Saratoga’s Jay Navin earns boys XC Athlete of the Year honors
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Although the Saratoga Springs boys cross country team enjoyed solid seasons in 2010 and 2011, the loss of three top runners to graduation figured to hurt the Blue Streaks’ chances of doing as well in 2012.
At least that’s the way it looked to some at the start of the season. As it turned out, Saratoga went well beyond what it had accomplished the past two years, winning the Suburban Council, Section II, state and Federation championships; finishing second in the Northeast Regionals;
and then — for the first time since 2005 — competing ( as the Kinetic Running Club) at the NXN National Championships in Portland, Oregon. The Streaks finished 12th in an event that featured 22 of the best teams in the country.
“The preseason polls didn’t have us doing much of anything,” Saratoga coach Linda Kranick said. “We just had a group of hardworking kids who made it happen. They learned you can accomplish great things when you work together toward one goal. It was also special that we got to take both the boys and girls teams out to Oregon.”
Balance was one of the keys to the Blue Streaks’ success this year. At the Suburban meet, the seven Saratoga runners were all among the top 21 finishers; at sectionals, they were among the top 13. The seven Streaks were Jay Navin, Brent Freestone, Aidan Tooker, Evan Quinones, Gavin Gaynor, Travis Briggs and Joe Verro. Navin, The Saratogian’s male cross country Athlete of the Year, was a standout in the group. Shaking off a disappointing performance at the Suburban championships, the Streaks’ junior was the top Saratoga finisher at the sec- tional (second), state (10th), Federation ( 12th) and regional meets (10th). His 15:20.75 clocking at the Section II meet on November 2 made him the fifth-fastest Saratoga runner ever over the Spa State Park course, behind only Dylan Welsh, Sam Place, Greg Kelsey and Demetri Goutos.
Recalling his 15th-place finish at the Suburban meet, Navin said, “It just wasn’t tactically a good race. I knew I was capable of doing better, so at sectionals I knew I had to do the job. And it worked out for the best.”
Navin’s time at the sectional meet was almost 42 seconds faster than he’d run over the same course in sectionals six days earlier.
According to Kranick, there was another reason behind Navin’s subpar Suburban performance.
“Jay wasn’t feeling well that day, but he doesn’t make excuses,” she said. “He was also very sick out in Oregon, but he kept it to himself because he didn’t want to affect the rest of the team.
“And he came through. It wasn’t his best race, but Art (Kranick) and I knew it was a very good showing under the circumstances. He always gives his best effort.”
Last year, as a sophomore, Navin was 15th in the Suburban championships and 13th at the sectional meet. Prior to the start of this season, he set personal goals that he ended up coming very close to matching.
“I was pretty much right on where I wanted to be,” said Navin, who is also the defending Suburban Council and Class A champion in the 800 meters (outdoors). “I wanted to be in the top three at sectionals, and I got second. I wanted to run about 15:20, and that’s exactly what I ran.
At states I wanted to be in the top 10, and I finished 10th. Winning (those meets) as a team was also a very big thing. All in all it was a very thrilling season.”
Navin also did some thinking about his team’s prospects before the start of the season, concluding that the Streaks had the potential to go far.
“I thought we were capable of winning the state meet,” he said. “I had it in the back of my head from the beginning, but it didn’t actually develop into a reality until sectionals. After we won states, I thought, ‘If we’re capable of winning states, we’re capable of going to nationals.’” Which Saratoga proceeded to do, thanks to its runner-up showing at the Northeast Regionals.
Asked if he would describe his experience at nationals as exciting, intimidating or overwhelming, Navin said, “All three of those – and more. It was a crazy experience. We were really happy to get out there. But we had a job to do, so we had to keep that in mind.”
Running under muddy conditions that Kranick described as “abysmal,” Navin finished in the middle of the pack. If he is correct about the Streaks’ prospects for next season, however, his first trip to Portland won’t be his last.
“We’re returning four of our five top runners,” said Navin. “Having been out there once, we should be more focused because we know what to expect. I think we’re going to have an even better team next year.”