Waterville senior Danny Casatelli is miles ahead of the competition, racing to a second-place finish out of 124 runners at the New York State Class D Cross Country Championships. The event was held Nov. 15 in Queensbury, New York.
Casatelli crossed the finish line with an impressive time of 15:42:40. This marks the second consecutive year that Casatelli has qualified and competed at the New York State Class D Cross Country Championships, further solidifying his reputation as one of the top runners in the state.
“Danny is an outstanding runner whose drive and determination push him to compete at the highest level,” said Tom Gifford, athletic director. “His training capacity is unmatched anywhere in Section III, and he consistently challenges himself by racing in the strongest invitationals across New York State.”
At some of the biggest and most competitive invitationals of the season, Casatelli consistently proved himself among the top runners. At the Baldwinsville Invitational, he won first place in the small school division out of 281 athletes and finished seventh overall out of 479. He followed an impressive fifth place finish at Burnt Hills against 594 competitors.
At the McQuaid Premier Race, he placed 28th out of 218. Casatelli won the VVS Invitational, finishing first among 129 runners and claimed the Center State Conference title with a first-place finish out of 118. In the Class D Sectionals he finished first-place among 159 runners and placed fourth overall out of 529 runners.
“Danny knows it takes a lot more mentally to excel in the sport of running than just the everyday physical training that needs to be put in,” Coach Scott Baker said.
With these achievements, Casatelli has now qualified for the prestigious New York State Federation Meet, which will take place this Nov. 22 at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, New York. Casatelli will compete with other athletes from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.