On Saturday, October 9, Tatnall Cross Country traveled north along I-95 to New York City to compete in the Manhattan College XC Invitational. This 2.5-mile race has been staged in the Bronx’s Van Cortlandt Park, one of the most storied XC venues in the United States for the last half-century. The MCXCI hosted more than ten thousand runners from fourteen different states.
Starting the Hornets’ day of competition, the nine-deep Boys JV squad finished under twenty minutes on the 2.5-mile course. Ewan Minihan ’24 led the way in 16.00, one second ahead of a rapidly progressing Liam Bouchard ’24. Dima Novosad ’22 (16.21) and Teddy Davey ’25 (16.54) pushed each other under the 17-minute barrier. Dave Hoffman ’23 (17.25), Nikolai Latina ’25 (17.31), and Jack McKelvey ’26 (17.34) provided a solid mid-17s punch. Aidan Minihan ’23 (18.42) and Van Egan ’24 (19.58) made excellent efforts on Van Cortlandt’s massive world stage. The JV crew finished eighth in a crowded race of 14 teams.
In the Girls Varsity A race, Katie Payne ’25 took sixth place in 15.56, ranking her the 9th fastest Tatnall freshman ever to run the Vanny. Katrina Endres ’24 (16.21/17th) and Carlita Kaliher ’24 (17.02/37th) gave the Hornets three places in the top forty finishers. Co-captain Delaney Campanelli ’22 (18.34) dropped more than two minutes from her last run at Van Cortlandt two years ago, and Ivy Qualls ’24 had a strong debut with a finishing time of 21.03 to complete the scoring for Tatnall. Co-captain Charlotte Davey ’22 (21.56) and Sophie Sikes ’24 (24.18) solidified the Hornets’ ninth-place team finish in the 22-deep field.
In the Boys Varsity A race, the Hornets ran well to secure a third-place team finish, ahead of a slew of perennial XC powerhouses. Tatnall’s Class of 2022 Trident spearheaded the Tatnall attack: Nicolas Pizarro ’22 quietly added another accolade to one of the strongest seasons in recent memory with a third-place finish in a scorching 12.50. His time ranks him as the 5th fastest Tatnall senior in history on the Vanny. Andre Latina ’22 continued a return to form in 13.23, good for 9th place, and Sebastian Pizarro ’22 ran to a confident 13.55, (26th). Young upstart Michael McGinley ’24 followed a split second behind Sebastian for 27th place, while Luke Kain ’25 closed out the scoring in 14.37 (56th). Luke's time ranks him as the 10th fastest Tatnall freshman ever to run at Van Cortlandt Park. Will Kain ’23 closed the books on the MCXCI for the high school groups with a gutsy 15.35 performance.
After the varsity races, Tatnall’s Middle School Cross Country runners raced an abbreviated Van Cortlandt course of 1.25 miles. Krissa Woods ’28 (11th/8.27), Abigail Qualls ’28 (19th/8.50), Callan O’Keefe ’28 (11th/7.51), Seamus Howard ’27 (12th/7.53), Logan Neidig ’28 (14th/7.56), Chayse McFarlane ’26 (11.02), and Brian Morganstern ’28 (12.21) all gained valuable racing experience that will serve them well in the years to come at the historic Van Cortlandt venue in the Big Apple.
This week Tatnall XC will stay closer to home, contesting Friday, October 15, at Joe O’Neill XC Invitational located in Bellevue State Park. This event will bring the Hornets' cross country regular season to a close, with post-season events getting underway at the Delaware Independent Schools Conference Championship, hosted by your own Tatnall Hornets on our lovely campus Thursday, October 28.
