East Islip Girls Cross-Country Division Winners For First Time

EAST ISLIP, NY —In a year that saw East Islip's girls track team win a first-ever division title, the girls cross-country squad repeated history.

East Islip High School’s varsity girls cross-country team won the division championship on Oct. 28 and on Friday head to the state qualifier to try to earn a spot at the state finals.

This fall, East Islip took first place in three different invitationals: the Jim Smith Invitational at Sunken Meadow on Sept. 11, the Xavier Invitational at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Sept. 25 and the Manhattan College Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park on Oct. 9.

Four members of the team are All-League First Team: senior Joy Petersen, eighth-grader Danielle Simonetti, junior Olivia Simonetti and senior Sam Tucci. The four, plus seventh-grader Kathryn Simonetti were named to the All-Division team.

“Day in and day out, the girls have been productive at the highest level,” coach John Reynolds said in a statement.

“In an extremely difficult league, the girls went undefeated in convincing fashion. On the weekends, they dominated all invitationals they have run in. The girls put in tons of hard work over the summer and early fall to give themselves these wonderful opportunities, and have taken on all challenges with great class. They represent East Islip and run with EI Pride every day that they lace up their sneakers.”