Confluence Running · Race preview · November 10, 2026
2026 NY State XC: Eight races, one championship Saturday
Queensbury High School hosts New York's public high school cross-country championships on Saturday, November 14. Section IV has eight championship teams ready to represent the Southern Tier, while runners from Corning, Ithaca, Vestal, Chenango Valley, Delhi and beyond face the state's strongest fields.
This is a pre-meet guide. Individual contenders come from verified sectionals and published speed-rating leaderboards; the leaderboard is not an official entry list.
Race times · Class A showdowns · All Section IV teams · Other title races
Queensbury tests more than flat-course speed. Its on-campus course winds across grass, wooded trails and hills with stone-dust footing. The combination makes positioning, control on the climbs and a strong final kilometer worth watching. Runners with previous Queensbury appearances arrive with useful experience, though weather and course conditions change from year to year.
Our featured photograph comes from the November 5 Section IV Championships at Chenango Valley State Park, not from the upcoming Queensbury state meet. Read NYSPHSAA's Queensbury course description.
The big Class A question: Two Southern Tier runners chasing state titles
Girls: Tsadia Bercuvitz's return to Queensbury
Tsadia Bercuvitz has finished runner-up in the Class A state championship in each of the last two seasons. The Ithaca senior returns after securing her third straight Section IV Class A individual crown on November 5, winning in 18:09.8. She also won Saratoga's varsity girls 5K earlier this fall in 16:31.8, a result from a different course.
Her challengers are clear. Riley Lynch (Shenendehowa, 149.20), Delilah Pandori-Howell (Nottingham, 147.03) and Bercuvitz (146.40) sit first, second and third in the November 10 TullyRunners Class A highest-speed-rating list. Adriana Pettinelli of Scarsdale (142.25) and Sophia Chromczak of Bethlehem (140.10) round out its first five. Those figures represent each runner's highest 2026 rating, not a forecast of finishing order.
There is also a team dimension. Ithaca won its Section IV title with 25 points to Corning's 42, and it brings a complete qualifying squad. Avery Whittaker and Mattea Dauria are among the teammates who make the Little Red more than a one-runner story.
Boys: Christopher Lawson leads a deep Corning squad
Christopher Lawson and Corning arrive after an exceptionally compact sectional championship. Lawson won Class A in 16:45.5, followed by teammates Ashtyn Stark (16:57.1) and Elijah Sonner (17:00.0). Corning's five scoring runners finished within approximately 47 seconds, producing a 20-point winning score. That grouping gives the Hawks a compelling state-team storyline even as the Class A field grows substantially stronger.
Lawson holds the top spot in TullyRunners' November 3 Class A boys leaderboard with a season-high rating of 189.57. Among the statewide threats are Leo Shostal of Warwick (188.73), Joseph Kosier of Guilderland (187.37) and Brady Petrella of Liverpool (186.13). Section III's November 7 meet provided additional recent form, so the November 3 rankings should not be treated as final state seeds.
Corning's second through fifth finishers matter in team scoring as much as Lawson's individual placing. The Hawks' strength lies in keeping their scoring pack close when the pace rises. See our full Section IV Class A boys breakdown.
Section IV is sending eight champion teams
The November 5 sectional meet decided one team berth per class and sex, plus individual spots for eligible runners outside the qualifying team. The team champions below follow the corrected Confluence results archive.
| State race | Section IV team qualifier | Sectional individual champion | What to follow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girls A | Ithaca | Tsadia Bercuvitz · 18:09.8 | Individual title matchup and Ithaca's scoring depth |
| Boys A | Corning | Christopher Lawson · 16:45.5 | Three Corning runners in the sectional top three |
| Girls B | Vestal | Madison Novotny, Maine-Endwell · 20:07.5 | Vestal's close pack; Novotny as individual qualifier |
| Boys B | Vestal | Tyler Hayes · 16:35.6 | Hayes, Middendorf, Ciaravino and the Vestal pack |
| Girls C | Afton/Harpursville/Bainbridge-Guilford (BGAH) | Clara Little, Chenango Forks · 20:39.3 | Corrected three-point team victory; Little's individual race |
| Boys C | Chenango Valley | Nikhil Datta · 16:04.0 | State podium challenge and scoring support |
| Girls D | Odessa-Montour | Madison Farberman, Groton · 20:10.1 | First four scoring positions and Farberman's individual state race |
| Boys D | Delhi/South Kortright | Jaden Lewis · 17:18.1 | Lewis and Delhi's team experience |
Section IV has additional individual qualifiers from non-winning teams, including Aidan Skuban of Susquehanna Valley and Connor Smith of Johnson City. Use the class-by-class championship hub for full results, official placing details, photo galleries and complete race replays.
Other individual championship races worth watching
Girls B: Laezza and Howe
Maddie Laezza of Eastport-South Manor (139.83) and Mallory Howe of Pittsford Sutherland (139.27) top the November 10 Class B speed-rating list. Section IV brings Vestal's team and Maine-Endwell's Madison Novotny, who won the sectional race in 20:07.5. The statewide favorites and Southern Tier finishers share a starting line, but course times from different meets should remain separate.
Boys B: Sykes versus Owen
Horace Greeley's Ryan Sykes (194.15) and Burnt Hills' Ethan Owen (188.97) were the two top-rated New York public-school runners on the November 3 statewide list, racing in the same class. Vestal's Tyler Hayes, the Section IV B champion in 16:35.6, leads a strong regional contingent. The B final is also a chance to watch how Vestal's five scoring runners perform against the state field.
Girls C: Joyce, Roberts and Little
Maeve Joyce of Academy of the Holy Names (140.40), Ellie Roberts of South Jefferson (137.07), Savannah Schmidt of Voorheesville (135.40) and Mia Horgan of Bronxville (134.90) top the November 10 Class C ratings. Section IV individual champion Clara Little is another athlete to follow, while BGAH represents the section as a full team.
Boys C: Datta's biggest test
Chenango Valley's Nikhil Datta ran the fastest boys time across Section IV's merged championship field, 16:04.0. He faces strong statewide runners including Jonah Seybolt of East Aurora and Jason Perkins of Phoenix. Perkins ran 15:13.9 at the Section III meet November 7. Datta's championship result and season ratings put him in the top-state conversation, although head-to-head placings will decide Saturday.
Girls D: Furman and the next generation
Defending Class D state champion Anna Furman of Tri-Valley entered the November 10 rankings with a 141.55 season-high rating. Section IV brings Groton eighth-grader Madison Farberman, whose 20:10.1 sectional victory earned an individual state berth, and the Odessa-Montour girls team. The field also includes strong North Country qualifiers, including Lake Placid's Leila Fey.
Boys D: Lewis, Klahn and the team race
Noah Klahn of West Valley led the November 3 Class D boys ratings with 179.62, followed by strong contenders from across the state. Delhi/South Kortright's Jaden Lewis won the Section IV race in 17:18.1, leading a team that totaled 31 points. The individual race and Delhi's collective score are separate storylines to watch.
Girls ratings above reflect November 10 TullyRunners data. Boys season-high ratings cited above reflect its November 3 leaderboard; later sectional performances are noted separately. These rankings reflect selected race results and do not serve as official entries or predicted finish places.
North Country watch: Lake Placid, South Jefferson and the Adirondacks
The November 6 Section VII qualifier at Cobble Hill delivered a big result for Lake Placid. The boys won the Class D team championship by 37–38 over Saranac Lake, earning a state team berth. Graham Scull led Lake Placid's scoring group in 16:13.25, with Sam Skutt, Doug Gugliemi, Connor Mannion and Finn Wellford helping produce the one-point win.
On the girls' side, Lake Placid freshman Leila Fey placed third in the combined sectional field in 17:25.00 and earned a Class D individual qualification. Saranac Lake took the Class D team title, led by Meadow Nashett. Beekmantown won the Section VII Class C girls team race, led by eighth-grader Jordanne Minchoff in 17:15.39. South Jefferson's Ellie Roberts enters the Class C statewide conversation with a season-high rating of 137.07.
Those are meaningful stories for runners and families across the North Country, where a strong late-season performance now meets a much larger statewide field. Review the Section VII qualifying results.
2026 NYSPHSAA XC race schedule
Saturday, November 14, 2026 · Queensbury High School · Queensbury, New York. The published November 9 regional schedule lists a 9:15 a.m. opening ceremony and the following race times, all Eastern. The official event page takes precedence if the order changes.
| Start time | Championship | Section IV team |
|---|---|---|
| 9:30 a.m. | Class C boys | Chenango Valley |
| 10:00 a.m. | Class D boys | Delhi/South Kortright |
| 10:30 a.m. | Class A boys | Corning |
| 11:00 a.m. | Class B boys | Vestal |
| 12:00 p.m. | Class C girls | BGAH |
| 12:30 p.m. | Class D girls | Odessa-Montour |
| 1:00 p.m. | Class A girls | Ithaca |
| 1:30 p.m. | Class B girls | Vestal |
Schedule cross-checks: November 9 local sports schedule and NYSPHSAA's November 14 championship listing. The NYSPHSAA webpage describing the 2025 championship has an old race timetable and should not be used for 2026 start times.
Follow the championships and Confluence coverage
We will keep the sectional race records accessible while the state meet unfolds. The Confluence archive currently includes each November 5 Section IV class race, searchable finishers, team results, photos and full race replays.
Follow the official tournament page for race-day instructions, entries, tickets, result postings and broadcast information. Do not confuse the NYSPHSAA public-school state championship with the separate Federation championship scheduled for November 21 at Bowdoin Park.
Source and editing note (November 10, 2026): Official NYSPHSAA championship listings and course information; TullyRunners girls leaderboard (November 10); TullyRunners boys leaderboard (November 3); corrected Section IV race archive; Section VII results; and the November 9 race schedule. Rankings and sectional clock times are presented with their dates and courses. Team qualifier references reflect corrected section results, not a complete independently checked state starting list.
