New York’s next generation of distance runners took center stage on Sunday (Nov. 9) at Van Cortlandt Park as athletes from clubs across the association lined up for the 2025 USATF New York Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships.
On a rainy and soggy autumn day in the Bronx, runners tackled distances from 2 km to 5 km, chasing association titles, team trophies, and spots on the road to the Region 1 and National Junior Olympic Championships. The day featured strong showings from established powers such as Prospect Park Youth Running Club, Ocean Breeze Wave Runners, Ruff Kutz, VO2Max Track Club, Westchester Wolves, and many others.
Below is a division-by-division recap of the top individual and team performances.
Ruff Kutz delivered a dominant performance in the youngest girls’ race, sweeping the top two positions and placing all of their team scorers in the top eight.
Champion: Rebecca Campbell (Ruff Kutz) – 8:18.0
Runner-up: Avery Saunders (Ruff Kutz) – 8:28.6
3rd Place: Yara Bradford (NRG Track Club) – 8:50.4
Ruff Kutz packed five runners inside the top eight – Rebecca Campbell, Saunders, NaKia Campbell (5th), Shaneigh Williamson (7th), and Salimata Coulibaly (8th) – to score just 18 points and easily win the team title.
Prospect Park Youth Running Club finished second with 37 points. They were led by Willa Stephenson (4th) and supported by Lucy Merkstein (11th), Jylan Khalifa (20th), Tallulah Krantz, (27th), and Corynn Thompson-Ullian (28th).
The 8 & Under boys’ race featured an all-time performance by Joah Henry and a strong team outing by the Prospect Park Youth Running squad. Individually, Henry took command early and went on to win by 24 seconds as he stopped the clock at 7:41.8, which is the #3 time ever at Van Cortland Park in the 8U boys division.
Champion: Joah Henry (Unattached) – 7:41.4
Runner-up: Samuel Yimfor (Chelsea Greyhounds) – 8:05.4
3rd Place: Samuel Yotov (Prospect Park Youth Running A) – 8:22.7
Behind Henry’s overall win, Prospect Park Youth Running A overwhelmed the team race with a tight front pack. Yotov was backed by teammates Winston Normi Broderick (9th), Mate Eberle (12th), Remy Gerchick (14th), and Finn McCoy (19th), giving them a winning score of 24 points.
Ocean Breeze Wave Runners finished second with 35 points as brothers Lucas Gallo and Dominick Gallo finished 5th and 6th, respectively, to lead the squad. The Prospect Park Youth Running B squad finished third and qualified for the Region 1 championships.
Ocean Breeze Wave Runners controlled the 9–10 girls division from the gun, putting three athletes in the top seven and securing the team title.
Champion: Victoria Pavani (Ocean Breeze A) – 13:18.7
Runner-up: Nicole Valladares (Ocean Breeze A) – 13:27.1
3rd Place: Naevia Aarons (NRG Track Club) – 13:32.8
Pavani and Valladares went 1–2, with teammate Keira Kidney (7th) close behind. Victoria Fahoum (21st), and Amber Chen (25th) rounded out the scoring five as Ocean Breeze compiled an impressive 23 points for the win.
Prospect Park Youth Running A finished second, scoring 32 points. Their team scorers were Ola Alexandra Lewis (17th), Ada Willig (18th), Charlotte de Campos Cohen (23rd), Ophelia Lopez (24th), and Eta Salter (27th). The Prospect Park Youth Running B squad finished third and qualified for the Region 1 championships.
The 9–10 boys’ race featured a commanding performance from Ocean Breeze Wave Runners, who claimed the individual title and the team crown.
Champion: Hudson McGuire (Ocean Breeze A) – 11:46.8
Runner-up: Narayan Dabral (Westchester Wolves) – 12:07.9
3rd Place: Nico Jones (Dashing Dons) – 12:18.1
McGuire’s win set the tone for Ocean Breeze, which also placed Noah Ramos (6th), Zain Azemi (9th), Jaiden Goonawardena (12th), and John Robisky (9th), in the top 16. Their total of 22 points secured the team title. (16th),
The Westchester Wolves placed second, scoring 43 points. with strong runs from Dabral, Hunter Clifford, Alexander Gyftopoulos, and David Jones. Ocean Breeze Wave B and Prospect Park rounded out the team scoring in third and fourth. The Ocean Breeze Wave Runners B (84 points) and Prospect Park Youth Running B (101 points) squads finished third and fourth, respectively to qualify for the Region 1 championships.
The 11–12 girls division was one of the deepest races of the day, with seven scoring teams filling the team standings and Mariam Wajid (VO2Max Track Club) adding her name to the record book for the third time in her young career. Wajid dominated the field stopping the clock in 11:38.8 to win by 26 seconds. The time puts her at #5 on the all-time 9-10 girls Van Cortlandt Park list. Her name now appears on the 8U (#4) and 9-10 (#5) lists. a tight battle between Prospect Park Youth Running and VO2Max Track Club.
Champion: Mariam Wajid (VO2Max Track Club) – 11:38.8
Runner-up: Alison Cleary (Prospect Park A) – 12:04.2
3rd Place: Ella Kahn (Prospect Park A) – 12:16.4
Despite Wajid’s impressive win for VO2Max, Prospect Park Youth Running A used depth to secure the team title. Cleary and Kahn were joined by Josephine McCleary, Violet Duval, and Millie Banks, scoring 30 points.
VO2Max Track Club finished second with Wajid, Catherine Cope, Ari Pennicooke, Kayelah Beckford, and Chayse Crowder combining for 49 points. Ocean Breeze placed third (65 pts.), fueled by Savannah McGuire, Kylie Kidney, and Suriana Topallaj. The other clubs to qualify for the Region championships were The Camp (4th, 109 pts.) and New York Novas (5th, 122 pts.).
The 11–12 boys’ race showcased both a standout individual performance and a dominant team effort from Prospect Park Youth Running. The top three finishers crossed the line less than five seconds apart, with Benjamin Cohen (Unattached) taking the win in 11:14.6, followed by Paul O’Connor (Tailwind) in 11:17.4 and Cyrus Boschen (VO2Max Track Club) in 11:19.4.
Champion: Benjamin Cohen (Unattached) – 11:14.6
Runner-Up: Paul O’Connor (Tailwind) – 11:17.4
3rd Place: Cyrus Boschen (VO2Max Track Club) – 11:19.4
In the team competition, Prospect Park Youth Running A was nearly untouchable. Their scorers – Harvey Hightower, George Gitt, Gabriel Swetala, Jonah Grossman, and Quinton Garfield – all finished inside the top 11, producing a winning total of 20 points.
Tailwind took second, led by O’Connor and supported by Lucas Spencer, Robert Smiley, Kellan Spencer, and Tega Nakpodia. Ocean Breeze (third), Westchester Wolves (fourth), Prospect Park B (fifth) all qualified for the Region 1 championships.
In the 13-14 girls race Fairfax Walker (Manhattan Youth) won as she dipped below 16 minutes, running 15:59.1 to win by 22 seconds.
Champion: Fairfax Walker (Manhattan Youth) – 15:59.1
Runner-up: Parvati Dabral (Westchester Wolves) – 16:21.4
3rd Place: Aria Boschen (VO2Max Track Club) – 16:31.0
In the team battle, Prospect Park Youth Running A emerged as champions with 25 points. The winning squad featured Reid Macari, Juliette Rochlin, Elizabeth Grogan, Fiona Kahn, and Kenley Miller, all tightly packed in the top 13.
The Westchester Wolves claimed second (50 points) behind Parvati Dabral's runner-up finish, with Ruby Miles, Brooke Adams-Hopkins, Emma Helman, and Uma Dabral rounding out their scoring. Ocean Breeze took third (71 points), led by Gabriella Mitchell, Monica Chen, Genevieve Pantaleo, Clara Shamah, and Toni Schnell.
Prospect Park Youth Running B added further depth for the club with another full scoring team in fourth to join the three other squads at the region championships.
The 13–14 boys’ race turned into a showcase for Prospect Park Youth Running, which recorded a perfect team performance as they scored 15 points. They were led by Lionel Donlon, who won a tight battle with Chuck Keeley (Tailwind) as the two were separated by just .1 seconds with Donlon recording a time of 14:52.5. Arman Masjedi (Prospect Park) crossed the line just 5 seconds later, stopping the clock at 14:57.9.
Champion: Lionel Donlon (Prospect Park) – 14:52.5
Runner-up: Chuck Keeley (Tailwind) – 14:52.6
3rd Place: Arman Masjedi (Prospect Park) – 14:57.9
Following Donlon and Masjedi across the line to secure the team victory for Prospect Park were Malek Khalifa (10th), Zachary Lam (12th), and Jackson Hornsby (14th).
Moving up to the 5 km distance, the 15–16 girls fought through the longer course with strong individual efforts leading the way.
Individual Champion: Tatiana O’Neal (Unattached) – 21:09.1
Runner-up: Caroline McDonnell (Prospect Park) – 22:50.0
3rd Place: Hudson Boschen (VO2Max Track Club) – 23:51.4
In the 15–16 boys’ 5 km, Prospect Park, Ocean Breeze, and Westchester Striders led the way.
Individual Champion: Sam Farjami (Prospect Park) – 17:41.6
Runner-up: Daniel DiMeola (Ocean Breeze) – 19:17.2
3rd Place: Gideon Eduful (Westchester Striders) – 19:39.4
Farjami’s wire-to-wire win gave Prospect Park top honors, while Ocean Breeze packed DiMeola, Adrianko Tomecek (4th), and Ethan Stukal (5th) tightly to establish themselves as the strongest club presence. Chelsea Greyhounds, Metro Eagles, and Westchester Wolves also featured in the top ten.
These 15–16 results also fed into the combined 15–18 team standings, where Ocean Breeze ultimately claimed the overall boys’ team title (see below).
The oldest girls’ division saw athletes from River Cities, Chelsea Greyhounds, Prospect Park, The Running Edge, and others battling over the full 5 km layout.
Individual Champion: Kaelynn Odums (River Cities) – 23:36.7
Runner-up: Madison Praylow (Chelsea Greyhounds) – 24:52.7
3rd Place: Aisha Gomez (Unattached) – 25:03.2
Odums and Praylow set the pace up front, with Kardene Anderson (Chelsea Greyhounds) and Penelope Gonsalves (Prospect Park) also finishing strongly in the top six. The Running Edge placed three athletes – London Thomas I, Taylor Cox, and Samarra Noel – in the top nine, giving them a strong presence in the older girls’ ranks even though no formal team scores were published.
The 17–18 boys’ race capped a busy day for the older age groups and helped decide the combined 15–18 boys’ team picture.
Individual Champion: Volodymyr Tsybriy (Ocean Breeze) – 19:06.4
Runner-up: Maynor Barrios (Unattached) – 21:39.9
3rd Place: Brandon Bailey (River Cities) – 21:56.1
Tsybriy’s win, combined with strong runs from Brandon Ruan (5th) and Andrew Lee (7th), gave Ocean Breeze Wave Runners a powerful trio in the 17–18 division.
When the 15–16 and 17–18 results were combined for team scoring, Ocean Breeze Wave Runners emerged as the overall boys’ 15–18 team champions, placing six athletes in scoring positions and posting a combined total of 15 points.