, Lizzy James, John Joyce, Sajithan Kamalendran, Chelsey Olivo, Aidan Pepe, Kathryn Schmidt, Ben Soric and Anne Tyrrell and eighth graders Thomas Breingan, Benjamin Edgar-McNerney, Brandon Fucci, Lars Galvin, Ethan Goleski, Abigail Hopson, Jessica Kuom, Riley LaCosta, Justin Lardizzone, Andrea Mani-Munoz, Jannel Marroquin, Jack Ruthkowski, Hannah Song and Jackson Stollmack.
“We have a nice core of runners who I hope will be back next year,” Richter said. “A few have a chance of putting up some low times, especially with a greater focus on conditioning.”