Girls’ cross country team before boarding the bus to the New York State Championship. Photo courtesy of @bxvboystrack.

By J. Murrer and S.Q. DeJoy

Nov. 20, 2024: The Bronxville cross country teams competed at the New York State Championships on Saturday at Queensbury High School and came away with some pretty impressive results.

“Could not be more proud of the way this team fought and grew all year long,” wrote Coach Brian Halling on X. “Both the girls and the boys finished 2nd at states after tremendous performances from top to bottom. We’re so proud of you all!”

According to Milesplit projections, the girls’ team was expected to finish in 3^rd, about 40 points behind first place, but they surprised everyone with a very strong finish.

“Our girls all stepped up and ran their best races of the season,” said Coach Alex Barraco.  “They finished in second place, only 2 points behind first. It really shows how much hard work they put into training all season and how they can be competitive when it matters.”

East Aurora, the defending State Champion, won the race with 62 points, Bronxville followed with 64, and in third place was South Jefferson with 91.

The Bronxville girls’ cross country team on the podium at States. Photo courtesy of @bxvboystrack.

Mia Horgan, just an eighth-grader, set a PR finishing 6^th overall in a time of 18:49.8. Horgan has been a strong contributor to the team all season.

Senior Captain Maddy Williams ran her season best time of 19:16.1 placing 14^th. It was the third appearance at states for Williams who was part of the State Championship team in 2021.

Carina Winiecki, a sophomore, placed 17^th in19:20.7, followed by sophomore teammate Emerson Dennis who finished 32^nd in 20:06.9, which was a huge PR of 40 seconds. The final scorer for the team was sophomore Ella McCalla who also ran a personal best placing 38^th in a time of 20:19.5.

Also running for the Broncos were Fiona Keveney who placed 58^th in 21:07.30 and Charlotte Black who placed 76^th in 21:30.00. The Class C race included 129 of the best cross country runners in the state.

“We are thrilled and so proud of how the girls performed at states,” said Coach Barraco. “I love how supportive they were of one another before and after the race.” 

The boys’ cross country team on the podium at states. Photo courtesy of @bxvboystrack.

East Aurora was also the State Champion on the boys’ side with their top five runners finishing in 2^nd ,3^rd ,4^th ,11^th and 12^th for a total of 32 points. Bronxville finished behind East Aurora in 2^nd place with 73 points, and Beekmantown placed 3^rd with 122.

In a field of 129 Class C racers, freshman Matthew Jensen finished 20^th in 16:26.10 and senior Kieran McBride followed right behind finishing in 22^nd in 16:31.90.

McBride, who has been leading the team all year, started running in 9^th grade because one of his friends had joined the team. As a freshman, he placed 22^nd in the Class C Section 1 Championship, and two weeks ago, he won the Class C Section 1 Championship with a time of 17:13.3. He was part of the State Championship team in 2022.

Also scoring for the Broncos were sophomore Nate Deutsch (36^th, 16:59.90), senior Jack Toal (39^th, 17:00.90), and junior Julian Gonzalez (56^th, 17:23.10).  Rounding out the team were junior Will Hogue (74^th, 17:44.20) and freshman James Conlon (80^th, 17:49.10).

The runners will take a break before they move on to the indoor track and field season. The Section 1 Kick Off meet will take place on December 8^th.

Girls’ Soccer

The girls’ soccer team entered the post-season as the No. 2 seed and sailed through sectionals to win the Class B Championship. In regionals, they shut out Section 9’s Mount Academy, 4-0, and Section 4’s Waverly 3-0 to advance to the state tournament.

The Broncos met their match in the state semifinals. Going in to states, the Broncos (14-5-1) were ranked No. 2 by the New York State Sportswriters Association and undefeated Marcellus (20-0-2) was the top seed.  The Broncos lost 3-0 to the Mustangs in the semifinals, and Marcellus went on to win the Class B State Championship.

Girls’ Swimming and Diving

The Bronxville-Tuckahoe swim and dive team competed at the Section 1 Championship on November 12^th and 13^th at Felix Fiesta Middle School. Eight members of the team qualified for sectionals: Fiona Barr, Ella Jennings, Charlotte Gonda, Ella Leivers, Claire Copete, Bea Hogue, Mae Rucci, and Caroline Hardart.

In the League 2 Championship, the swim team placed 7^th, and Fiona Barr won a gold in the 100-yard fly.

Pictured (l to r): Fiona Barr, Ella Jennings, Charlotte Gonda, Ella Leivers, Claire Copete, Bea Hogue, Mae Rucci, and Caroline Hardart.

Go Broncos.