Addison Cyr of Burnt Hill-Ballston Lake crowed the finish line in 1st place in Division 3 in the 43rd Annual Burnt Hills Cross Country Invitational at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union
Stephen Weaver
Addison Cyr of Burnt Hill-Ballston Lake crowed the finish line in 1st place in Division 3 in the 43rd Annual Burnt Hills Cross Country Invitational at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union
Stephen Weaver
Division 3 Boys start of the 43rd Annual Burnt Hills Cross Country Invitational at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union
Stephen Weaver
Reagan Owen of Saratoga crosses the finish line in 10th place in Division 4 of the 43rd Annual Burnt Hills Cross Country Invitational at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union
Stephen Weaver
The start of the division 4 boys 43rd annual Burnt Hills Cross Country Invitational at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union
Stephen Weaver
Joseph Kosier of Guiulderland finish 2nd in Division 4 of the 43rd Annual Burnt Hills Cross Country Invitational at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union
Stephen Weaver
Ethan Owen of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake crosses the finish line in 3rd place in Division 4 of the 43rd Annual Cross Country Invitational at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union
Stephen Weaver
Owen Conley of Colonie recovering after finishing 4th in Division 4 of the 43rd Annual Burnt Hills Cross Country Invitational at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union
Stephen Weaver
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Halfway through the 5K course at Saratoga State Park, Thomas Isenovski was, as expected, among the lead group of runners that included Colonie standout Owen Conley.
The pair of seniors, ranked among the top runners in the state, led the pack but, Isenovski, of Saratoga Springs, took control of the 43rd Burnt Hills Invitational in the latter half of the Division IV race Saturday, finishing with a winning time of 14 minutes, 49.5 seconds with a 10-second margin on runner-up Joseph Kosier of Guilderland while Ethan Owen of Burnt Hills was third with Conley crossing the line fourth.
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“From the get-go, the first hill was one of my best hills I’ve run on this course,” Isenovski said. “It is motivating to have good competition, you know you aren’t going to run alone. In the first part of the race, I wanted to stick with Owen Conley. I was with him for the first mile and a half, but broke it coming down the hill. I felt I was running my race. I had the lead from there.”
Thomas Isenovski of Saratoga crosses the finish line in first place in Division 4 at the 43rd Annual Burt Hills Cross Country Invitaional at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union
Stephen Weaver
Conley won the Section 2 title with Isenovski second last year and the pair ran second and third in the state championship race a week later.
Though disappointed with his finish, Conley quickly shifted his focus to upcoming postseason meets with expected rematches with Isenovski on tap at the Suburban Council championships in two weeks before sectionals and states.
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“We went out pretty fast. We were just trying to push each other,” Conley said. “The race broke up, he made a move and I didn’t match it. This is something I’ll think about in the future and something I’ll work on. We’re coming back here for Suburbans, so we have this course again. It should be a fun race. It is important that I bounce back from this, not only bounce back, but bounce forward.”
The girls’ Division IV race featured a matchup of Bethlehem, the top-ranked team in New York, and nationally-ranked Champlain Valley Union (Vermont). While CVU showed why it has garnered national attention with a narrow win over the Lady Eagles, Bethlehem showed why it will be a favorite to repeat as Section 2 champions.
Sophia Chromczak of Bethlehem won the division 4 girls varsity race of the 43rd Annual Burnt Hills Cross Country Invitational at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union
Stephen Weaver
Bethlehem freshman Sophia Chromczak zeroed her sights on the pace bicycle for the course and had no idea that she was in the clear as she approached the finish line for her first varsity invitational win.
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Chromczak navigated the course with a time of 17:04.6, 27 seconds faster than Fiona King of Northport, with Bethlehem teammate Logan Kuhn finishing third.
“I didn’t look at my watch during the race,” Chromczak said. “I thought they were right behind me, so I was scared. I was trying to catch the bike, that was helping me pace myself. Usually, there is a runner in front of me, so I just try to keep up with them.”
A year after winning its first Section 2 title since 1986, Bethlehem used the invitational as a tune-up for what it hopes are big performances again next month at sectionals.
Logan Kuhn of Bethlehem Central crosses the finish line in 3rd place of Division 4 at the 43rd Annual Burnt Hills Cross Country Invitational at Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on Saturday, October 11, 2025. Stephen Weaver/For the Times Union
Stephen Weaver
“We are really excited, our coaches do a really good job of getting us to peak at the right time,” Kuhn said. “It is a different group of girls, but I think we are in a good spot. This is our last non-championship season race, so it is good practice before the races really start to matter.”
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CBA took home the team championship in the Division III race, as did homestanding Burnt Hills in the girls’ Division III race.
The Spartans were paced by senior Addison Cyr, who won her first varsity invitational running on her home course by a margin of 33 seconds.
“After I got to the two-mile mark, I really geared it in,” Cyr said. “Crossing the line with the ‘Burnt Hills’ (words) across the tape was exhilarating. It is my last one, my last year and I got to cross and finish up the Burnt Hills Invy. It could not have been more amazing.”