Davis paces Eagles to top finish in NYC race
Bethlehem cross country star comes in eighth, but rejoices in team win at Manhattan Invy
Rylee Davis crossed the finish line Saturday a bit further back than she would have liked, yet the Bethlehem junior girls’ cross country standout knew she laid the initial groundwork for what she hoped would be a special day in New York City.
Davis finished eighth overall in 15 minutes, 26 seconds at the prestigious Eastern States Championship race as part of the Manhattan Invitational at Van Cortlandt Park. She soon would be followed by teammates Annie Bolke ( junior, 15:46.50, 13th), Anna Chrapowitzky (7th grade, 15:53.00, 15th), Katherine Bannigan (freshman, 15:53.40, 16th) and Maeve Conway (sophomore, 16:01, 20th) as the Eagles earned the team title by edging Ridgewood (N.J.) by four points.
“The personal aspect of it individually never feels as good as the team thing does,” Davis said. “Sure, you would like to do better. The team winning gives you satisfaction. That was insane. We have a really good team this year.”
For her efforts, Davis has been selected as the Times Union’s Female Athlete of the Week for the period Oct. 4-10.
Bethlehem, ranked No. 3 in the Class A state poll, competed for the first time at a large invitational since 2019. The coronavirus pandemic last fall reduced the season to competition inside Section II and without sectionals.
Davis was thrilled to be back on the road again racing in big events with her teammates.
“It has always been a special race and I really enjoy going there,” Davis said. “It was sad that we couldn’t have the bus ride there for a big team thing; it was still a great atmosphere and a big-meet feel. We got a giant trophy. We won’t forget that.
“Overall, I think I did pretty well. I think I could have done better. I was aiming for a little higher up. I think if I pushed a little harder in the middle, I could have placed better,” she said. “The course actually felt pretty good. I have run there since seventh grade. It was the best I have felt on it. My teammates like the course too. It was a good race, especially with us winning it.”