Marathon Invitational 2026 XC Recap: Six Corning Team Wins & a One-Point Thriller
2026 MARATHON INVITATIONAL · OCTOBER 17 · MARATHON, NY
A one-point team decision, two perfect JV scores, and a remarkably deep day for Corning. There was plenty more than one headline at the 38th Marathon Invitational.
At William Appleby Elementary School, teams from across the region lined up for seeded and unseeded varsity races, junior varsity competitions, and modified divisions. The best story isn't simply who crossed the line first. It's how individual performances added up, how close a team title can be, and what the October results may tell us heading toward championship season.
One point. Five scorers. An entire team race.
The girls unseeded varsity finish gave coaches a reminder that cross country is a team sport written in individual places. Corning edged Delhi-South Kortright, 52–53. Corning's five scoring places were 4, 5, 11, 14 and 18; Delhi-South Kortright's were 3, 6, 13, 15 and 16. Add them up, and there it is: one point between first and second.
Alexandria Morgan of Southern Cayuga won the individual girls unseeded 5K in 20:55.9, followed by Madison Farberman of Groton (21:02.9) and Trinity Lord of Blue Ridge (21:29.2). The individual winner and the team winner came from different programs, exactly the sort of layered story that makes an invitational worth following.
Corning's greatest strength: the next runner
Corning collected six team victories in the eight divisions already imported into the Confluence results archive: both seeded varsity races, both unseeded varsity races, boys JV and girls modified large schools. The common thread was depth.
In seeded boys varsity, Chenango Valley senior Nikhil Datta was the individual champion in 16:47.9; Susquehanna Valley's Aidan Skuban took second in 16:56.6. But Corning put its five scorers between 17:06.0 and 17:45.7, less than 40 seconds apart, for a 34-point team win. Ithaca followed with 69 and Delhi-South Kortright with 100.
In seeded girls varsity, Ithaca's Avery Whittaker won in 20:44.5. Corning's Bella Martinec (20:49.5) and Kateland Dininny (20:50.2) were almost immediately behind her. Corning won the team contest with 38 points against Clinton's 90 and Ithaca's 97; its five scorers spanned less than 47 seconds.
The boys unseeded varsity race was won by Paxton Pingarelli of Blue Ridge in 17:23, six seconds ahead of Johnson City's Connor Smith. Corning's top five scorers crossed within roughly 41 seconds of each other and brought home another team win, 44 points to Ithaca's 124. That's not an isolated fast runner. That's a lineup.
JV's perfect-score double
Corning made a statement in boys JV by taking the first six places. Dominik Davis led the 5K in 19:24.4, followed by teammates Everett Hunter (19:41.2) and Braedyn Copp (19:50.3). Five scoring runners in the first five places equals the lowest possible team score: 15. Ithaca finished second on 58.
Then Ithaca's girls JV matched that perfect 15. Annaliese Granroth won in 23:50.2, with Nora Chernyakov (24:37.4) and Elizabeth Llarena (25:16.4) completing an Ithaca top three. Union-Endicott took second with 47. The two team scores match; the races and rosters tell their own stories.
Keep an eye on the modified field
Corning eighth-grader Kylan Wright won the girls modified large schools 2.5K in 10:25.5, ahead of teammate Kaitlyn Deuerlein (10:31.3). Corning scored 29 points; Ithaca placed second with 47.
In boys modified small schools, Benjamin Opdyke of Delhi-South Kortright posted the fastest 2.5K, 9:20.6. Oneonta's Giovani Foster (9:42.6) and host-school runner Daniel Byron (9:43.7) followed. The team trophy went to Newark Valley with 40 points, ahead of Clinton (57) and Chenango Valley (65). Those younger runners are worth remembering as the school seasons progress.
A week can tell a story, but the courses matter
Several athletes also appeared at the October 9 Bob Greene/Newark Valley Invitational. Comparing published 5K results from that meet with Marathon, Brock Allington of Corning went from 22:30.9 to 21:20.1, a difference of 70.8 seconds; Quinn Morse of Owego Free Academy moved from 25:58.3 to 24:57.6, a 60.7-second difference; and Braedyn Copp of Corning moved from 20:38.1 to 19:50.3, a 47.8-second difference.
Kieran Walsh of Delhi-South Kortright recorded 21:29.7 at Newark Valley and 20:46.7 at Marathon, a 43.0-second difference. Corning's Sylas Ruza recorded 20:54.2 and 20:51.6 respectively. The races used different courses, so quicker times do not establish personal bests or quantify fitness changes. Copp also appeared in varsity at Newark Valley and JV at Marathon, which matters when comparing placement.
ATHLETE PROFILES · 2026 MARATHON INVITATIONAL
Athletes to Watch: champions, emerging talent & quicker October times
Every athlete below has a dedicated results-backed profile. For the October time comparisons, a quicker performance on another XC course is not confirmation of a personal best.
Find your runner, and revisit the season
The Confluence Running searchable results archive currently includes 745 finishers from eight complete divisions. The two remaining modified division result sheets (girls small schools and boys large schools) are not yet imported; consult the official timing source for those and any corrections.
That's why we're building a historical results network, not just posting a PDF for one Saturday. A runner's story is bigger than a single meet. Search a school today, then come back later to see how that team and those athletes develop.
Results and team scores are based on the official TAJ Timing/MileSplit reports and 745 imported finish records. Comparison data comes from the October 9 Bob Greene/Newark Valley race. All comparisons are between reported times on different courses, not certified personal records. Race-day weather and direct observation have not been assumed.
