Conor Cashin is getting used to being the top runner on the Voorheesville boys cross country team.
Two weeks after placing second at the Queensbury Invitational, Cashin took first place in the boys varsity Division I race at last Saturday’s Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Invitational at Saratoga Spa State Park.
Cashin had little trouble with the field on his way to his first invitational title. He pulled away from the pack midway through the race and cruised to a winning time of 16:21.0, nearly 24 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor.
Going down the second hill, I lost (the other runners), said Cashin. `I just kept pushing so no one could catch me.`
Cashin has now finished in the top five of each of the invitationals Voorheesville has participated in ` tops among all of the Blackbirds. And his development into Voorheesville’s lead runner following the graduation of Macky Lloyd has helped the Blackbirds maintain their status as the top Colonial Council team.
`I just got a good base coming into the season so I could step in and take (Lloyd’s) place,` said Cashin.
`It’s big for someone to step up,` said Voorheesville boys cross country coach Bill Carducci. `Everyone thought that (Ian) Powell would be the one to take Macky’s place, but Conor look good in track season, and he really worked hard during the summer.`
Cashin has had plenty of help in leading Voorheesville. Powell, Taylor Treadgold, Nathan Bub and Tucker Bourque have consistently placed in the top 30 of the invitationals they’ve run in.
Those four runners played key roles in Voorheesville’s team performance at the BH-BL invitational. Powell placed sixth (16:56.5), Treadgold took eighth (17:01.9) and Bub finished 13th (17:24.2) to set the table for a first-place finish in the Division I team standings ` one which Bourque finished with a 33rd-place performance (18:16.0). Voorheesville wound up with 61 points, 22 points ahead of runner-up Hawthorne Valley.
The Blackbirds are looking for more first-place team finishes as the cross country season winds down. First up is Friday’s Albany County Meet at The Crossings in Colonie. Then, it’s the Colonial Council Championships next week at Saratoga Spa State Park before going after their third consecutive Section II title on Halloween.
`My philosophy is this: I don’t care how big the school is. If you train hard, you can win,` said Carducci. `We’re on the verge of doing something great here.`
Voorheesville was on the verge of sweeping the BH-BL Invitational team titles, but the girls team fell four points short of upending Milbrook in the Division I race. Voorheesville had five runners in the top 15, but Milbrook placed three runners in the top 10 to hold on for a 49-53 victory.
`I think they did an excellent job,` said Voorheesville girls assistant coach Ashley Hilliard. `They’ve been working really hard, and they push each other to do better.`
Michelyn Little led the Blackbirds with a third-place finish in a time of 19:42.3. Casey Morrison (10th, 20:58.5), Zoe Edmunds (11th, 21:11.3), Sawyer Cresap (14th, 21:26.3) and Carla Planz (15th, 21:30.6) rounded out Voorheesville’s top five.
Hilliard said she’s hopeful that the team’s performance at the BH-BL Invitational bodes well for Voorheesville at the Colonial Council and Section II championships.
`We’re looking forward to being back here at Saratoga,` she said. `That’s why we came here in the first place ` to get our feet on the course.`
Lady Dutch place third at Manhattan invy
The Guilderland girls cross country team had another impressive performance as it placed third in the Varsity B division at last Saturday’s Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortlandt park in the Bronx.
The Lady Dutch had four runners in the top 40 to finish with 141 points. St. John the Baptist won the team title with 97 points.
Kelly Camardo led Guilderland with a 16th-place performance in a time of 16:00.060. Bridget Daley placed 21st in a time of 16:11.49, while Lynley Joynt took 28th place in a time of 16:18.74.
Lea Cure (30th place, 16:20.64) and Michelle Fish (46th, 16:35.70) rounded out Guilderland’s top five.
The Guilderland boys placed 20th with 560 points in the Varsity G division race at the Manhattan Invitational. Caleb Doak (99th place, 14:20.24) was the Dutchmen’s top runner.
Guilderland will compete at Friday’s Albany County Meet.“
