Kiley Barch Leads Blue Devils to Cross Country Victory

Senior Kiley Barch motored around the 2.5 mile race course at Sunken Meadow State Park in 16:47 to lead the Huntington varsity girls’ cross country team to a one point victory over Bellport.

Barch, the Blue Devils’ co-captain, was simply splendid in her first place performance. Huntington topped the Clippers, 27-28. In the sport of cross country, the team with the lowest point total wins.

Fellow co-captain  and senior Emma Boyle clocked in at 18:02 to finish third overall, which solidified Huntington’s scoring position. Other notable efforts included senior Brianna Mata notching a new personal best time of 20:45 and senior Rachel Huth also racing to a best time ever of 28:10.

The Blue Devils are coached by Alyssa Salese, a Huntington alum who has made a name for herself in the world of women’s marathon running. Salese is covering for longtime coach Elizabeth Andersen, who is out this season on a child care leave of absence.

“This season, Huntington showed what it truly means to be small but mighty,” Salese said. “With a tight-knit group of dedicated athletes, we stepped onto the course with heart, grit, and determination that couldn’t be measured by numbers alone. Despite being one of the smaller squads, we made a big impact-pushing ourselves in every meet, showing up for each other, and proving that size doesn’t define strength.”

The team’s roster includes nine underclassmen. “The progress we made this season is just the beginning,” Salese said. “We’re already looking ahead, hungrier than ever to come back even stronger. Winter track is just around the corner, and you can bet we’ll be hitting it with focus and fire. Then comes spring and we’ll be ready to leave it all on the track once again. Huntington’s not just competing; we’re building.”