Stride and Joy: The Greyducks Are Sticking to the Plan

The early morning fall sunlight escapes through the trees as a hoard of high schoolers comes striding up and down the hills of Van Cortlandt Park. Their shoes and spikes clatter against the gravel path as their breaths grow heavy. Gliding past the other fatigued runners are Stuyvesant’s very own girls’ cross country runners, the Greyducks. They might be as exhausted as their competitors, but as their physical pain grows during the race, they think back to their practices; their coach, Carl DiSarno; and his workout document, which not only contains their practice plans but is also filled with inspirational quotes:

“The plan only works if you do.”

They’ve been training hard since the start of preseason in late August. Despite the summer heat, they pushed themselves during workouts at the Central Park Reservoir, all with the goal of challenging their limits in preparation for the season’s climax: the PSAL City Championship. From sprint repeats to distance tempo runs during their grueling practices, they’ve done it all. A typical week consists of completing exhausting workouts at locations in Central Park, such as Cat Hill, the Reservoir, and Great Hill, as well as running along the Hudson River Greenway on recovery days. These paved paths don’t compare to the muddy Van Cortlandt races they have on weekends, but through early season PSAL and external races, they have become accustomed to the worst of Van Cortlandt Park’s rough terrain.

“When your legs can’t run anymore, run with your heart.”

For the team’s seniors, many of whom have been shaking their legs since freshman year, the culmination of their high school cross country careers is bittersweet. While all of the team’s runners push themselves to their physical and mental limits, it’s the seniors who are motivated to make a lasting impact in their final season. Indeed, the team’s top two runners, Isabella “Bella” Stenhouse and Pimada Phongsuriya, are both seniors and among the top runners in the city. Last year, Stenhouse won the PSAL City Championship race before earning All-State Honors at the State Federation Championships. Meanwhile, Phongsuriya, who only joined the Greyducks last year during outdoor track, has smoothly transitioned from running the 3000-meter event in outdoor track to the 5000-meter run in her first (and unfortunately last) cross country season. Recently, she finished fourth out of all PSAL runners at the Manhattan College Invitational, which featured the top teams from around the Northeast.

“Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.”

So far, it is not only the seniors who are having impressive seasons, with the team’s underclassmen also performing extremely well through the season’s opening meets. For many of them, this experience is their first time running over the rugged hills of Van Cortlandt Park, but the Greyducks’ freshmen and sophomores are certainly not afraid of the competition. At the PSAL Manhattan Frosh/Soph Championships, both the freshmen and sophomores fended off rival schools to bring home the team’s first silverware of the championship season. Led by Emma Savonije and Jiya Patel, who finished second and third individually, the freshmen Greyducks destroyed the competition to win the borough title as all of their top five scorers finished in the top 15 individual ranks. The sophomores faced a sterner test but still finished first by seven points over their rival Hunter. They also had all of their top five in the top 15 places, with Emily Li (fifth) and Skye McArthur (sixth) being the fastest Greyducks of the day.

“Know thyself; know thy enemy.”

Though the Frosh/Soph Borough Championships have already been dominated by the Greyducks’ superstar underclassmen, the rest of the postseason races are still to come. First, they will have the PSAL Manhattan Borough Championships, then the PSAL Frosh/Soph City Championships, and finally, the holy grail of all competitions, the PSAL City Championship. After triumphing over Hunter in the Frosh/Soph races, the Greyducks hope that their varsity team can beat their Carnegie Hill rivals in their next race. When the two teams clashed in the Varsity Girls I race at the Bowdoin XC Classic, Hunter finished one place ahead of the Greyducks. As for the City Championship, the Greyducks are projected to be in the top four alongside Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, and Hunter. However, the Greyducks’ goals extend beyond the City Championship, as finishing in the top four at that competition would qualify them for the Federation State Championships. It’s going to be a trying postseason, but with the perseverance and determination of the Greyducks, it’s certain they’ll put in their best efforts to dash to the finish line.