On This Day In History | 1977
The Whitneys: Mark, Laura & Andy
The Whitney family had a banner day at the New York State Cross Country Meet in Malone, NY as senior Mark, junior Andy and 8th grader Laura all finished in the top 5 in their respective races. Laura, only 13-years-old at the time, became the 1st individual Section XI State Championship in school history, setting the bar for her older brothers. “Probably the most incentive I’ve had in a long time came when Laura won her race in the state meet,” Mark told The Village Times. “I knew that I’d have to do not less than win. She puts the pressure on.” The boys did not disappoint their younger sibling. Mark, the runner-up a year ago, brought home the family’s 2nd crown of the day while Andy was not far behind in 4th place. Mark’s time of 15:07 was the 4th best time overall among all classes. As memorable as this day was, both Mark and Laura had one more peerless performance before the season’s end. On November 19 in the New York State Federation Cross Country Championships held at Sunken Meadow, both Mark and Laura ran against public and private school runners from across the state. Laura won on the familiar Sunken Meadow State Park course while Mark finished in 3rd. Before the end of Laura’s Stony Brook running career in 1981 she would blaze to 3 more individual State Titles.
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Girls Class B Championship
- Laura Whitney | 11 | Stony Brook | 18:13.4
- Kathy Amato | 1 | Pine Plains | 18:31.0
- Emily Wood | 3 | Skaneateles | 18:37.8
- Deanna Dennison | 3 | Cato-Meridian | 18:39.3
- Maureen Larkin | 1 | Pine Plains | 18:46.4
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Boys Class C Championship
- Mark Whitney | 11 | Stony Brook | 15:07.0
- Kevin Degaaf | 3 | Adirondack | 15:26.7
- Dave Davis | 3 | Onondaga Central | 15:34.7
- Andy Whitney | 11 | Stony Brook | 15:40.7
- Damian Emery | 11 | Shoreham-Wading River | 15:45.6
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Stony Brook sent four runners to the New York State cross country championships at Malone, NY. Three of them all live in the same house in Stony Brook.
~ The Village Times
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