VSN runs second in county meet

After going 14-0 during the regular season and winning a conference title, Valley Stream North’s boys’ cross-country team took home second place behind North Shore at the Nassau County Class III championship meet at Bethpage State Park last month.

“We had no seniors, so we’re looking forward to even bigger things next year,” VSN coach Tim Boyens said. “It was like a head-to-head race between us and North Shore, and they just nipped us in a few spots. Usually at the county meet if you get three runners in the top 10 and your other two in the top 25, it’s good enough to win.

“We did come back to beat North Shore at the state qualifier,” he added.

Junior Peter Wilk set the pace for the Spartans, earning All-County honors and qualifying for the state meet. He was fifth in Nassau Class III after completing the 5K course in 17-minutes, 24.3-seconds, and ran 16:40 at Queensbury High School in the state meet to finish No. 60 overall. “Peter’s a super motivated team leader who enjoys the camaraderie of the sport,” Boyens said. 

Two spots behind Wilk at the county meet was sophomore Jake Catalano, who’s already in his third varsity campaign. He finished in 17:40.1. “Jake’s the heart and soul of the team,” Boyens said. “He trains as hard as anyone and is a very consistent and smart runner.”

Caltalano and junior Phil Inguanta both earned All-Class honors. Inguanta, who gave up soccer to join the program a year ago, crossed the line 10th in the county meet (17:49.9) and had a PR this fall of 17:18. “Phil’s improved beyond expectations,” Boyens said. “For him to be top 10 in the county is a great confidence builder. He’s only going to get better.”

Juniors Julian Osorio and Matthew Cinnamo both cracked the top 25, finishing 22nd and 24th, respectively. “They both ran well when it counted,” Boyens said. “The 5k might not be ideal for them, but they’re gutsy runners.”

Boyens said with the entire roster coming back next fall, along with a strong crop of JV runners, 2014 is shaping up to be a big one. “Some of these guys ran 400-500 miles this summer,” he said. “They all train hard.”