Top 5 newcomers in Long Island boys cross country for fall 2025 season
Vidal Macchia, Floyd High School Credit: Ed Noll
A look at the top newcomers in boys cross country on Long Island this season, in alphabetical order.
Ty Buonomo, Ward Melville, Jr.
He is following in the footsteps of teammates Anthony Anatol and Luke Jantzen: quit soccer and run cross country. The move has paid off, as he has helped solidify what has been the state’s best boys team, per MileSplit’s rankings. Buonomo, with no prior experience on the difficult Sunken Meadow State Park 5-kilometer course, has crossed the finish line in 17 minutes, 43.7 seconds.
George Kahi, Port Washington, Fr.
He’s been a revelation. Kahi ran 16:37.74 on the LIU course at Port Washington’s third regular-season meet. That time ranked in the top 15 in the county and top 30 on Long Island, as of Thursday.
Matthew Keller, Eastport-South Manor, Jr.
A former soccer player, he converted to cross country to run with his track teammates. He has helped his team start off 4-0 in dual meets and his 16:35.6 at the Saratoga Cross Country Invitational ranks 12th in Suffolk and in the top 25 on Long Island.
Vidal Macchia, Floyd, Soph.
The younger brother of former Floyd girls standout Zariel Macchia, he ran indoor track last year and plays tennis in the spring. His fall seasons previously belonged to football. In his first year as a cross country runner, he owns the eighth-best time on Long Island at Sunken Meadow (16:57.6). He has helped Floyd start its regular season 3-1 in dual meets.
Ross Wallace, Uniondale, Sr.
He moved to Long Island from Michigan and immediately made an impact. He ran 16:08.08 — the 11th-best time on LI — to win on LIU’s course Tuesday.
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
