The Mineola boys and girls cross country teams are off to fast starts in this fall season.
Both teams are embracing training plans that involve longer runs and intervals in order to build better strength and endurance for their eventual 5k races.
The boys are off to a 2-1 start in conference competition, with their only blemish coming at the hands of a 2-point defeat. The boys have wins over East Rockaway and Malverne. They’ve been led by senior captains Fredric Lang and Brad Coleman, and junior captain Jake Tavernite.
This year’s squad has more depth and experience than years past with seniors Joe Mulder and Patrick Murray. Junior Dylan Bestler and sophomore Douglas Demagistris round out Mineola’s varsity squad to provide depth for the future of the team. On Sept. 15, the boys squad won the Hofstra Invitational at Eisenhower Park, beating out conference rivals Island Trees and Clarke in the process. This was the first invitational win for the program in years.
The girls team is off to a 1-2 start in conference competition with a win over Malverne in their first meet. The squad is led by junior captain Marissa Cotroneo, who finished as one of the top individuals at last year’s Conference IV championship as a sophomore. Junior Emily Martins and senior captain Ingrid Lopez return in hopes of improving their times from past seasons to strength their team. The girls varsity squad is rounded out by newcomers Jennifer Siemann (senior), Amy Wetzel (sophomore), and Emily Skupp (freshman).
The Mineola cross country teams will run again on Saturday Oct. 27 at Bethpage State Park. Each team looks to improve upon last year’s finishes at the Conference IV championships.
