Rachel Ruggiero of Sachem East ran a strong second half to pull out a 25th place finish at the New York State Public High School Cross Country Championships held at Chenango Valley State Park last Saturday, clocking 18:56 for the 3.1 mile distance.
She was the fourth overall finisher from Long Island. Kelsey Chmiel of Saratoga Springs was the individual winner, while Fayetteville Manlius convincingly won the team title. Manlius and Saratoga are currently ranked first and second in the U.S.
Although the full East squad did not compete due to finishing 2nd at the County Championship behind Ward Melville, the Arrows were selected to compete in the 27 team field at the New York State Federation Cross Country Championships to be held this coming Saturday at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls.
The field will be made up of the top ranked teams from the Public Schools (16), Catholic Schools (7), N.Y. City Schools (3), and the Independent School Association (1).