TBXC @Bville Invitational Wrap Up

The Trumansburg Boys Varsity Cross Country team traveled to Baldwinsville for the 66th annual invitational this past Saturday. Historically the boys have performed well there, and Saturday was no exception. The boys competed in the Small Schools race against, 35 other schools finished solidly in the middle of the pack, despite the absence of their #3 runner, Kevin Lampman who is out with a hip injury. There were some notable highlights, as Evan Whittaker won the race in a respectable time of 15:45, outpacing over 260 other competitors. When asked about his race Whittaker said, “It felt good to get back to the top of the field today. It was nice to see our team’s times improve as well.”

Coach Clifford was very pleased with the effort on the part of his team, commenting that a number of the boys ran particularly well. “Evan managed to shake off some of the race rust and made a statement today. He is a competitor at heart, and it’s nice to see all those miles he logged these past few months pay off. It’s been a long road for him this past year as he battled with through a stress fracture that just wouldn’t heal. He’s back now, and sent a message to his fellow competitors. I expect he will be in the hunt for a top ten finish at States this year. Aiden Begeal, Keegan Moore and Henry Hanson stepped up today and committed to the race, despite the heat and a few nagging injuries. I was also very pleased with efforts of my my freshmen, John Wofford, Jamie Schappie and Seth McIntyre. They are still getting used to the longer distance, making the transition from the modified level where talent often beats hard work. At the varsity level, that’s not the case. Those who do the summer work get paid in the Fall. From a team standpoint, I was also very happy with the level of support they provided for our Girls during the JV race. It was a really excellent meet all around for the team today.” When pressed for a prediction for Saturday’s big race at the legendary McQuaid Invitational, Coach Clifford replied, “I’m not much for predictions-actions speak louder than words-but I will say that a few of our guys are poised for breakout races. Ben Haefner has looked very crisp in practice as of late, and I think Alex Mitchell is ready to notch a PR. They train hard every day, and if they can put the other pieces of the puzzle together-eating right and getting adequate sleep-then they will see it pay off on Saturday.”