Trumansburg cross country racing through competition

Tompkins County has consistently been home to outstanding cross country teams. Now a few weeks into the season, Trumansburg has established itself as the school to beat in the IAC.

Through the first three league meets of the season, the girls team took top spot in all races, while the boys team won its first two meets and finished runner-up in the third meet. 

Of the two squads, the girls team has more of a veteran presence. The majority of the Blue Raiders are upperclassmen, including a couple of newcomers. They’re motivated more than ever to come away with some sort of championship this season after finishing in second place at both the IAC Championship and the Section IV Class D Championship last year.

“They really are a team that’s on a mission and a team that’s kind of focused,” said head coach Bryce DeSantis. “It’s hard to have people come in and mix everything up, but it’s very nice. They’re very tight now. They’ve gone through their growing pains of figuring everybody out… They’re really together, they’re really focused, and they push each other but also support each other.”

The makeup of the boys team looks a lot different from the one that won the Section IV Class D title in 2023. While they have five seniors and one junior on the team, they’re a majority-underclassmen roster with five sophomores and four freshmen. Head coach Neil Clifford has enjoyed seeing the blending of senior leaders and up-and-coming talent.

“My challenge to the [seniors] has been to find a way to lead, that leadership looks a little different every year,” Clifford said. “You can certainly lead from a running standpoint, and they’ve all contributed in that way over the course of their careers. But there’s also the behind-the-scenes work that’s really important, particularly with the back end of our team being so young.”

One of the seniors who has taken that message to heart is John Feenan. He has been the Blue Raiders’ top runner despite facing strong challenges from some of his younger teammates. That sort of competition has pushed him to be a better runner and leader.

“He has both responded to that [push] by increasing his day-to-day efforts in practice, but he’s not threatened by it,” Clifford said. “Not everybody is as gracious when their position on the team and their place in the pecking order gets threatened. He’s both kind of tried to defend that spot, but he’s done it probably as graciously as you could.”

The Blue Raiders’ four other seniors—Jack Houseworth, Nolan Lord-Conway, Jake Taves, and Xander Vakkas—have all made huge contributions in their own ways even beyond the course.

The younger runners of note are the sophomore duo of Jesse Robertson and Owen Millspaugh and the freshman trio of Logan Benjamin, Henry Asbrand, and Hudson Palmer. Benjamin in particular has competed hard with Feenan for top spot in the pecking order.

“As he started to find his confidence and open up, I’m beginning to see other little aspects of his personality that suggest that in addition to being competitive, he’s going to be just a really, really fantastic addition to our team as a human being,” Clifford said. “What a nice combination. I’m pretty lucky.”

As for the girls team, senior Niveck VonBergen and Amelia Hoffmire have wowed in their debut seasons. VonBergen (and her younger sister Braelyn) are back from homeschooling, while Hoffmire comes in from the girls soccer as their former goalkeeper.

“Niveck’s been the number one kid on our team as far as place goes since the beginning of the season,” DeSantis said. It’s just really finding out what she can do, and it’s great. She’s been really welcomed in by the team… She’s been a seamless addition.”

“Amelia’s done beautifully,” DeSantis continued. “She’s also the kind of kid that isn’t afraid to come in and ask questions and put a stamp on the team, even though she’s new. She’s great to add some energy and to add some ideas and ask why we do things a certain way. And that’s really good for some of the younger runners who won’t ask those questions. But she’s not afraid to do that. She’s not afraid of anything, really. She’s been such a pleasure to have.”

Libby Foster has been instrumental in welcoming in the new runners and helping them gel into the team. The senior has qualified for states the last three years and is aiming to make it a four-peat to close out her stellar high school cross country career. 

“She’s our captain,” DeSantis said. “Every day in practice, she leads the warmup. She figures out what our dress-up is going to be. She continues our traditions. She’s our link to the past.”

While there’s plenty of races still to be done, both Trumansburg cross country teams are poised to continue succeeding in the regular season and compete for postseason glory.