Top End Talent Ready To Roll At 47th Manhattan Invite

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Seven hours of competition and 40 races return Saturday to Van Cortlandt Park in New York City. 

This year's Eastern States races, steeped in tradition (it's the 47th annual), figure to be gauges of where some of the Northeast's top programs are at mid-season. They are at the heart of the Manhattan High School Cross Country Invitational, one of the largest meets in the country.

Katelyn Tuohy of North Rockland returns to VCP after skipping Manhattan last year. In 2017, as a sophomore, she covered the 2.5-mile course in 13:21.8 and ran 30 seconds faster than any other high school girl ever had. 

LIVE FINISH LINE WEBCAST ALL DAY IS FREE

Tuohy comes into the weekend after breaking the Great American Cross County Festival 5-kilometer course record (WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C.), where she ran 16:22.8. 

More history is possible in the team race, where No. 2-ranked Fayetteville-Manlius aims to win the girls title for the 10th time in 13 years. That would tie Saratoga Springs NY for the most Eastern States girls championship titles at Manhattan. 

The girls team has been solid through four this season, but an improvement at No. 5 could cinch the victory. Head coach Bill Aris did not enter his girls in the Eastern States race last year, believing they weren't ready for championship-level competition. The Hornets dominated the Girls Varsity B race instead, and Claire Walters ran 13:57.1 for the fastest time of the day and fifth-fastest all-time.

CHECK OUT THE NEW BOOK 'AMAZING RACERS'

Tuohy and Walters are two of the six girls to ever go under 14 minutes at VCP. Other candidates to try and stay with them are Tully's Brooke Rauber, second at last year's Eastern States race, Charlotte Bednar of Lawrenceville School NJ and Jenna Schulz of Liverpool.

The team battle on the boys side figures to be fiercely competitive. 

Fourth-ranked Fayetteville-Manlius has raced sparingly in recent weeks as it prepares, as it always does, to show what it can do at Manhattan. 

Trio Sam Otis, Peyton Geeher and Geoff Howles are as good as any in the country and will lead the Hornets (aka Stotans) against a deep field. 

Seventh-ranked La Salle Academy, the Northeast region No. 1, gets a big opportunity to show what it can do. No. 16 Bishop Hendricken, last year's Eastern States winner, is back to try and defend its title. No. 17 Christian Brothers Academy NJ has won the event six times. And No. 30 Downingtown West is coming up from Pennsylvania. 

Rhode Island rivals La Salle and Bishop Hendricken finished third and fouth, respectively, behind No. 2 Great Oak and No. 3 Loudoun Valley at the Great American Festival.

Up front, 2018 Foot Locker finalists Sam Lawler of Pittsford Mendon NY and Matt Farrell from Loomis Chaffee CT should be in the mix for the fastest time of the day.