SOMERS — The top times Saturday weren't the fastest ever clocked at Somers' 25th annual Big Red Invitational cross-country meet, but they were still very good.
When the final runner in three girls and three boys varsity races crossed the finish, it was clear the expression "youth will be served" didn't apply at this meet.
Seniors won all three boys divisions races, while a senior and two juniors took the girls titles.
And many of the wins weren't close.
The second fastest time of the day and top time in the boys Div. 2 race belonged to Aidan See.
A year earlier, the Tuskers senior ran his home course in 17:50.3 for first place in Div. 2, but his time was not even close to top-10 overall.
Saturday, See clocked his best ever home-course time, finishing
in 16:53.3. That ended up being the fourth fastest time of the day. But in Div. 2 it was so good that his closest competitor, runner-up Vivek Sekhri of Hen Hud, who was a very strong sixth overall, was more than 25 seconds back at 17.19.1.
It looked like the top time would go to White Plains senior Pierce Biffert. He clocked 16:39.9 in the Div. I race that went off after See's race.
But that was before Evan Beradino of Connecticut's Haddam-Killingworth blazed the course in winning the Div. 3 boys race in 16:36.2.
HIs teammate and fellow senior, Wyatt Voegtli, had the day's third fastest time at 16:47.2, while the fifth overall best time belonged to Iona Prep's Kieren Degen at 17:13.7. His time placed him second behind Biffert in Div. 1.
The only local girl to gain gold was Hen Hud senior Oona McManus, who took the Div. 2 crown in 20:06.
Washingtonville junior Avery Flynn posted the overall top girls time while winning Div. 1 in 19:36.8.
That race perhaps deserved an asterisk since Scarsdale freshman Parvati Dabral held the lead with about 150 yards to go, but lost several seconds when failing to initially turn toward the finish. When she did, Flynn was in front. Still, her 19:42.4 was the second best girls time of the meet and perhaps a sign of very good things to come for her.
Biffert, who hopes to compete in college and is a four-year varsity cross-country runner for White Plains, has fully dedicated himself to running after giving up basketball last year for indoor track.
Asked to describe the difference in mental mindset among the three sports, Biffert, whose season goals include qualifying for the state championships and for Nike Cross Regionals, separated out his favorite, cross-country, as the toughest.
"I think (in) cross-country you have some of the toughest people in the world mentally. I think 90% is mental and then, as the saying goes, the other half is physical," Biffert said. "But I think it's really a mental sport and you really put yourself to the limit every race."
McManus only started cross-country last year after pursuing soccer. The switch stemmed in part for her love of track, her desire to run in college and coach Marcia Bailey's advice she run X-C to train for track.
Quickly, cross-country became special to McManus.
"(After the switch,) I just loved it. I loved being with my team and training," she said, describing last year's Hen Hud squad as close and finding fun together.
Now her plans are simply to "train as hard as I can, run as hard as I can and see what I can do."
See noted he trained hard over the summer, building up to running 60 miles a week at one point.
See, who wants to run in college, is concentrating at this point on this season. He's not only hoping and expecting big things for himself but said he thinks Somers has the talent to win a Section 1 team title to go together to the state championships.
Top 10 individual finishers division
Boys Div. 1
1. Pierce Biffet, White Plains: 16:39.9
2. Kieran Degen, Iona Prep: 17:13.7
3. Michael Grande, White Plains: 17:25.8
4. James Cipriani, Washingtonville: 17:32.1
5. Henry Lorch, Scarsdale: 17:45.8
6. Paul Perez Peresson, Mamaroneck: 17:47.8
7. Noah Vila, Washingtonville: 17:48.9
8. Connor Dominick, White Plains: 17:50.3
9. John Weinman, Arlington: 17:50.4
10. Kellen Doherty, White Plains: 17:52.5
Boys Div. 2
1. Aidan See, Somers: 16:53.3
2. Vivek Sekhri, Hen Hud: 17:19.1
3. Gabriel Cacsire, Somers: 17:28
4. Joey Portocarrero, Harrison: 17:42.8
5. Micahl Laclavik, Fox Lane: 17:43.2
6. Luke Sweeney, Fox Lane: 17:45.5
7. Jackson Morley, Hen Hud: 17:58.9
8. John Quis, Yorktown: 18:07
9. Chuck Keeley, Pelham: 18:15.6
10. Alex Preston, New Paltz: 18:29.7
Boys Div. 3
1. Evan Beradino, Haddam-Killingworth: 16:36.2
2. Wyatt, Voegtli, Haddam-Killingworth: 16:47.2
3. Trey Downing, Haddam-Killingworth: 17:28.2
4. Evan Barnes, Saranac Central: 17:48.9
5. Lucas Rosado, Riverdale Country Day: 18:08.5
6. Nathaniel Cayea, Saranac Central: 18:15
7. Leo Sternberg, Riverdale Country: 18:15.4
8. Paul Birkmeyer, Haddam-Killingworth: 18:18.7
9. Mason Bergman, Haddam-Killingworth: 19:01.9
10. Quinn Spector, Haddam-Killingworth: 19:09.1
Girls Div. 1
1. Avery Flynn, Washingtonville: 19:36.8
2. Parvati Dabral, Scarsdale: 19:42.4
3. Camryn Flynn, Washingtonville: 19:44.7
4. Sydney Lozza, Washingtonville: 20:14.4
5. Elizabeth Roa, Washingtonville: 20:41.8
6. Taylor Romanovsky, Arlington: 20:58.3
7. Emilia DeLorenzo, Arlington: 21:04.8
8. Isabel Pool, Arlington: 21:18.8
9. Teresa Damato, White Plains: 21:34.2
10. Dalia Latzman, Scarsdale: 21:48.6
Girls Div. 2
1. Oona McManus, Hen Hud: 20:06
2. Catherine Hansel, Yorktown: 20:14.9
3. Kaya Duzynski, Somers: 20:24
4. Carolina Morocho, Somers: 20:49.6
5. Parker Page, Somers: 20:50.5
6. Emily Cullen, Yorktown: 21:51
7. Inez Lingeza, Harrison: 21:53.6
8. Victoria Ransom, Fox Lane: 22:03.8
9. Anna Dudek, Yorktown: 22:32.5
10. Dharma Ava Bernales, Yorktown: 23:06.5
Girls Div. 3
1. Claire Miller, Riverdale Country: 19:46.3
2. Charlotte Behnke, Haddam-Killingworth: 19:54.7
3. Alyssa Behnke, Haddam-Killingworth: 20:51.8
4. Emilia Schweitzer, Haddam-Killingworth: 20:58.1
5. Julia Ryan, Saranac Central: 21:075
6. Addalyn Coryer, Saranac Central: 21:40.1
7. Eliza Ritchie, Riverdale Country: 21:57.2
8. Annie Webster, Haddam-Killingworth: 22:04.5
9. Kiersten Wilantowicz, Maria Regina: 22:58.6
10. Malia Stickle, Saranac Central: 22:58.6
Top 3 teams by division
Boys Div. 1
1. White Plains, 36 points
2. Mamaroneck, 82 points
3. Washingtonville, 83 points
Boys Div. 2
1. Fox Lane, 57 points
2. Somers, 64 points
3. Yorktown, 73 points.
Boys Div. 3
Note: No other teams had the required five finishers for a team score.
1. Haddam-Killingworth, 19 points
2.. Riverdale Country Day, 41 points
Girls Div. 1
1. Washingtonville, 38 points
2 . Scarsdale, 49 points
3. Arlington, 58 points
Girls Div. 2
1. Somers, 37 points
2. Yorktown, 43 points
3. Harrison, 91 points
Girls Div. 3
1. Haddam-Killingworth, 31 points
2. Saranac Central, 46 points
3. Riverdale Country, 50 points
Nancy Haggerty covers sports for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Biffert, See, McManus big winners at Somers Big Red Invitational XC
