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Cross Country: Mattituck places fifth at state championships

Mattituck runner Melanie Pfennig 110416 copy

Mattituck senior Melanie Pfennig ran the fastest time for the Tuckers Saturday morning at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships.

Pfennig ran the five-kilometer course at Chenango Valley State Park in Chenango Forks in 19 minutes 49.7 seconds. She finished 13th overall to help lead the Tuckers to fifth place in the team standings.

Pfennig had the third fastest time among the runners competing for team scores.

The Tuckers’ next four runners were freshman Payton Maddaloni (20:24.5), eighth-grader Kylie Conroy (20:35.6), senior Sascha Rosin (21:19.3) and junior Megan Dinizio (22:18.0). The final two runners for Mattituck who did not factor into the team score were sophomores Liv Shutte (22:52.6) and Maddie Schmidt (23:32.4).

The Tuckers finished in a tie for team points with Christian Brothers Academy 122 based on the combined finishes of the top-five runners. The teams were separated by one second in average time. CBA earned the fourth-place designated based on the team’s sixth runner finishing ahead of Mattituck’s.

For Pfennig, it was her fifth trip to the state meet. Her ninth-place finish at last year’s meet was her highest place.

In Class C, Kaitlyn Butterfield of Greenport, who runs for Bishop McGann-Mercy, finished 36th overall in 20:25.9. Mattituck narrowly edged Mercy for the county title last week.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said Mattituck had its best finish at a state meet. In 2012, the team placed fourth.

Photo caption: Melanie Pfennig pictured at last week’s Section XI Championships. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk, file)