Lynbrook thrives at county meet

When sophomore Caitlin Buchala crossed the finish line at last Saturday’s state qualifying meet at Bethpage State Park against the county’s fastest runners, having completed the 5-kilometer race at 19 minutes and 57 seconds – a personal best and the fourth fastest time in Lynbrook girls’ cross-country history – it was easy to see why coach Joe Beyrer is so excited for his team’s future. “We knew she was good last year,” said Beyrer on Buchala’s performance. “She was even better this year. That was amazing.”

Though Buchala finished just mere seconds shy of qualifying for the state championships, the effort was indicative of the gusto that Lynbrook runners have shown all year, outpacing their Division 3B opponents to an 11-2 record across five league meets, good for second place.

But what made their success that much more impressive, Beyrer noted, was, because of a combination of illness and injuries that plagued the squad all year, the team never ran the same lineup twice for any given meet. “It was really like the whole team coming together,” the coach said.

Buchala was joined by senior teammate Gabby Vogt as an All-County runner this season, an accomplishment marked with a top-25 finish at the county championship meet, also at Bethpage, on Oct. 28. Buchala placed 13th overall at 21:08. Vogt was just seconds behind, at 21:17, good for 15th. It marked the first time in program history that two girls made All-County, according to Beyrer.

But the rotating lineups created chances for other girls to step up, and several seized the opportunity. Elizabeth Murphy, a sophomore who ran strictly on junior varsity last season, was among them, narrowly missing All-County, finishing 31st overall in the same race. It was a strong finish for a girl who wasn’t projected to be a top runner at the season’s beginning. “She wound up being our third best runner,” Beyrer said. “She was a big part of the team.”

Overall, the team placed seven runners in the top 80 in the county championship meet, a noteworthy accomplishment for a smaller school like Lynbrook. ”It’s huge,” said Beyrer, adding that its 8th overall team finish in the meet was its highest in seven years. “For us to make the noise we did, it means a lot of people are looking around and saying: ‘We have to keep an eye on this team.’”

Though the roster rotated often throughout the year, one constant, said Beyrer, was the leadership brought by his senior co-captains, Lauren Toy and Grace Ridings. “Even though they weren’t top 10 runners, these were kids that the girls looked up to,” he said. “In my 15 years of coaching I’ve never had captains like that.”

Freshmen Jillian Swanson and Mason Benvenuto are two others who burst on the scene this year, finishing 66th and 77th overall, respectively, at the county championship meet.

“For us to be where we are, where the majority of our varsity team is either freshmen or sophomores,” Beyrer said. “You look at that and say, “Wow this could be a really good team for a couple years.’”