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2004
One of the great success stories on the Rockland running scene in the past few years has been the ascendance of the Tappan Zee boys cross-country team as one of the powerhouses in the state. Under the guidance of 1990 grad Steve Sutton, the Dutchmen won the state class B championship in 2003 and followed it with their first county title in 2004. With their recent successes providing an infusion of youth, and the return of Art Gunther after a two-year hiatus, Tappan Zee came into this year's race with aspirations of their first-ever Alumni victory.
The North men had aspirations of our own; a win in the 2004 edition would be our fourth straight, breaking the record we shared with Albertus and Suffern. Early-season hopes were high for a "four-peat," but injuries to Pat Driscoll and Matt Strasberg left our roster thin. Sizing up the competition at the start, we knew we had a battle on our hands.
The top runners sorted themselves out quickly, and by the mile mark three teams--North, TZ, and Suffern--each had three runners in the top twelve. At that point the Mounties, running 2-3-4, seemed to have a clear advantage, but behind the frontrunners the Rams displayed solid pack running to move into position. When the dust settled, North escaped with a five-point victory over Tappan Zee--the closest margin in race history. (For those who care, it's probably the best three-team finish in Alumni history, but for two-team drama, you still can't beat 2000, when North and South accounted for nine of the top 15 by themselves.)
In the decade since the Pearl River women had last won a team title, they had seen Nanuet equal their record of fifth victories; but this year saw the Lady Pirates return to the victor's circle. Their 15-point victory over Monroe Woodbury was their sixth overall, surpassing the record they had shared with the Golden Knights.
On the individual side, Art Gunther won an astounding sixth title in dominant fashion; Julianne Littmann was no less impressive in winning her record-tying fourth race in seven years by nearly a minute.
Complete results can be viewed here.
Men's Top 30
Women's Top 10
Total Number of Runners: 261
Team Participation: 1. Monroe Woodbury 24; 2. Suffern 33; 3. Pearl River 26; 4. Clarkstown North 22; 5. Albertus Magnus 17; 6. Nanuet 15; 7. Clarkstown South 14; 8. North Rockland 13; 9. Tappan Zee 12; 10. Washingtonville 10; 11. (tie) Beacon and Guilderland 5; 13. Warwick 4; 14. Spring Valley 3; 15. (tie) Arlington, Bayside, Goshen, Hylton, Va., Newburgh Free Academy, New Paltz, Ramapo, and Somers 2.
Men's Team Scoring
Women's Team Scoring
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