By Rob Potter
SULLIVAN COUNTY — November 16, 2010 — Nine runners from Sullivan County high schools made their way to Lakeside Park in Pawling on Saturday for the 2010 New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Cross Country Championship Meet.
Those nine athletes earned their trip to the NYSPHSAA meet with outstanding finishes at the Section IX Cross Country Meet, which was held on Nov. 5 at Bear Mountain State Park.
Eldred’s Alex Campanella had the best finish among the five boys from Sullivan County who ran in Saturday’s state meet. Campanella, a sophomore, placed 15th in the Boys’ Class D race with a time of 17 minutes, 45.9 seconds.
Two of Campanella’s Eldred teammates, Hunter Proscia and Russell Amore, also competed in the race. Proscia, a junior, finished 42nd with a time of 18:35.5. Amore, a senior, was 88th in 20:10.1.
Tri-Valley teammates Omar Lopez and Jimmy Bernstein ran in the Boys’ Class C race. Lopez, a junior, finished 36th in 17:40.2. Bernstein, a junior, placed 54th in 18:07.5.
Four local athletes competed in the Girls’ Class C race at the state meet. Sullivan West sophomore Dani Myers recorded the best finish among them by placing 20th with a time of 20:14.6.
Sullivan West’s Kelsey Dutton, an eighth-grader, finished 46th in 21:11.2.
Tri-Valley teammates Autumn Bender and Caroline Bertholf placed 52nd and 71st, respectively. Bender, a seventh-grader, finished in 21:16.1. Bertholf, a senior, finished in 21:56.3.