Reed Cummisky turned in a sensational performance at the Section XI Middle School Championships at Sunken Meadow State Park. The J. Taylor Finley Middle School seventh grader finished third in a field of 145 in the mixed division, completing the 1.5 mile race in 10:37.5.
Finley coach Jarrad Richter entered an impressive group in what’s called the “mixed” race because it features both boys and girls running alongside each other.
The Finley runners were competing in brand new Under Armour shorts and shirts, which were distributed by Richter prior to the team boarding its bus to Sunken Meadow. The new uniforms came as a complete, but much welcomed surprise. Parents loved them, too.
Cummisky was less than three seconds behind the runner-up in the race, which was won by Westhampton Beach’s Maiya Bougal, who covered the course in 10:07.1
Finley’s Colby Curran also enjoyed a fine afternoon, crossing the finish line in 26th place in a time of 11:28.0.
Finley’s Lucas Biancarlo (35th in 11:46.2), Christian Mitchell (55th in 12:16.1), Tyler Peck (59th in 12:25.8) and Anya Goleski (64th in 12:35.3) also placed in the top half of all runners.
Richter has been pleased with the steady progress of his team. Many joined the squad as inexperienced runners, but they have been cutting their times almost daily.
Finley’s Eric Heinz arrived too late to Sunken Meadow to run in the official race, but he later flew through the course unofficially as both he and his mom kept track of his time. If the two operated their watches correctly, had the seventh grader been able to check in and compete, he would have captured one of the fastest times.
“The kids had fun and both they and their parents loved the new uniforms,” Richter said.