MacArthur's Leah Fortunato delivers Nassau cross country team title with tie-breaking finish
MacArthur wins the tie breaker with Massapequa to take the Nassau Class I girls cross country team championship at LIU Post on Saturday. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
If one thing is certain, MacArthur junior Leah Fortunato did not expect to matter so much Saturday.
They did not know it at first, but the Generals won the Nassau Class I cross country team championship with 79 points at LIU Post. They tied with Massapequa, marking the first time in Nassau history that a tie took place in the team scoring at a county championship meet. Points in cross country are scored based on the placement of each team’s top five runners. Ties are broken based on which team’s sixth runner finished faster.
So, even though she didn’t score, Fortunato’s 30th-place finish in the 5-kilometer race in 21 minutes, 9.5 seconds was one of the most consequential placements in program history, as it secured their first county title since 2008.
“I think it’s amazing,” Fortunato said. “Our team has worked since day one over the summer. When we put our minds to something, we can do it no matter what. We work together to do it. It feels amazing to have done this, but I couldn’t have done it without [my team].”
To keep the surprise, Nassau coaches do not let timing officials post the final results until after the award ceremony is over.
Syosset found out during the ceremony that its 13-year dynasty had ended by just one point, finishing with 80. After the tie at the top was revealed, MacArthur and Massapequa lined up in front of the stage, holding their collective breath to see who owned the tiebreaker.
“We were all holding each other’s hands, and mine were so shaky and sweaty,” Fortunato said. “My heart was beating very fast.”
Zaria Hall of East Meadow. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
After hearing Massapequa’s name get called as the second-place team, MacArthur erupted. Junior Gemma Budek, freshmen Sinead Cromie, Grace O’Doherty and Ava Leek, and senior Caitlin Kilian were the Generals’ top five runners.
Though the race featured a new team champion, it also produced a very familiar individual winner: East Meadow senior Zaria Hall. Hall won in 18:22 flat to take her third consecutive Class I championship. She was able to do so despite injuring her neck earlier in the week, which caused back spasms and held her out of practice. The injury also made it hard for her to sleep well throughout the week.
However, injuries right before championships is something she’s used to. Last year, Hall tweaked both her calf and hamstring a week before the county championships and still won.
Her past experiences with injuries helped her get through them this time around, establishing a personal three-peat that will cement her legacy among Nassau’s best ever.
“I was very nervous because I knew I wouldn’t be on my A-game,” Hall said. “I thought today would be a real struggle. It feels great to know that I could still do it. It’s very good to know that my name will be left here and people will know who I am.”
The day began with Cold Spring Harbor freshman Claire Delli Carpini winning the Class III championship in 18:34.7. A former tennis player, she is in her first year as a cross country runner. Having run varsity track in middle school, she decided that competing in the fall would suit her better.
Already a county champion, the choice to switch over was undoubtedly the right one.
“I’m so grateful,” Delli Carpini said. “It’s a great sport, I love it so much and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
North Shore won the Class III team title with 34 points from freshman Sloane Bonvicino, seniors Chloe Connolly, Joanna Kenney and Hannah Checo, and junior Olivia Makin. Bethpage took the Class II championship with 51 points on the backs of sophomore Emma Sheahan, junior Carolina Cagna, senior Gabrielle Severin, seventh grader Ariana Joe and senior Grace Miller.
South Side senior Fayola Allison was the final individual champion. She overcame some nerves to win Class II in 18:30.7.
“I think I was putting a lot of pressure on myself that I didn’t need to,” Allison said. “I had to tell myself that it was okay to be nervous. I was so happy when I finished. It honestly feels unreal. I’m so proud of myself.”
TOP 10 FEMALE INDIVIDUALS, MERGED RESULTS:
1. Zaria Hall, East Meadow, Sr., 18:22 (Class I)
2. Fayola Allison, South Side, Sr., 18:30.7 (Class II)
3. Claire Delli Carpini, Cold Spring Harbor, Fr., 18:34.7 (Class III)
T-4. Gemma Budek, MacArthur, Jr., 18:45.1 (Class I)
T-4. Ariana Madeira, Friends Academy, Fr., 18:45.1 (Class II)
6. Kyra Florio-Marinella, Massapequa, Sr., 18:50.3 (Class I)
7. Julia Glenz, Long Beach, Soph., 18:50.9 (Class I)
8. Lillian Thompson, Locust Valley, Fr., 19:00.6 (Class III)
9. Valeria Paez, Hewlett, Jr., 19:01.7 (Class II)
10. Nora Miller, Manhasset, Fr., 19:05.3 (Class II)
TOP 10 FEMALE TEAMS, MERGED RESULTS:
1. Bethpage, 147 points (51 in Class II)
2. MacArthur, 161 points (79 in Class I)
3. Massapequa, 163 points (79 in Class I)
4. Syosset, 179 points (80 in Class I)
5. Farmingdale, 183 points (89 in Class I)
6. North Shore, 186 points (34 in Class III)
7. East Meadow, 200 points (97 in Class I)
8. Manhasset, 213 points (74 in Class II)
9. Garden City, 265 points (91 in Class II)
10. Calhoun, 289 points (103 in Class II)
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.
