Both the boys’ and girls’ varsity cross country teams have conquered the Bethpage State Park trail, receiving first place at nearly every meet, whether they are running 2.5 miles or 3.1 miles. The future of these two teams is bright, and they certainly appear to be teams to watch out for. 

The girls’ cross country team, led by captains Caitlin McElwee-Buchala, Elizabeth Murphy, Allie Schwam, and Jane Hoeflinger, wrapped up an impressive, undefeated season to win the conference championship title. Additionally, while running at the 53rd Annual Nassau Coaches XC Invitational, the freshman team took runner up and was named the best girls’ freshman team in Nassau County. Individually, the team also has high hopes for some of its top runners. As Coach Joseph Beyrer explained, “Our goals for this year include the conference title, division title, and four girls receiving all-county for the first time in the history of the program.” 

McElwee-Buchala also had nothing but good things to say about her team: “This is the closest I’ve ever been with my team, and this is the strongest team I’ve had all throughout my years in high school.” McElwee-Buchala added, “Every year I have gone to Brown, the team pulls together and nearly everyone gets her personal best times. This year, there are good things in store for us.” That was certainly the case for the team. At Brown, Buchala, Murphy, freshman Kaelynn O’Brien, and freshman Mimi Berkowitz all medled in their respective races, while the girls’ team earned second place honors out of 43 teams at the event. O’Brien also joined Buchala in the Lynbrook history books, running a 21:06 5K, which placed her in the top 15 fastest times in Lynbrook history.

The boys’ cross country team, which also attended Brown, has also had some impressive runs by younger runners. “Most of our best runners are either freshmen or sophomores, and we have seen a big difference in their times since they’ve been training every day,” said Coach Pete McNally. Many sophomores and freshmen, including freshmen Luke Gaudet and Max Cordes, as well as sophomores Andrew Director and Cole Morganlander, have been running exceptionally fast times, leading the team to numerous victories where each one has finished the 5K race in less than 21 minutes. “Next year, county championships are the goal,” said McNally, “Because most of our best runners are either freshmen or sophomores, we will aim for counties,” McNally continued. 

Both teams have impressed out of the gate and have shown no intention of slowing down, literally. The team looks to continue the success they had at Brown into counties. If the comments of the teams’ coaches and runners are any indicator of their future success, their seasons may be far from over.