Written by S. Quinn DeJoy and J. Murrer

Oct. 29, 2014: Going into the Westchester County Championships last year, Bronxville was the clear favorite, having won top honors for four consecutive years. But instead of a fifth county title, the Broncos had to settle for second place behind a strong John Jay team that won the title for the first time in its school history. Ever since that loss, the Broncos have been focused on returning to counties.

"We have been training for the county championships for the whole year," said senior co-captain Delia Hayes. It was a little disappointing when we lost last year, and we were trying to get the title back."

On Saturday under sunny skies at Woodlands High School, the Broncos accomplished their goal--and more. Not only did the varsity team bring home a county championship, but the junior varsity and freshman teams also won their respective county titles.

In the varsity race, sophomore Kaitlin Ryan finished first for Bronxville and second in the county, just behind Ursuline's Anna Flynn.

"The Woodlands course is pretty hilly, and it is a pretty thin path," said Ryan. "You have to go out quickly to get a good position for the race. I was with her [Flynn] the whole race, and then in the last couple hundred meters she broke away." Ryan ran the race in a personal best time of 19:03.

Not far behind Ryan was third-place finisher Delia Hayes, who also had a course PR with a time of 19:26. Olivia Scotti (11th), Lindsay Nobles (18th), and Hilary Rizzo (19th) completed the scoring for the varsity team. Bronxville scored 45 points for the first-place finish; Briarcliff finished second with a score of 90.

Nicola Phillips won the JV County Championship in 22:20, a personal best. Emma Mandanas finished second, Veronica Walsh, third, Katherine Marrinan, eighth, and Sophia Dibbini, thirteenth.

In the 1.6 mile freshman race, Bronxville's Caroline Kirby took the Freshman County Championship and was followed by Marguerite Scotti (2nd), Kirsten Ircha (3rd), Isabela Lamadrid (5th), and Isabella Dibbini (9th).

Next up is the Class C Section 1 Championship, which is the qualifying meet for states. Bronxville is a powerhouse in Section 1 Class C and should have no problem qualifying for the state championship. Sectionals will be held on Saturday, November 1, at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls.

The New York State Championships will take place on November 8 in Canton. The Broncos have won six consecutive state titles, but this year the competition could be tough. East Aurora, a Class C school from the Buffalo area, is looking very good.

"East Aurora has moved down from Class B to Class C this year," said Hayes. "Right now, we are neck-and-neck with them. It is going to be a close one."

Coach Jim Mitchell is thinking about the team and its upcoming state championship meet. "They seem to be rounding into excellent form and understanding more what it takes to race successfully," said Mitchell. "The race in Canton should be a nail-biter."

Go Broncos.

Pictured here (rotating): Girls' varsity and freshman cross country teams at counties.

Photos by J. Ircha