Ryan Cooney is a symbol of hard work, raw talent, and dedication. He has recently shattered many of Massapequa High School’s cross country records. One of the few captains of the team, Ryan energizes the team before races and commends them afterwards, leading his teammates to work harder at each practice, and more importantly, each race.

Currently, Ryan has four school records under his belt for cross country alone: two of them in the 5K race (3.1 miles) and two of them in the 4K (2.5 miles). Of these four location-specific records, two of them are the overall best times for the 5K and 4K in Massapequa history, regardless of location. Ryan ran a 15:28 5K at the Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational race. Additionally, he ran 12:48 in the 4K race at Bethpage State Park. Andrew Valenski was the last person to set the two records, which he did two years ago in his senior year. Ryan set location-specific records at Sunken Meadow in the 5K at 16:35 and at Van Cortland State Park in the 4K at 12:52.

“As a whole the team is really coming along well,” Cooney said. “We have a really good shot at winning the County title.” The team is only expected to improve throughout the rest of the season. One might think that without Ryan and the rest of the captains (all of whom are seniors), the cross country team may not do as well next year. However, Cooney has a different perspective. “Even though all of our top guys are seniors, we have a bunch of good young guys who will lead the team in the future,” he said.

This season has been a great one not only for Ryan but also for the whole team; they are a perfect example of a cooperative and dedicated sports team. Cooney has brought out the best in his team, which has shown what the Massapequa cross country program can accomplish. Throughout one season, he has single-handedly broken four records at four different locations, giving runners in oncoming years new heights to reach. Leading by example, Cooney is doing an excellent job in not only shattering already amazing times, but also managing the team and whipping new upcoming Massapequa runners into shape for an even better season next year. Ryan Cooney is the epitome of a champion athlete.