The top high school boys distance runner in Suffolk County is officially off the market as Doug Antaky has announced that he will be running for Cornell next fall according to his personal instagram account.
“Excited to announce my verbal commitment to Cornell University!” wrote Antaky on his Instagram post. “I would like to thank my teammates, coaches, parents, and all others who helped me along the way!”
Antaky has pieced together one of the most impressive starts to a season in Suffolk County Cross Country history as his historically fast times for the regular season on top of boasting an undefeated record prior to championship season has made him the talk of Long Island this fall.
The Smithtown West senior was among a handful of schools that included Binghamton University, Northeastern University, Tufts, and SUNY Geneseo before deciding on Cornell.
“The recruiting process was pretty difficult as one could imagine but at the same time I learned a lot about each and every school I visited and I think I made the proper decision for myself,” said Antaky “The decision really came down to Binghamton and Cornell due to their academic programs but I felt Cornell was best fit for what my major will be.”
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| Doug Antaky during his Cornell Visit @douglas_a_2 | Instagram |
“Cornell had the best academics out of all the colleges I looked at and the coach of the cross county team gave me the impression that he is someone who can make great athletes,” said Antaky. “I am happy with my decision and it provides me with a lot of relief as I was accepted via Early Decision.”
The commitment celebration seems like it won't phase the star distance runner as he still has the championship portion of the season left and he feels like he finally is able to fully devote his energy towards the remaining races on the schedule for this season and beyond.
“I think that a burden was removed but for myself I still have goals to reach so the pressure is always on,” Antaky said regarding the end of the recruiting process.
Antaky will be back in action on October 24th at Sunken Meadow State Park as he will join many other of Long Island’s top individuals and teams as they participate in the Section XI Division Championship where he will race to get his first individual Cross Country County Title as he was second in the meet last year to Bay Shore’s Jake Gogarty, who is now a senior but has been the inferior runner in the 2023 season.