Lynbrook Owls peak at right time

A pair of Lynbrook seniors and a junior turned in All-County performances at the Nassau County Class A cross-country championships at Bethpage State Park on Oct. 25, helping push the Owls team to a sixth-place ranking among the 20-school field.

“This was a special team,” coach Pete McNally said. “Pat [Leahy] and Luke [Germanakos] are two of the best I’ve ever coached.”

Leahy was Lynbrook’s highest finisher in the 5K run, crossing the line in seventh place (17:42.6). An aerobic machine who never tires, according to McNally, Leahy hits his stride quick and stays with the pace the entire race. Doing so allowed him to get out with a pack behind the eventual winner, Oyster Bay’s Alexander Tosi, and remain among the elite runners all the way to the finish. “He’s so strong,” McNally said. “Other guys may be faster, but he’s so [consistent].

Germanakos, who’s already piled up plenty of All-County honors—five to be exact—and also captured the state title in the 600-meter run as a member of Lynbrook’s track teams, was 12th at Bethpage State Park, finishing in (17.56.4). “He knows he’s the fastest guy in the race no matter what,” McNally said, noting how well Germanakos and Leahy complement each other. “If he goes out too fast, he could be in trouble, but he stayed together with Pat almost the whole race. Luke’s successful because he’s so mentally tough. For Luke, 3.1 miles is like a marathon. For Pat, that’s too short.”

The two were joined on the course by junior teammate Mike Deegan for much of the championship race, and the first-year cross-country runner also took home All-County honors with a 17th place finish (18:05.1). Deegan only started training for cross-country over the summer but still had an immediate impact for the Owls on the race courses this fall after competing in field events for the indoor and outdoor track teams. “He said he wanted to do cross country,” McNally said of a discussion the two had before the start of last summer. “He’s big and strong, and he’s a natural. He’s just a gifted athlete, and he had Pat and Luke to run with. He fed off of [them].”