Shenendehowa won the boys and girls large school division team titles at last Saturday’s Guilderland Invitational, but it wasn’t easy.
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake challenged Shen in the boys race before the Plainsmen pulled out a 44-62 victory. Both teams had three runners in the top 10, but Shen placed its fourth and fifth runners in the top 20, while BH-BL’s fourth and fifth runners finished outside of the top 20.
BH-BL’s Scott Maughan fended off Shen’s Dan Harris for the individual title. Maughan won with a time of 14:14.47, while Harris placed second in a time of 14:15.07. BH-BL’s Chris Fernandez was third in a time of 14:34.53, and Ballston Spa’s Max Groves placed fourth in a time of 14:42.92.
Sam Kimmey (sixth place, 14:51.53) and Ian Dorset (ninth, 14:55.53) also finished in the top 10 for Shen. Dan Fernandez (eighth, 14:53.52) joined Maughan and Chris Fernandez in the top 10 for BH-BL.
Jake Flynt (seventh, 14:53.12) made the top 10 for Ballston Spa, which placed fourth in the team standings with 82 points.
Shen had far fewer challengers in winning the large school girls varsity division. The Plainsmen swept the top four places on their way to a convincing 16-73 victory over Thousand Islands (Ont.). Ballston Spa placed third with 91 points.
Shen’s Nicole Irving claimed the individual title with a time of 16:42.30. She was followed closely behind by Lizzie Predmore, who finished second in a time of 16:44.75. Danika Simonson was third in a time of 17:06.77, and Cara Janeczko finished fourth in a time of 17:14.41.
Jordan Westcott (sixth place, 17:40.03) rounded out the top five for the Plainsmen.
Ballston Spa had two runners in the top 10. Bailey Kowalczyk finished seventh in a time of 17:46.87, and Becky Martin placed eighth in a time of 17:52.21.
Alexandra Finocchio was the only other Scottie to finish in the top 20. Finocchio placed 16th in a time of 18:43.24.
Ballston Spa returns to action Saturday when it participates in the Fort Plain Invitational.`