Bekele-Arcuri runs to win at Wave X-C Mania

By Brian Towey for DyeStat

WARWICK, N.Y.-- Sophomore Behailu Bekele-Arcuri of Warwick Valley NY has high expectations for his second year of cross country. Following a 2016 season in which Warwick nabbed third place at the New York State Federation Championship -- and Bekele-Arcuri finished in ninth place overall -- the Purple Wave opened the season Saturday at its invitational, the Big Purple Wave X-C Mania, amid the gorgeous rolling hills of southern Orange County, 60 miles northeast of New York City.

In the Boys Varsity I race, Bekele-Arcuri joined a lead pack that included Goshen seniors Liam Higgins and Louis Greco, Warwick Valley teammate Tom Gardiner and Pope John XXIII's (N.J.) Liam McHale.

"I felt pretty good," Bekele-Arcuri said. "I wanted to stay with them for the first two miles. "The next mile I wanted to run 4:50ish. But I lost it in the hills."

The lead pack of 12 splintered off to a handful just shy of the two-mile mark, when Bekele-Arcuri peeked over his shoulder at Higgins, 28th at the Federation Championships in 2016, then began to accelerate.

"Going up the hill (around the 1.75 mile mark), near the turnaround point, the two Warwick guys kind of enveloped us," Higgins said. "I said that I have to go now."

Bekele-Arcuri never lost his rhythm, circuiting the final hill and galloping to a 15:27.9 finish. Higgins was second in 15:52.2 while McHale was third in 16.12.9.

"It's early. It's all mileage," Bekele-Arcuri said. "I want to bring my time down to around 15:50. I want to go to NXN."

Pope John XXIII of Sparta Township NJ won the team title with 68 points, edging Long Island's Manhasset (70). Manhasset's John Cyprus was fifth overall in 16:26.4. Goshen, of Orange County, was third with 72 points and Warwick was fourth with 83.

"My teammates just always want to work hard," Bekele-Arcuri said. "I believe we'll pull something together by the end of the season."

Crawford, Johnson catch Rosset

In the Girls Varsity I race, Scarsdale senior Sophia Rosset took an ambitious approach to the season opener, opening up a 100-meter lead on a lead pack that included John Jay-Cross River's Cameron Crawford and Morgan Johnson.

"I felt really good my first mile," said Rosset, who'd just returned from visiting Washington University in St. Louis. "I'm not known for being great at hills."

Working in tandem, Crawford and Johnson began closing the gap on the leader. At the 1.75 mile mark, they'd cut her lead to less than 10 meters.

"This is where the real racing begins!" yelled John Jay-Cross River coach Tom Nohilly, a former elite steeplechaser.

Crawford and Johnson overcame Rosset in the last mile, and with a hard-charging Kelsey Crawford (fourth place) picking off spots, John Jay, which was running without its No. 1 runner, junior Pippa Nuttall, eased to the team title with 27 points. Warwick Valley was second with 62 points, Pope John XXIII was third with 92 points and Scarsdale fourth with 96 points.

"We wanted to take some risks," Nohilly said. "But our team ran within themselves. Our team is still trying to find its personality."

Crawford, who plays lacrosse in the spring, finished first 20:09.3, Johnson second in 20:09.9 and Warwick Valley sophomore Genevieve Reilly third in 20:19.9.

"We helped out, closed on the first girl, took it out, closed it to the end," Crawford said.

Franklin D. Roosevelt (Hyde Park, N.Y.) sophomore Sarah Trainor, who finished fourth in the 2,000-meter steeplechase (6:52.07) at New Balance Nationals Outdoor in June, ran away with the Girls Varsity II race in 18:28.2.