No. 7 ranked Kelsey Chmiel of Saratoga Springs ran 16:41.72 to win the Section 2 Suburban Council Championships and break a course record set by Nicole Blood in 2004.
What? New York State Championship Class A Girls Individual Battle
Saucony Flo50 Individuals: #6 Jessica Lawson, #7 Kelsey Chmiel, #20 Katelyn Tuohy
New York State Championships coverage
The two individual title favorites are Saratoga's top runner in Kelsey Chmiel, who recently displayed her fitness by lowering Nicole Blood's Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Park from 16:41.9 to 16:41.72, and Jess Lawson of Corning. Lawson was second at states last year behind FM's Claire Walters and went on to place 11th at Foot Locker Nationals. Chmiel had the highest post-season finish of anyone in the field with a fourth-place run at NXN.
FM returns Walters, the surprise state champion last fall as an eighth-grader, who is running better than ever. Of course, the beauty of the FM pack is that you never know who will cross first and junior Sophie Ryan beat out Walters for the #1 spot at the CNYCL Championship, 17:29.7 to 17:38.5. Anyone running in the FM top five must be considered a potential threat for the individual title.
No. 12 North Rockland's freshman leader, No. 20 ranked Katelyn Tuohy, will also be in the mix. Tuohy recently set the Rockland County Championships record at 16:55, the fourth-fastest time ever recorded at Bear Mountain State Park.