Storied Program Will See Streaks Come To An End With Only Individuals Competing At NXR New York On Saturday

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Fayetteville-Manlius, the Central New York high school with the most Nike Cross Nationals titles, will not have a team in Portland when the championship meet resumes after a two-year absence. 

Coach Bill Aris, who has won 11 girls championships and one boys championship, will only have a few individuals competing this weekend at the NXR New York meet at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls. 

NXR New York Live Webcast Info

The F-M girls finished second at the New York state championships in Class A behind No. 1-ranked Saratoga Springs. But two members of the team emerged from that race nursing injuries and Aris decided it was in their best interest to stop racing so that they can rest and heal. 

"It was the easiest hard decision I've ever had to make," Aris said. 

Without the two runners, Hannah Kaercher and Ava Beecher, F-M would barely be able to field a full team. 

It's the lack of numbers that has been a limiting factor for Aris for years at F-M, which competes with a robust lacrosse program for athletes at the school of 1,400 students. 

Coming out of the summer, Aris knew it would be difficult to return to the national meet and lowered the usual training volume in an attempt to keep everyone healthy. He called this season's training mileage "mundane."

"I think the team peaked about Oct. 7, at the Chittenango Invitational," Aris said, referring to a local 10-team meet that his varsity squads swept. 

Illnesses and lost training time compounded some of the teams' challenges. 

Sophomore Izzie Sullivan, who placed fourth at the New York state meet, is entered individually this weekend and is a prime candidate to advance to Portland. 

Junior Nolan McGinn and senior Anthony Otis both finished in the top six at the New York state meet and will also compete for one of the five individual qualifying berths to NXN. 

The boys team wasn't deep enough to advance to the state meet and Hornets' season ended with a second-place finish at the Section 3 Championships. 

Through 2019, the last year NXN was held, F-M had at least one team competing at every championship since the meet's inception in 2004. The "Stotans" will see NXN streaks of 13 years (girls) and 12 years (boys) come to an end.

One of the peak years was 2014, when the legendary program became the first and only group to sweep the boys and girls national championships in Portland.