Kiley Barch Paces Blue Devils at Bear Mountain

The Huntington varsity girls’ cross country team got an early morning wake-up call this past Saturday morning for a trip to Bear Mountain State Park to run in the 38th annual Suffern Invitational.

Huntington head coach Elizabeth Andersen brought along runners Kiley Barch, Emma Boyle, Julia Goodwin, Mildred Hernandez Veliz, Erika Hernandez Veliz, Mabelin Maldonado, Brianna Mata, Kaylee Mata, Belinda Velasquez Maldonado, Emma Marsala, Kiera McGuire and Rachel Huth.

The Blue Devils enjoyed Bear Mountain’s cross country course, which sits inside the 5,205 acre Bear Mountain State Park that’s located on the west bank of the Hudson River in Rockland Orange counties. The park includes Bear Mountain, Dunderberg Mountain and West Mountain. Fort Montgomery is adjacent to the north of the park and Harriman State Park runs along the western edge.

Last Saturday’s invitational drew 2,700 entries from 88 teams in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. There were 11 separate races split between boys and girls, including six on the varsity level.

Barch ran a great three mile race while winning a medal in 20:08.91, capturing 15th place in a field of 132 in “Varsity Race A” and 47th overall out of 616 runners in the three varsity girls’ races. “She did very well, however, I do think there is more to come from her,” Andersen said.

The other Blue Devils also posted season best times on the challenging course. “The team had so much fun,” Andersen said.

The Blue Devil girls’ cross country program debuted in 1976 and was immediately one of the best in Suffolk. The roster included Pia Palladino, Hanna Bouda, Kate Kennedy, Kathy McDermott, Sue Dunne and Eilleen Brown. Huntington finished 13th in the state championships with Palladino capturing eighth place individually in a time of 18:14 on the Bear Mountain State Park course.

Palladino was third at the 1978 state championships with a time of 18:33 at James Baird State Park in Pleasant Valley in Dutchess County. Palladino went on to win the 1979 spring track state championship in the two mile run and she later starred on the Georgetown University track team.

Over the course of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, Huntington won 27 consecutive meets.