November 2001: 2001 SEASON SUMMARY:

The 2001 XC season was an incredible one for the Westhill guy's XC team.  There were several outstanding accomplishments by both the team as well as individual runners.  As a team, we had great finishes in our dual meets, ending the season with a record of 5-1, losing only to Skanny.  This record was accomplished though incredible and dedicated work from all the runners on the team.  The team was lead by captains David Slater and Rick DeCarr.  Besides our outstanding league record, we did very well in the important meets.  We took home 15th place at OHSLs, 4th at the B1/B2 meet, and 3rd at Sectionals.  The happiest and proudest moment for most of us, however, was winning the Burnt Hills Invitational in Saratoga.  This was a big surprise for all of us, especially since our #1 runner Dave Slater was out sick.  Individually, Rick DeCarr and Matt Zych were named to the B-2 All League Team.  We hope that next season is as successful as this one was.
November 2002: 2002 SEASON SUMMARY:

Entering the 2002 Cross Country season, many people, including runners on the team, were expecting it to be a rebuilding year, for we had graduated 4 of our top 7 runners the previous spring.  Trying to acquiesce this loss to our team, we began the season as optomistically as possible, though we were sure we would never revive the winning precident started by our 2001 team.  We couldn't have been more wrong.  Within the first few weeks of pratice, it became evident to everyone that this team would easily surpass all others before it.  We proved that in a variety of ways.  To begin with, we finished the League Meet season second in B1, with a record of 5-1, losing only one meet to powerhouse Chittenango.  Besides our dual meets, we gave some incredible performances at invitationals, including a win at the Tully invitational (with a 2nd place JV finish), and a fourth place finish at Baldwinsville.  We also extended our winning reign into Section II, where we blazed to an easy win at the Johnstown Invitational.  At the championships near the end of the season, we finished third at the B1/B2 Crossover Meet, 7th at the OHSL Champsionships (out of 41 teams), and fourth at Sectionals.  Individually, we had six Westhill runners be named to the B1 All-League Team: Rick DeCarr, Kevin Blaich, Tim Hartnett, Matt Zych, Andrew Lewis, and Mike Clark.  The captians for the season were senior Rick DeCarr and Junior Matt Zych.   Other seniors will we miss next year are Andrew Lewis, Jeremy Bongio, and Steve Leonard.  The 2002 seaon marked the beginning of a new dynasty of talented runners, whose aptitude and determination will lead them to great accomplishments in years to come.   This is the start of something big.... 
November 2003: 2003 SEASON SUMMARY:

The 2003 Cross Country season saw an unprecedented level of fine athleticism on all levels of the team.  Clearly the best team in Westhill school history, our team surpassed all expectations and raised the bar to levels some never thought possible.  The start of the season saw our League campaign run very smoothly, as we rolled over a 6-0 record and took the OHSL B1 League Crown.  Outsides these meets, we dominated a few Invitationals, including a win at Cato-Meridian and Auburn (the best team race of the year - our score was so low it would have won a dual meet had all other runners been on the same team).  We finished 2nd at the Tully Invitational, only behind Class A power Central Square (who won Sectionals last year).  Another major highlight was our trip to Manhattan, where our stacked freshmen team blazed to a first-place finish, bringing home Westhill's first piece of hardware ever from Manhattan, and beating several large schools from all over the Northeast in the process.  Just a few days later, and despite the absence of our top runner Kevin Blaich, Westhill won the B1/B2 Crossover Championship Meet for the first time in school history.  Next came our 6th place finish at OHSLs (up one place from last year), where Tim Hartnett, Kevin Blaich, Matt Zych, and Greg Pallotta were named to the B1 First Team All-League.  In addition, Taylor Mulherin, Mark Leonard, and David Riccardi made the Second Team.  The following weekend, Westhill returned to Cato-Meridian (we have a habit of winning there) to win the Section III Championship Meet with only 41 points.  Led by race winner Tim Hartnett, Westhill put 5 guys in the top 15 to easily win Westhill's first Sectional title in 25 years.  We followed this up with an 8th place finish at States, bringing an end to one incredible season.

It may be bold to say, but Westhill is undoubtedly rising as a State power.  The serious depth and talent of the team will make it a serious threat to win at least the State title in the next few years.  If you thought this year was good, which it was, then just wait for what's to come.
CROSS COUNTRY SEASON SUMMARIES