Corning-Painted Post junior Christopher Lawson became the second member of his family to win a state title in cross country, placing first in a dramatic finish in the boys Class A race at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 14 at Queensbury High School.
Lawson posted a time of 15 minutes, 7.5 seconds on the 5,000-meter course. Brady Petrella of Liverpool finished just behind him in 15:07.8.
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“I could feel him right there,” Lawson said. “We were all-out sprinting. When I crossed the line, I knew I got him, but it was so hard and it was so close.”
Lawson’s triumph highlighted the four boys and four girls races for Section 4 competitors. Ithaca High senior Tsadia Bercuvitz led Section 4 girls with a third-place finish in Class A.
Lawson’s sister, Jessica (Lawson) McGorty, won the Class B state title in 2013 and secured multiple state championships in track & field before becoming an All-American at Stanford University. Their dad is longtime Corning cross country and track & field coach Ray Lawson.
Christopher Lawson described his championship as “great” and “super exciting.” He noted the difficulty that comes with becoming a state champion and said it means a great deal to join his sister as a champion. They have three other siblings — Nathan, Alicia and Sarah — who had considerable success running at Corning.
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“I’m really happy to join them with that. It’s really nice,” Christopher said.
Lawson said he gained a giant boost of momentum earlier this season with his victory in the top boys race at the McQuaid Invitational in Rochester, one of the nation’s most renowned high school meets. He said he knew at that point he could compete with the state’s top runners.
Corning’s Christopher Lawson, center, after winning the boys Class A race at the NYSPHSAA Cross Country Championships at Queensbury High School on Nov. 14, 2026.
His mindset Saturday was to sit in second place until he was confident it was time to make a move.
“We went out hot our first mile and then it slowed up and it went very strategic,” Lawson said. “Then I took it 800 out and I kind of just took us through there, and then he kicked really hard. It was really close, but I’m happy I got it.
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“I had the goal to win. I thought I had a shot. I knew I had to trust myself and trust my plan, trust my training. I knew if I just sat in second, latched on, I’d give myself a shot. That’s what I did.”
Lawson led the way to a fourth-place team showing for the Hawks, who scored 102 points. Section 5’s Brighton won with a score of 75. Corning’s No. 2 runner was Graham Wightman, 37th in 16:14.5. Teammate Ashtyn Stark was 42nd in 16:17.2, followed by Elijah Sonner in 51st (16:29) and Andrew Wilkerson in 75th (16:53.7).
“We were happy,” Christopher Lawson said of the team finish. “Obviously we wished we could have raced better. We had some guys that didn’t have their best race of the season, but we’re grateful.”
More: Ithaca’s Bercuvitz, Corning’s Lawson winners at Section 4 XC meet
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Another top-three state finish for Bercuvitz
Bercuvitz took third in the Class A girls race after runner-up finishes in 2024 and 2025.
She posted a time of 17:39 Saturday. Delilah Pandori-Howell of Nottingham won in 17:26, followed by Adriana Pettinelli of Scarsdale in 17:34.4.
Ithaca finished fifth in the team standings with a score of 132. Section 11’s Northport took first with 53.
Other top finishes for Section 4 girls:
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Class A: Ithaca’s Mattea Dauria finished 52nd (19:26.7) and teammate Avery Whittaker 53rd (19:27.1).
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Class B: Maine-Endwell’s Madison Novotny finished 27th (19:31.7), Vestal’s Hellen Zhang 35th (19:40), Vestal’s Kayla Fletcher 42nd (19:52.5) and Vestal’s Alana Fletcher 52nd (20:04.4).
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Class C: Chenango Valley’s Lyla Houser placed 21st (19:27.9) and Chenango Forks’ Clara Little finished 36th (19:53.2).
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Class D: Groton’s Madison Farberman placed 22nd (19:47.6), Southern Cayuga’s Alexandria Morgan 27th (19:54.4), Odessa-Montour’s Janne Anderson 35th (20:17.7), Groton’s Alison Belcher 39th (20:22.3).
In other team results for Section 4, Vestal placed fifth in Class B with a score of 136, Afton/Harpursville/Bainbridge-Guilford was 11th in Class C with a score of 326, and Odessa-Montour was eighth in Class D with a score of 186.
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Section 4 has three top-seven Class B boys finishes
The contingent of Class C boys runners from Section 4 had a strong day, with three placing in the top-seven.
Chenango Valley senior Nikhil Datta led the way with a fourth-place finish in 15:39.2. Susquehanna Valley’s Aidan Skuban took sixth in 15:49.8, and Afton/Harpursville/Bainbridge-Guilford’s Owen Degan seventh in 15:56.4.
Desmond Hill of Section 5’s Marcus Whitman won in 15:28.9.
Other top Section 4 boys finishes:
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Class A: Union-Endicott’s Nicholas Luti finished 47th (16:20.9).
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Class B: Vestal’s Tyler Hayes took 18th (15:59.3), teammate Kevin Middendorf 31st (16:16.8), Johnson City’s Connor Smith 37th (16:24.1), and Vestal’s Thomas Ciaravino 42nd (16:31.7).
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Class C: Sidney’s Owen Mott finished 46th (17:08).
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Class D: Jaden Lewis of Delhi/South Kortright finished ninth (16:28.4), Unadilla Valley’s Jake Favinger 10th (16:28.9), Delhi/South Kortright’s Emmett Tweed 28th (17:07.7), Elmira Notre Dame’s Gavin Meier 35th (17:17.1), Watkins Glen’s Isaac Hendrickson 37th (17:17.4), and Trumansburg’s Logan Benjamin 48th (17:33.6).
Delhi/South Kortright finished fourth among Class D boys teams with a score of 125. Vestal was fifth in Class B with a score of 110, and Chenango Valley eighth in Class C with a score of 170.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Corning’s Lawson sprints to Class A state title in boys cross country
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
