Though they lack a strong sprinting core, Stuyvesant will rely on its long distance runners to win its ninth consecutive borough title this season. They have not failed to win a borough title since Coach Mark Mendes started training the team in 1999.
“He gets kids committed, and working hard,” senior Kevin Strang said.
Currently, their top sprinters are seniors Matt Konigsberg and James Morrissey, who have honed their sprinting talents in the off-season as a defender for the soccer team and running back for the football team, respectively.
At A Night at the Sprints meet, held on Friday, December 6 at the Armory, Konigsberg won his heat and placed eighth in the 300-meter dash with a time of 38.27 seconds. The top runner finished with a time of 37.17 seconds.
“We are mainly a distance team,” senior and captain Sam Frizell said. “The same team that won cross country are running indoors, and that’s why we’ll win boroughs.” The cross country team won cities this fall.
Sophomore, and middle- and long-distance runner Elvis Mitropolous placed 14th at the Jim McKay Games on Sunday, December 2 in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:55.69 minutes. Senior Joseph Krutov placed seventh in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:51.64.
The team is also looking for contributions from the new members.
“We’re always looking for young talent,” senior and captain Theodore Westling said.
Freshman Vladislav Fomin placed sixth in the freshman 1,600-meter run in 5:30.22 and freshman James Chen placing fourth in the freshman 100-meter run with a time of 3:11.13.
“He’s our top freshman,” sophomore Daniel Hyman-Cohen said of Chen.
“It’ll take time, but they’re getting good,” Mendes said of the freshmen.
While Stuyvesant is doing well in the borough, schools outside Manhattan are still scoring lower times. Stuyvesant scored six points and placed 17th in the McKay games, the highest ranking achieved by any school in Manhattan. Brooklyn’s East New York Transit Tech High School placed first, with a score of 54 points, while McKee/Staten Island Tech scored 38 points to place second.
Senior and high jumper Gabe Paley tied for third at the McKay Games with a jump of 5′ 4″. Of the 11 athletes that competed in this high jump, Paley was the only one from a high school in Manhattan. This indicates the high likelihood that he will become borough champion in the event.
Stuyvesant is also looking forward to another successful season from senior and hurdler Corby Hobbs. He was part of the winning borough championship team last year.
“He’s been very spotty, but he’ll be good, he was good last year,” Mendes said.
The team does not anticipate having any trouble repeating their borough championship this year.
“There is no team in Manhattan to challenge Stuyvesant. Usually, we are just trying to win by more than we have before,” Strang said.
It is expected Stuyvesant will remain competitive in long distance in the city championship, but it is doubtful whether the team will get enough points in other categories to become city champions.
“If we break 10th in cities, I’ll be happy. If we get top five, I’ll be very pleased,” Mendes said.
