Irvington Girls Cross Country Hoping to Recapture League Title

For Irvington head coach Chris Barry, the scene has become extremely familiar: Runner Annie Field leads the pack of athletes as the Bulldogs varsity cross-country team cruises across the Old Croton Acqueduct.

After developing a small lead over her teammates, Field gradually pulls further and further ahead. Then, suddenly, a flip is switched--and Field seizes the burst of momentum as she darts off into the distance.

Simply put, Field is out.

Like a child chasing an ice cream truck, Field keeps the quick pace as Irvington's No.2 and No.3 runners shout some words of encouragement.  

"Annie is certainly the horse we are going to rely on," said Barry, who has already shifted his gaze toward defending the 2009 league championship. "She's definitely a top-tier talent. She's going to be the No.1 finisher."

Since the moment they both stepped foot on a Westchester County cross-country course, Barry and Field have been on a collision course for success.

They're ascension of the scale for the county's elite runners and coaches has occurred at the very same time.

When Barry coached the modified team his first year, Field was an undefeated seventh grader. Sensing the need for stiffer competition and to prove herself on the grand stage, she moved up to the Varsity as an eighth-grader.

That same fall,  legendary Hall of Fame coach Peter Oley retired.

Barry, a longtime assistant of Oley's, was called up to take over the varsity coaching position, so Barry was able to cultivate Field's raw talent from the beginning of her varsity career.  

That was the fall of 2006, when the Bulldogs were Westchester County Class B champions. Barry molded a wealth of talent and a deep team, perhaps the most firepower and strength in numbers in Irvington's recently memory.  

Field, as an eighth grader, evolved into a top-three runner on a veteran-laden team.  

Four Section I runner-up plaques and one league championship later, Field is a highly-decorated senior and Barry is an accomplished head coach looking to hang another banner in Irvington's gym.

Last season, the Bulldogs edged out a Hastings team dripping with talent in their top-3, to score their first league title since 1984.  

"I think it was a nice reflection of what we were able to do," said Barry of last year's championship team.

"We saw an opportunity and really pushed strong. We had a well-connected, tight-knit group. A lot of those girls had been running together since they were in eighth grade."

The Bulldogs took advantage of the opportunity when traditional power Pearl River (31 straight Section I championships) moved to a different league.

The Pirates have been a dominant force in Section I.

Nanuet has come on strong as of late.   In Westchester County , however, the senior-anchored Bulldogs contain the key components and the augmented depth to reclaim the title this season.  

 "As far as the league goes, I think Hastings, if they develop a solid 4-5 (finisher) is going to be really good, and Dobbs may be the biggest challenge with Sarah King," said Barry, assessing the landscape of the evenly-matched six-team league that includes all four Rivertowns.

 Field clocked a 19:40 in the 5K last season. She registered in the high 19-minute mark at the rock-dotted Bowdoin course and was 20th in New York State. For the second consecutive season, she copped a state medal.  

"I hope she goes from there, I think she's capable of breaking that time on the right course," said Barry, who's main goal is to coach Field to shatter the 19-minute barrier.  

Holding down the No.2 spot for Irvington most likely will be Christina Papparo. The senior had a breakout spring, chipping seconds off her long distance times. She clocked personal bests in the half-mile and the 1,000-meter race and will look to shed seconds off her 5K.

She was clocked around the mid-21s last season.  

 "Assuming she stays healthy, I think she's going to shatter the personal record she established last year," said Barry.  

The likely no.3 runner will be Edwina Picone. Picone also turned in a successful season on the spring track circuit, registering new high-water marks in distance events such as the 5,000-meter run.  

Sasha Zweibel, another senior, is also flushed into a significant role this fall.

Zweibel should surface as the reliable no.4 runner.  

While Field may be the face of the franchise, how Irvington utilizes the pack --particularly the top seven finishers--will be the biggest determinant of their league in the league championship. 

Barry is content with his strength in numbers. The girls team has more runners than the boys. This Bulldogs team has additionally had more training together through spring track and Green Mountain Running Camp in Vermont, where Irvington's team traditionally spends summers.

The morale of the team is hoping for an exhilarating exit for a slew of seniors who've authored long careers on Varsity.

While the league is tight in competition and Hastings and Dobbs both have a talented front four, Irvington may have the upper hand.  

A league championship is expected, and team that could measure up to vaunted perennial power Pearl River would be the storybook sendoff for Field and the seniors.