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The Hurricanes after defeating East Hampton earlier this season.
Lily Strebel and Trevor Hayes each won their respective Varsity 'A' races at the Manhattan Invitational on Saturday. HEATHER HAYNIA
The Westhampton Beach girls cross country team defeated previously unbeaten Hauppauge, 18-30, at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park on October 10 to pave its way to the League V title. The Hurricanes had one dual meet left on Tuesday at Red Creek Park in Hampton Bays against winless Wyandanch, who they are expected to defeat handily.
Westhampton Beach is only two years removed from having won its last league title. It just missed out on winning a league title last season after being edged by East Hampton by a single point. Westhampton Beach head coach John Broich said this is his best team he’s had since 2003, the last time the girls won a county title. While there certainly is competition in the county this season, Broich thinks his team can compete with anyone.
The ’Canes, who were going to be one of the top teams in the county regardless, got a huge shot in the arm this season when Lily Strebel, one of the top indoor-outdoor track runners in the winter and spring, opted to come out for the cross country team after playing soccer the previous fall seasons. All Strebel has done is, like in track, put herself in multiple conversations as one of the top runners in the region.
Strebel won Tuesday’s 2.5-mile race in 15:20. Teammate Oona Murphy finished in 15:55 and Fina DiBiaso in 16:25. Caeden Dorn (16:55) and Sophie DiPierro (17:45) followed.
Broich said he’s expecting schools like Sayville and Bayport-Blue Point to battle his team for the county title. The Division Championships are October 24 at Sunken Meadow with the county championships, also known as the state qualifier, on November 3 also at Sunken Meadow.
Hayes, Strebel Take Manhattan
Competing in one of the region’s most competitive races of the season, the Manhattan College Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, both Trevor Hayes and Lily Strebel won their respective Varsity “A” 2.5-mile races on Saturday. Hayes joins Kevin Hogan as the only other runner to win the Manhattan Invite while Strebel is the first girl ever from Westhampton Beach to win it.
Hayes, a senior, completed his race in 12:58.20. He was the only one in his field to finish under 13:00, with Kingston junior Andrew Lee finishing second in 13:13.60. Westhampton Beach junior Marcus Haynia finished 27th out of 162 runners in 14:08.80.
Strebel, a junior, won her race in 15:05.80, about five seconds or so ahead of John Jay-Cross River sophomore Sloan Wasserman. Senior teammate Oona Murphy placed 18th out of the 185 runners in 16:06.60.
