The Irvington Boys cross country team, which is the last standing Irvington fall sports team wrapped up an impressive season with a strong second-place finish at the Section 1 Championships at Bowdoin park on saturday November Ninth. The race which featured Putnam Valley, Briarcliff, Pleasantville, Bronxville, Albertus Magnus, Hastings, Ryeneck, Croton Harmon, Pawling, Westlake, and Alexander Hamilton was huge with tons of competition. Following the trend for the whole season Irvington and Bronxville beat all other teams by fifty points with all ten of the bulldogs runners near the top of the race. However this was not enough falling short to the powerhouse Bronxville Broncos. Despite the loss, the bulldogs still showcased their depth, determination, and talent in a tightly contested race.
Leading the charge for Irvington were juniors Ethan Gartlan and Declan Lyons, whose stellar performances earned them individual bids to the New York State Championships. Gartlan finished fifth overall in the race, running one of his fastest times of the season and a PR on the treacherous Bowdoin course. Lyons placed right behind Gartlan at sixth, securing the second to last spot for states. Them and Anish Joshi’s top ten finishes were instrumental in Irvingtons runner-up placement.
The bulldogs depth was evident throughout the meet, with consistent contributions from the entire roster. While Bronxville claimed the sectional crown, Irvington’s second place finish gives hope for next year despite losing their ace Anish Joshi. Junior Andrew Blanton says, “The loss is obviously very disappointing, but we have a similar group of guys going into next year so I am very excited to finish the job we started this year.”
With the rest of the fall sports team at Irvington High School concluding their seasons, cross country stands as the final team still competing this fall. The spotlight is now fully on Gartlan and Lyons as they prepare to represent Irvington at the state meet on Saturday on November Sixteenth in Vernon-Verona-Sherrill. Declan Lyons says, “It sucks that we won’t have the whole team with us for this meet, but I am still very excited for this opportunity to run in the state championships meet and showcase the hard work I have put into this year in front of the best talent.” For now the Irvington Cross Country team has plenty to celebrate- a testament to their dedication and hard work throughout the fall.
