Garden City sophomore Charles White and JFK Bellmore senior Maegan Krifchin won the Section VIII individual titles, and Syosset and East Meadow won the team titles.
BETHPAGE, N.Y. — Garden City sophomore Charles White won the boys 5K at the Section VIII Individual Championships at Bethpage in 16:20.3, and JFK Bellmore senior Maegan Krifchin won the girls race in 18:34.9, a personal best. Syosset won the boys team title and East Meadow the girls.
White won by 16.8 seconds. Port Washington junior Richard Schmitz was second in 16:37.1 and Syosset senior Zach Polan third in 16:40.1, both personal bests. White came in having won seven meets this season and had beaten Schmitz four times. Farmingdale's Roy Seter won the meet in 2003 in 16:48.7. White had run 15:59.6 earlier in the season.
Krifchin won by 8.9 seconds over North Shore eighth-grader Brianna Welch, who ran 18:43.8. Valley Stream North senior Theresa Rush was third in 19:05.0, a personal best. Krifchin came in with seven wins this season, improved on her season best by 10.6 seconds and held a 3-1 record against Welch for the season. Her time was the fastest of the season on the course. East Meadow's Brittney Criscuolo holds the best girls time on record at the meet, 18:29.9 in 2003.
Syosset won the boys team title with 57 points, ahead of Lynbrook with 86 and Wantagh with 165. East Meadow won the girls team title with 64 points, ahead of Mepham with 73 and South Side with 121.
There were 168 finishers in the boys race and 154 in the girls race.