Led by Tim Courts, the varsity cross country team at Manhasset High School is headed to upstate New York to compete in the State Championships on Saturday. This high honor came about last Saturday when Tim Courts captured the Section VIII State Qualifier over the 5K course at Bethpage State Park.
The Manhasset High senior ran a 16:50.78 as his team wound up with 50 points for first place in the in the Class ‘B’ race and feels very confident going into the State Meet at Monroe Woodbury High School.
Courts was helped by teammates Dan Petruso, who ran a 17:10.01 for eighth place, Aidan Caggiano, who was timed in 17:23.38 for 11th place, Justin Blanche, whose 17:33.07 which earned him 13th spot, and Athan Anderson (17:45.09, 17).
Curts and Anderson are seniors while the other three teammates will return next September.
Courts took the lead from the beginning of the race held on an ideal day for the running sport.
“I tried to go out and just run,” he said after the event which drew 142 competitors from Nassau County. “And I ran pretty good.”
His personal best time at Bethpage is 16:34 and overall in his high school days his fastest time is 1548 set at the Brown Invitational Meet.
“Brown has a fast flat course,” Courts said. “And winning today (at the State Qualifier) is his greatest moment.”)
And for the harrier season it has been a tremendous one for the boys from Manhasset.,led by the number one runner.
“Our goal (coming into the season) was doing our best for this meet and at the States, he added. “Everything, the hard workouts, practicing and running and (of course) winning the County Meet (led to our success).”
Courts has been running since his sophomore year at Manhasset when he was a member of the outdoor team.
During the indoor season, his specialties will be the mile, two miles, and running the 4×800 meter relay. But his favorite event is the two miles. Manhasset will be moving up to the County ‘A’ Meet for the indoor season for the first time in the school’s history.
“It’ll be a challenge competing with the big boys,” said Coach Steve Steiner. Our school’s population has been growing.”
