Leading off today: Roslyn sophomore Emily Lipari was New York's top finisher yesterday, placing sixth in the girls race at the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships at Balboa Park in San Diego.
Lipari covered five kilometers in 17:46 to finish 26 seconds off the time of winner Ashley Brasovan of Wellington High in West Palm Beach, Fla. Defending champion Kathy Kroeger of Tennessee was second and California's Jordan Hasay, the winner in 2005, was third. All of the top three are juniors, setting up the possibility of having three past champions in the 2008 event.
Suffern junior Shelby Greany was 24th in 18:25. Greany was 38th as a freshman and 19th as a sophomore. Plattsburgh Seton Catholic senior Mary Kate Champagne clocked 18:40 to finish 30th.
Senior Michael Fout of La Porte (ind.) High won the boys race in 14:50, which was seven seconds better than Christopher Derrick of Neuqua Valley High in Naperville, Ill. Fout was part of a pack that went out at at sub-4:35 pace for the first mile, and the top five hit two miles in 9:28.
Section 5 seniors Pat Dupont of Fairport (15:43) and Zach Rivers of Victor (15:55) finished 17th and 28th, respectively, in the field of 40.
Amsterdam girls beat CTK: The word on the street this fall has been that the Christ The King girls would struggle a bit this year after what has seemed like an eternal domination of the high school basketball scene.
That was driven home yesterday when Amsterdam (4-0) barely arrived at the Middle Village school's gym in time for the tip-off but still handed the Royals a 59-49 setback in CTK's opener.
Amsterdam trailed briefly in the first quarter but recovered and pulled away to as much as a 16-point lead. Megan Gaugler paced the win with 20 points, and Brittany Stahura added 17.
