Pierson Middle/High School

By Casey Finelli

The Whalers took to the park Tuesday, October 7th, to face Southold and Bayport-Bluepoint in what was a match crucial to understanding the new course. On the girls side, 7th grader Evelyn Rizzo proved to be a threat for many years to come, cruising into first place with a  time of 19:38.65. Senior Sara O’Brien kept the Whalers in the competition, capturing fourth place with a time of 20:49.62. Sophomore Josie Mott rounded out their top three, coming in seventh place posting a time of 21:52.84. Unfortunately, Pierson was unable to come out with a win, losing to Bayport Bluepoint 33-24. 

On the boys side, Riley Simmons set a new personal record with a time of 17:52. Runners Lincoln Fischer and Jaxson Schumann also set personal records with times of 18:57 and 19:17 respectively. Despite their efforts, they ultimately lost to Bayport Bluepoint 20-39. However, Coach Paul Stoutenburgh is excited for what this season will bring, saying “We have a small but dedicated and hardworking team of boys this year. We are a relatively young group, who have all shown great sportsmanship, dedication, and high potential for running performance.” 

The new course was a hot topic coming into the race, and both coaches are excited about the current format. “ The new course has worked out very well,” Stoutenburg remarked. “ It’s more intricate, with more twists and turns than before. However, it has worked out well and no one has made a wrong turn. The course allows viewers to see much of the race.” Coach Yanina Cuesta had similar things to say, stating “They liked the idea of a 5K so that we could keep 5K’s across the board, so I worked really hard to try and keep most of the course that we had, but extended here and there so that we could make it a full 5K.” 

Overall, the race was a launch pad for the upcoming season. Both the boys and girls teams have some work to do, but they have the talent to do it. 

Josie Mott	Quincy Renaud and Jaxson Schumann	Riley Simmons