Wantagh's Ian Frazer wins Nassau Class B boys cross country title, qualifies for state and Federation championships

With a lot of family greatness to live up to, Wantagh senior Ian Frazer has done well for himself. 

Frazer won the Class B 5-kilometer race in 15 minutes, 41.3 seconds at the Nassau state qualifier meet at LIU Post on Saturday. The time was the fastest in the merged results. The victory qualified Frazer for the public school state championships, scheduled for Nov. 15 in Queensbury, but it was his ranking in the merge that made his day special.

By posting the top time at a sectional championship, Frazer automatically qualified for the state Federation Championships, scheduled for Nov. 22 at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls. Frazer did not qualify for the Federation meet last year, as his ranking at the public school state championships was too low.

Clinching a berth in the Federation race was such a big deal to Frazer and his family that it made his mother, Brandy, cry. The announcement came from his father, Mike Frazer, who was on announcing duties for the second straight week.

“This feeling is unmatched,” Ian Frazer said. “I’ve always grown up around these successful athletes, like my dad, my uncle [Dave Frazer]. My mom was top in the nation in twirling at Clemson back in the day. To be able to carry on that legacy is gratifying.”

Brandy Frazer told her son that the hotel for the Federation championship had been booked on Friday night, but she mentioned the reality of having to cancel it if he were to fall short again. To all of their comfort, that is no longer in question.

Perhaps that remark shaved a couple of seconds off his final time.

“She was like, ‘You know, I scheduled the hotel, but we’ll see if we have to cancel it or not,’” Ian Frazer said. “I’m thinking, oh man, of course you had to say that.”

His closest competitor for the early Federation berth was Uniondale senior Ross Wallace, who won Class A in 15:45.9. Oyster Bay senior Zach Greene won Class C for the second straight year, this time in 16:22.2. Friends Academy seventh grader Teddy Dugan was the Class D champion in 17:11.3.

Oyster Bay has struggled to fill out its roster - only four boys ran on Saturday. However, junior Vlad Morales placed fifth in Class C in 18:08.9, giving Greene a rare companion to run alongside in Queensbury next week. Morales, who joined the team after playing soccer in past years, has given Greene an invaluable training partner all season. 

“I want to give a huge shoutout to Vlad,” Greene said. “He’s the reason why I was so motivated this season. Last year, all of my runs were alone. Now I’ve got Vlad. He stepped up big time, and we’ve become best friends.”

On the team front, Manhasset flexed its depth in a big way. Coach Steve Steiner rested senior Blake Sealy — arguably Long Island’s top runner — and relied on the rest of the team to win the Class B race. Led by junior Nic Katsoulis and senior Braeden Jackelow, the crew placed third through sixth and scored 30 points to win in runaway fashion — 46 points clear of the next team.

“In a sport that gets so individualized, where people care about individual achievements, I think what we’ve done as a team is nothing short of unbelievable,” Jackelow said. “We’re just looking to continue that success.”

Syosset won Class A with 58 points, Wheatley took Class C with 28 and Friends Academy scored 15 to capture Class D.

By Mike Anderson

michael.anderson@newsday.com

Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.