O’Donnell Has a Solid Group

   While John Glenn’s Sarah Hardie finished first in last Thursday’s girls cross-country race at Indian Island County Park in Riverhead, East Hampton’s team won, by a score of 20-29.

    Dana Cebulski, a sophomore who became the first East Hampton girl to vie in a state cross-country meet last fall, was the runner-up to Hardie, in 20 minutes and 46 seconds, 24 seconds  behind the winner.

    Then came East Hampton’s pack — Jamie Staubitser, in 23:45, Emma Newburger, in 23:56, Jackie Messemer, in 24:06, and Merissah Gilbert, in 24:18.

    “Dana ran a good race,” East Hampton’s coach, Diane O’Donnell, said afterward. “Sarah’s been racing a lot, whereas Dana hasn’t. She’s where she should be in her training cycle — she’ll be improving in every race from here on in.”

    It was the first win for Bonac’s girls this season. “We beat Glenn last year too, so I told the girls it was a must-win,” said the coach, who added that “we’ve got a solid group this year. It would be even more solid if we had Jennie DiSunno [a senior who’s rehabbing an Achilles tendon injury].”

    O’Donnell had been hoping to have DiSunno, her number-two runner, for Tuesday’s meet with Westhampton, “but it doesn’t look as if we will,” she said during a conversation Monday. “With Jennie, we would stand a good chance of beating them.”