Lady Peglegs Look to Build on Previous State-Bound Success

With a new season underway, the Lady Peglegs are lacing up at Central Park Reservoir, ready to dominate another season. Last fall, the varsity team placed third at the city championships. Seven members—four of whom performed personal records (PRs)—qualified for the state championship: seniors Emily Li, Honora Muratori, and Emily Ryu, and juniors Isabel Noh, Emma Savonije, Anchine Liu, and Jiya Patel. Savonije was a notable star amongst these racers, running a 20:26 5K and ranking as the ninth fastest in school history. These runners contributed to the Peglegs’s push ahead of Bronx Science—a competitor they were previously predicted to trail behind. The JV team experienced their own success, finishing second overall and losing by a narrow five points to Brooklyn Tech. The team managed to set both multiple PRs and the fastest ever 5K girls average at 22:55. Freshman Amanda Lee was a clear JV standout, running 22:27—the eighth fastest freshman 5K at Van Cortlandt Park in school history. The Lady Peglegs also experienced similar success outside of the city championships: the varsity team earned an impressive second place at Borough Championships while the JV team placed first. Junior Ting Ting Zhang was crowned the JV champion, marking Stuyvesant’s third consecutive season winning the JV race. All in all, the Lady Peglegs’s 2024 season was undoubtedly characterized by strong athletes and remarkable wins. 

This year, the Lady Peglegs will continue to build on their strong foundation. They face the major challenge of losing senior runners who played key parts in team success last year. Fortunately, the team still boasts immense talent; seniors and captains Savonije, Zhang, and Patel lead the team, which is composed of both past state qualifiers and new underclassmen selected for varsity. 

The Lady Peglegs’s combination of returning talent and new potential provides a stable base for another successful season. Although valuable players have graduated, leaving a gap in the team, Coach Carl DiSarno emphasizes the adaptability of the remaining athletes: “Our returning varsity runners gained valuable experience competing at a high level last year. Our three captains—Emma Savonije, Jiya Patel, and Ting Ting Zhang—have run varsity the past few years and are ready to step up and lead our team,” DiSarno stated. 

However, DiSarno notes that the team faces an uphill climb. “This year’s team isn’t as deep as past years, and we will need our younger runners to step up. Winning the league championship will be difficult, but if we run to our potential, we should qualify for the NYS Federation Meet for the sixth straight XC season,” he commented. 

To mitigate their current challenges, one of the team’s biggest priorities this year is strengthening its ability to work together effectively. Cross country is traditionally considered an individual sport, requiring mental fortitude from individual athletes and quantifying a runner’s success separate from that of the team. Members of the team, while excellent individual competitors, often struggle with the teamwork aspect of the sport—something Coach DiSarno notes as one of the team’s biggest challenges.  

While runners compete for individual placement, their points contribute to the overall team, making sideline encouragement and team culture extraordinarily important. With one of the team’s key goals this season centered on supporting one another, the captains will play a crucial role in fostering that culture. “This year, I’m aiming to bring the team together more, especially because even though a lot of us run long-distance, some of us don’t know each other. I think it’d be nice if we could unite the team together more, even if we’re running at different levels and paces,” Zhang remarked.

For Savonije, preseason has been a time for the team to connect with new teammates and build strong relationships. “Something we are working on this year is training more as a team since it helps us all get better, and since preseason is happening and school is starting soon, it’ll allow the team to become closer,” she described. 

Patel also noted how the team hopes to build spirit throughout the school year. “Usually the team is super big, but this year it seems to be smaller. Regardless of that, I think it’s just nice to have group workouts after practices; for example, we do ab workouts together sometimes,” she explained. “It’s natural for us to occasionally separate into groups since everyone’s at a different pace, but we are planning to run more as a group this year.”

Both the team’s captains and coach have a clear vision for the upcoming season. Their objectives remain consistent year after year: to win the City Championship, secure a top-three finish at the Freshman and Sophomore City Championships, win the JV City Championship, and qualify for the NYS Federation Meet as a team. By establishing ambitious yet familiar standards, these goals provide direction for the team’s training and serve as clear benchmarks for success.

This season, the girls’ cross country team will rise to the challenge of holding onto their leaderboard titles and cultivating a strong team—emotionally, physically, and mentally. The 2024 season proved that the Lady Peglegs have the drive and grit to compete for success, and the 2025 season will hopefully be another display of that same fire.