Sachem East Cross Country Notebook

On September 24, the Sachem East girls cross country geared up for the Suffolk Coaches Invitational where they raced against some of the top teams in the county.

Some of the top finishers in the varsity 5k race were Shannon O’Hehir in fifth place with a 20:36, Danielle Vasquez in eighth place (20:59), Melanie Notarstefano in 16 place (21:31), Kaitlin Dimartino in 26 place (22:14), and Sam Maurice in 35 place (22:49). They finished in second place overall with 76 points following Northport with 38 points.

This, however, was a team performance without their top runner, Rachel Paul. “We are definitely going to be a top team in the county,” said Sachem coach Jaimie Sison. “Out of all the years I’ve coached, this team has the most dedication and potential. Although we have top teams like Northport and Ward Melville, we definitely have an opportunity to win counties. We haven’t had this possibility since the split of Sachem. Sachem East Girls Cross Country is going to make a name for itself this year.”

Up next for the girls is senior day and a dual meet on September 27 against Connetquot where they hope to keep their winning streak alive with a 2-0 record as of September 26.

East Boys Notes

For Sachem East boys’ cross country, this week has been a real learning experience. The team that is so used to dominating was beaten by Northport.

“It was a really tough loss, but we can’t sit here and feel sorry for ourselves,” said veteran runner Joe Kellehar, “we have to get ready for the next meet.”

Rachel Paul, Mike Casali and Tyler Plofker contributed to this notebook.