Championship Season for Lynbrook Cross Country

At the very least, cross country runners are a unique bunch. They run in the blazing sun, in the rain, up and down steep hills, over rocky terrain, through mud, or into a head wind, and there's nary a complaint. What cross country runners do for sport, others do for punishment.

All that hard work paid off for the Lynbrook varsity girls' program this fall, as the Owls finished with a 12-1 record and brought home their first conference title since 1986. A narrow loss to South Side was the only thing that kept Lynbrook from a perfect regular season.  

Head coach Joe Beyrer said he was very pleased with the team's performance. "I'm ecstatic about what the girls accomplished," Beyrer said. "They bought into the fact that they had the potential to have a big year when we first got together back in the summer. They worked extremely hard." Beyrer is assisted by Christine Zucker.

The Owls got the season off to a terrific start by taking first in the Wheatley Invitational back in September. Six Lynbrook runners — freshman Hannah Carlson, junior captains Hannah Deegan and Kacey Carter, sophomores Stephanie Mertz and Marissa Bellusci, and senior captain Sammy Harris — finished among the top 10 runners. 

Lynbrook continued to shine when it performed admirably at the 28th Annual Brown University Northeast Cross Country Championship. The meet, which is held at Goddard State Park in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, is composed of runners from Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. The Owls finished an impressive fifth in a field of 35 teams. The junior varsity team also performed well, finishing in seventh place in the JV meet.

"It was an incredible performance by the girls," Beyrer said. "It's a great experience for the team, because they really get to know one another while they're away, and become closer as teammates. It's the best our varsity program has ever done at this meet."

On Oct. 30, the Owls captured top honors at the Conference III championship meet, with their top five runners finishing among the top 20. Carlson finished in 21:44.6 to lead the Owls. Deegan, Harris, Carlson, Bellusci and Mertz all ran personal season bests for 3.1 miles.

The Owls had six girls pick up postseason honors. Carter, Deegan, Carlson, and Harris all picked up All-Conference and All-Division recognition. Bellusci and Barasso each earned All-Division honors.

With just two seniors on the roster, and up-and-coming runners like eighth-graders Hannah Barosso and Emily Koffler, and freshman Gaby Gerstman having a year of experience, the future looks rosy for Lynbrook cross country.

"Once we were running on all cylinders early in the season, I knew we had something special," Beyrer said. "If the girls continue to work hard in the winter and spring, we should have some real nice years ahead of us."