North Fields Three Top 10 Teams at XC Invitational

Sachem North scored in the top 10 in three races at the Manhattan College Invitational Sunday. Held at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, the meet is the largest cross-country meet in the nation with more than 10,000 runners.

Kelly Lavan and the varsity squad led Sachem with a sixth place team finish and a strong team average of 17:24. Lavan's third place finish in a career-best time (by more than 40 seconds) on the course. She positioned herself well with a strong start that put her in the top 10 as the race began. 

Lavan moved up in the back woods – a 1.25-mile section of the course that is filled with rolling hills and several steeper climbs – and emerged from the woods in a battle for third place with two rival runners. She broke both runners with less than 200 meters to go and then held on to third place following a furious battle with Christine Melian of Susan Wagner High School.

"Kelly answered the move, and after an intense neck and neck battle, moved ahead and placed third in her most exciting finish of the year," said Sachem coach Alex Young.  

Katie Michta (19 overall) earned a top 20 finish with an outstanding back woods section as she continues to exhibit strong race tactics in big meets for Sachem.  

Jenn Weiss turned in the sixth fastest time of the day as she placed No. 15 in the JV “D” race in a time of 18:25. Weiss, a great hill runner, moved up steadily in the back woods as she had her best race and pace of the season and her finest race in her two years on Sachem’s XC team.

Weiss' performance along with top 50 times by teammates Aprilrose Marasco and Kristina Schrepf helped the JV squad to a tenth place team score. 

Patricia Romano continued her impressive racing over the past several weeks as she placed 27^th in the Sophomore “A” Race and helped led the Sophs to an eighth place team performance. 

"The challenging hills of the back woods did not deter Patricia as she attacked the race course," Young said.

Teammate Monica Abrams stayed close to Romano despite wiping out on a gravel-filled and rain-rutted downhill section of the back woods. Abrams suffered cuts and abrasions on her legs, side and hands in the fall. Bloodied but not beaten, she finished second in the race for Sachem.