Newsday's top 50 boys cross country runners for 2025
Clockwise, from top left: Seamus Taylor and Anthony Anatol, Ian Frazer, Trevor Green, Dan Egan.
Newsday's annual look at the top high school boys cross country runners on Long Island, listed in alphabetical order, heading into the season. All statistics are from last season, unless otherwise noted.
Luke Albert, Lindenhurst, Jr.
The younger brother of Newsday’s 2024 Long Island Cross Country Runner of the Year Jake Albert, Luke brings a similar talent. He finished the Sunken Meadow State Park course in 17 minutes, 59.3 seconds last year, placing him in the top 25 on the course among returning Long Island runners. His 18:05.4 at Bowdoin Park — the annual site of the New York Federation championships — ranks 19th entering the season.
Anthony Anatol, Ward Melville, Sr.
His first year as a cross country runner was a massive success, as he ran 16:51 at Sunken Meadow to claim the second-best returning time on Long Island. At Queensbury High School — the site of this year’s NYSPHSAA championships — the former soccer player ran a 15:51.2, which also ranks second on Long Island in this returning group. At Bowdoin Park, his 16:54.5 is fourth.
Ethan Baloyo, MacArthur, Sr.
He ran the 12th-fastest time in the returning class at Bethpage State Park (16:58.3) and also ran an 18:36.3 at Sunken Meadow.
Tyler Booker, Calhoun, Jr.
He ranks ninth on Long Island at Bethpage with a 16:46.6 and sixth in Nassau at Sunken Meadow with an 18:07.9.
Joshua Chang, Great Neck South, Sr.
His 16:31.6 at Bethpage in the Nassau championships ranks seventh among returners on Long Island. He continued to progress throughout the academic year and in the outdoor track season, he ran a 9:49.09 in the 3,200 meters.
Andrew Collins, Smithtown, Fr.
Collins, who attends Smithtown West, posted an 18:10 at Sunken Meadow as an eighth-grader.
Luis Cruz, Syosset, Sr.
He ranks sixth in the returning class of Long Islanders at Bethpage (16:30.9), ninth at Queensbury (16:23.6) and 12th at Bowdoin Park (17:38.4).
Jonathan Davi, Oceanside, Jr.
His 16:38.5 at Bethpage is the eighth-fastest returning time, but he also handled Sunken Meadow very well with a 17:49.84 to rank in Long Island’s top 25.
Nicholas DiCaprio, Miller Place, Jr.
He ran well as a sophomore at Sunken Meadow, topping out at 18:05.1. At Bowdoin, he is 16th on Long Island at 17:55.2. He continued to progress throughout the year and logged a 9:50.01 in the 3,200 outdoors, which ranks in the top 25 among returners.
John Duggal, The Stony Brook School, Jr.
As a sophomore, he ran a 17:10 at Bethpage. He ran in three invitationals at Sunken Meadow and got better each time, going from 19:04.14 to 18:36.8 and finishing at 18:32.7. He also owns Long Island’s best time at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx at 18:05.8.
Dan Egan, Chaminade, Sr.
One of the key fixtures in Chaminade’s loaded team, he ranks 20th at Bowdoin Park with an 18:07.9 in the Federation championships.
Christian Frangas, Syosset, Sr.
He ranks in the top 15 among returning Long Islanders at Bethpage (17:02.2) and Queensbury (16:59.2) and among the top 25 at Bowdoin Park (18:14.6). He continued to ascend throughout the year and ran the 11th-fastest 3,200 time (9:37.34) in the class.
Ian Frazer, Wantagh, Sr.
One of Long Island’s superstars, he is second at Bethpage (16:05.3) and third at Sunken Meadow (16:54.09) among his peers. His 16:37.9 at Queensbury ranks 10th, while his 17:31.8 at Bowdoin Park is 11th.
Trevor Green, Rocky Point, Sr.
He owns the fastest times among returning Long Island runners at both Sunken Meadow (16:18.3) and Bowdoin Park (16:17.9), where he placed ninth overall in the Federation meet. He also is fifth at Queensbury with a 16:04.1 from the NYSPHSAA championships.
Zach Greene, Oyster Bay, Sr.
One of the best small-school runners in the state, his 16:06.4 at Bethpage is the third-best returning time on Long Island. He also ranks 17th at Sunken Meadow with a 17:35.4. His 16:05 at Queensbury placed him sixth among returning runners.
Sean Grossman, Port Jefferson, Jr.
A key member of the program’s NYSPHSAA Class D championship victory at Queensbury, where he ran a 17:12.1 (18th on Long Island), he will take on a lead role this year. His 18:03.6 at Sunken Meadow as a sophomore is tied for 26th among returning runners for the course.
Zach Guber, St. Anthony’s, Sr.
One of the best runners in the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA, he ranks in the top 15 at both Sunken Meadow (17:33.2) and Bowdoin Park (17:43.5).
Brian Guiheen, Chaminade, Sr.
The lead man for Chaminade’s loaded team ranks eighth in Long Island’s returning class at Sunken Meadow (17:10.3) and fifth at Bowdoin Park (16:59.7).
Clockwise, from top left: Zach Guber, Daniel Hilton, Spencer Lee, Nic Katsoulis, Brian Guiheen.
Dylan Herath, Half Hollow Hills, Jr.
Herath, who attends Half Hollow Hills East, ran a 17:27.8 at Sunken Meadow as a sophomore, which is 12th-best among returning runners. He also ran a 9:47.48 in the 3,200 in the spring.
Daniel Hilton, Chaminade, Sr.
He ranks 13th on Long Island at Sunken Meadow (17:28) and eighth at Bowdoin Park (17:13.9) as the team’s No. 2 runner.
Aidan Hopkins, Kellenberg, Soph.
His 17:37 at Sunken Meadow is top 20 in Long Island’s returning class, while his 18:18.7 is top 25 at Bowdoin Park.
Braeden Jackelow, Manhasset, Sr.
He ran a 17:12.7 in Manhasset's NYSPHSAA Class B victory at Queensbury, a top-20 time among current Long Islanders on the course. His 17:00.5 at Bethpage ranks in Long Island’s top 15, and his 17:55.9 at Bowdoin Park is good for a top-20 ranking. He kept progressing throughout the year and was one of Long Island’s best in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, topping out at 9:40.2.
Luke Jantzen, Ward Melville, Sr.
He was a key figure in Ward Melville being Suffolk’s best boys team across the four classes. His 17:42.8 at Sunken Meadow rounds out the top 20, while his 16:44.4 at Queensbury ranks in the top 15.
Alexander Kanes, Herricks, Sr.
His 16:49.2 places him 11th on Long Island at Bethpage. He also ran an 18:25.9 at Sunken Meadow, which places him eighth in Nassau and in Long Island’s top 50.
Nic Katsoulis, Manhasset, Jr.
The No. 2 runner for the defending NYSPHSAA Class B champions had a huge sophomore season, finishing with times that rank fourth in the returning class at Bethpage (16:16), third at Queensbury (16:01.9) and seventh at Bowdoin Park (17:10.3). His 18:13.43 at Sunken Meadow is the seventh-fastest time by a returning Nassau runner and in Long Island’s top 50.
Gabriel Ko, Northport, Sr.
A top-10 runner at Sunken Meadow, he ran a 17:13.5 at the Suffolk division championships. His 16:39.4 at Queensbury is 12th in the returning class for the course.
Spencer Lee, Shoreham-Wading River, Jr.
The younger brother of Long Island legend Katherine Lee, his 17:35.19 at Sunken Meadow ranks 16th on Long Island, while his 16:15.5 at Queensbury places him eighth.
Edward Lessing, St. Anthony’s, Jr.
Among returners, he ranks sixth on the island at Sunken Meadow (16:59.7) and Bowdoin Park (17:05.2).
Evan Levine, Northport, Jr.
He ran 18:20.8 at Sunken Meadow as a sophomore, good for a spot in the top 40. He continued to build on that during the track seasons, running a 9:45.1 in the 3,200 in the spring.
Sean Loggie, Chaminade, Sr.
His 17:21.6 at Bowdoin Park ranks ninth in Long Island’s returning class on the course. His 4:17.99 in the 1,600 meters during the outdoor track season also is third among returning Long Islanders, showing a continued progression in distance races.
Andrew Mead, Northport, Sr.
He ran 17:54.2 at Sunken Meadow for a top-25 time on the course in the returning group, followed by a 16:48.3 at Queensbury for the 16th spot.
Cole Miller, Manhasset, Jr.
He posted an 18:26.13 at Sunken Meadow (ninth among Nassau returners) and an 18:22 at Bowdoin Park (24th among Long Island returners).
Jack Moylan, Smithtown, Sr.
Moylan, who attends Smithtown East, ranks top 20 on Long Island at Sunken Meadow with a 17:36.5. During the outdoor track season in May, he broke 10 minutes in the 3,200 with a 9:56.56.
Christopher Nam, Port Jefferson, Sr.
He ran a 17:17.2 at Queensbury in Port Jefferson's state public school championship victory to claim Long Island’s 20th spot on the course and had a 18:15.7 at Sunken Meadow.
Gael Ogmen, Port Washington, Jr.
His 16:58.4 at Bethpage as a sophomore ranks in the top 15 in this returning class.
Zach Paggi, Kellenberg, Jr.
His 17:45.5 at Sunken Meadow as a sophomore places him in the top 25 among returning runners, while his Bowdoin Park time of 17:49.9 ranks 14th.
Aidan Piracci, Commack, Sr.
He ran 17:28.88 at Sunken Meadow to claim a top-15 spot on the returners’ list for the course. He followed that up with a big outdoor track season in the spring, running the fourth-best 1,600 time at 4:18.85.
Matteo Ritieni, Ward Melville, Jr.
Another huge piece of the top team from Suffolk returns after running the 11th-best time in the returning class (17:25.8) at Sunken Meadow. His 16:43.8 at Queensbury and 17:53.4 at Bowdoin Park each rank in the top 15 times among returners.
Brandon Salazar, Brentwood, Jr.
He ran an 18:35.1 at Sunken Meadow in the fall, then became one of the best 3,200-meter runners on Long Island by the end of the spring, running a 9:38.09 — 12th in this returning class of Long Islanders..
Blake Sealy, Manhasset, Sr.
The defending Newsday Nassau Cross Country Runner of the Year is a former point guard with a ton of stamina. His 15:37.8 at Bethpage and 15:43 at Queensbury each are tops on L Island, while his 16:22.3 at Bowdoin Park is second and his 17:15.99 at Sunken Meadow is 10th.
Clockwise, from left: Sean Loggie, Blake Sealy, Blake Weaver, Sviatoslav Zalizniak.
Andrew Senf, Ward Melville, Jr.
He is right behind Sealy on the leaderboard at Bowdoin Park in third place with a 16:54. His 16:54.3 at Sunken Meadow ranks fourth, and his 16:08.8 at Queensbury places him seventh.
Connor Serper, Smithtown, Sr.
A Smithtown West runner who is a member of the combined Smithtown team, his 18:03.6 at Sunken Meadow is tied for 26th in Long Island’s returning class.
Sotaro Shirabe, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK, Sr.
He ran an 18:26.5 at Sunken Meadow to crack Long Island’s returning top 50 on the course and Nassau's 10th spot.
Daniel Smith, Division, Sr.
He ran the fifth-best time at both Bethpage (16:23.5) and Sunken Meadow (16:56.83).
Seamus Taylor, Northport, Jr.
The younger brother of Northport alumnus Maggie Taylor had a big breakout in his sophomore year. His 17:00.5 at Sunken Meadow ranks seventh on Long Island, while his 16:03.1 at Queensbury is fourth.
Max Tobar, Manhasset, Soph.
As a freshman, he ran the 16th-fastest time at Bethpage (17:06.6) and the 18th-fastest time at Bowdoin Park (18:03.2).
Alex Toran, Northport, Sr.
He ranks in the top 25 at Sunken Meadow with a 17:49.4. At Queensbury, he is 15th with a 16:44.8.
Blake Weaver, Chaminade, Jr.
He is 10th on Long Island at Bowdoin Park with a 17:30.9. His progression remained impressive through the spring, as he ran a 9:35.27 in the 3,200 to claim the ninth spot among returning runners.
Andy Wu, Great Neck South, Jr.
His 16:48 at Bethpage as a sophomore already ranks him 10th on the course among returning runners.
Sviatoslav Zalizniak, Port Jefferson, Sr.
He also played a role in delivering the Class D public school title to Port Jefferson. He continued to improve in the spring, with a 9:45.08 in the 3,000 steeple in humid weather at the outdoor state championships in June. That time ranks second in Long Island’s returning class.
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.
