Uniondale's Ross Wallace wins Nassau Class I cross country championship

Despite being new to Long Island, Uniondale senior Ross Wallace has left his mark.

Wallace won the Nassau Class I cross country championship in dominant fashion, finishing the 5-kilometer race on LIU Post’s course in 15 minutes, 35.5 seconds Saturday. Wallace and his family moved to Long Island in July.

Moving is really just a part of Wallace’s regular life. His father, Ross Wallace Sr., is in the U.S. Army and gets relocated roughly every two-and-a-half years. The younger Wallace grew up in Detroit before moving with his family to Washington D.C. in 2018. In 2021, the family was moved to Chicago, and in 2023, they moved to Columbus, Ohio.

The one constant in his life has been running. To help himself familiarize with his ever-changing surroundings, Wallace would go on long runs in nearby areas. Once he reached high school, his mother convinced him to run competitively and join his high school’s team. He has stuck with it, regardless of where he’s been.

“I ran one race and I’ve been obsessed with cross country ever since,” Wallace said.

The sport has served as a platform for him to socialize. Forming friendships and finding a group of like-minded people has been key in helping him acclimate to every new stop.

It was especially helpful after arriving on Long Island.

SEE PHOTOSNassau boys cross country championships

“Changing places is like falling in a puddle,” Wallace said. “It’s a mess, and it happens so suddenly. It takes a lot of time to get used to a new place. But most of my friends are from the cross country team, and they introduced me to other people. That’s how I’ve found my way through school. I went from being a total stranger to now a lot of people know me, and I feel accepted.”

Wallace realizes that there is a timetable attached to his residency. He said he will likely have to move again in another year-and-a-half, or so. Regardless, he is forever part of Nassau history.

“It feels good to leave my mark somewhere,” Wallace said. “It shows that anybody could come out of nowhere and succeed.”

Syosset won the team Nassau I championship with 79 points from seniors Luis Cruz, Bradley Sommer and Christian Frangas, junior Liam Saavedra and senior Anthony Fiore.

Manhasset won its third consecutive Class II title with 19 points behind senior Blake Sealy, junior Nic Katsoulis, senior Braeden Jackelow, and sophomores Andrew Tsimikalis and Max Tobar.

Sealy, Katsoulis and Jackelow all finished top three. Sealy’s 15:24.7 won him a second consecutive individual county championship.

“I’m happy that I’m a guy that’s been able to help lead my team to some of the most success we’ve had in school history these past few years,” Sealy said. “I think this is all the domino effect. We had some great upperclassmen when I was younger — Johnny Hogan, Stije Huinink, Ryan Boldi — who taught me how to win. Now, having my own success, a lot of the youngest guys on this team are noticing that and finding success earlier and earlier.”

The day began with Valley Stream North winning the Class III team title with 27 points from freshmen Gavin Trustey and Kyle Farina, junior Evan Truong, and seniors Thierry Bennett and Matthew Gangi. Individually, Wantagh senior Ian Frazer won the class in 15:52.1.

The moment was special for Frazer, as his father — Mike Frazer — was announcing the race. He got to hear his father call his name in excitement as he streaked toward the line and won his first cross country title.

“It’s pretty sick,” Ian Frazer said. “I always know someone who’s announcing, but to have it be my dad is really cool. It just added an extra layer to how great it felt.”

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.