The state cross country high school championships in upstate Queensbury, N.Y. marked a beginning for two runners and an emotional ending for another. And a fourth runner, in the middle of his career, smashed his personal record by 30 seconds.

A pair of Mattituck Junior High School athletes — seventh grader Diego Rodriguez and eighth grader Rachel Kubetz — competed in their first state meet and acquitted themselves well.

Another Tuckers runner, senior Georgia Buckley, completed her final race with mixed emotions. She was proud of her time, but she knew she was never going to compete in a high school cross country again. Southold sophomore Ryan Duffy set a personal best time of 17:29.5 over the five-kilometer course in the Class D boys race to finish in 44th place, the fastest time of the nine North Fork runners who competed.

“Obviously different courses, so it’s hard to compare as I hadn’t ran there before,” Duffy said. “But I’m really happy with my time, my placement, and how I improved compared to last year at the state meet.”

Compared to Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park, site of the qualifying meet, the Queensbury course is relatively flat, which allowed runners to avoid climbing hills and post better times.

“It was very flat, except for the two hills in the back, but there were downhills leading up to them, so you could get momentum up,” Duffy said. “You lost less energy on the hills. Conditions were great. I really couldn’t have asked for anything else in that course, it was challenging, but it was fast, and it was a good time.”

Duffy wasn’t the only one who had a good time on a day that ranged from 37 degrees at the start of the boys races to around 50 degrees for the girls.

Buckley finished 55th among Class C girls with a time of 21:01.2.

“I think it was a great race, and it was beautiful up there, perfect conditions,” she said. “I was excited to be able to run.”

But …

“I was sad that it was over, but I’m happy that happened,” Buckley added. “I’ve been running for so long. I was a little emotional at the end, because I was obsessed with running my last cross country race. I really am so grateful for all the years I’ve been able to run and how much I’ve enjoyed the sport. It was a great experience.”

It also was a great experience for Rodriguez and Kubetz.

Rodriguez finished in 87th place with a time of 18:16.0 in the Class C run.

As the youngest runner from Long Island, Rodriguez took in the entire experience.

“Being on the bus with everybody, then being in the hotel, it felt like you were professional,” he said. “It was just really nice.”

It also was a learning experience for the 5-foot-1, 82-lb. seventh grader.

“I’m still only 12,” he said. “Their legs are much longer. One of their steps would be like three of my steps. They’re big. I think I’m doing good. I just got to get a little more attitude.”

Rodriguez’s won’t have to wait too long for his next race, the 5K Turkey Trot in Mattituck, which will be held on Thanksgiving Day next week.

Rodriguez participated in the Turkey Trot as an 11-year-old, last year, finishing sixth out of 966 runners with a time of 17:45.51.

“My goal is to improve my time,” he said.

Kubetz, who is a year older than Rodriguez, ran the Queensbury course in 22:39.9, good for 99th place in the Class C girls’ race.

“She did pretty well,” Buckley said. “It was her first-ever state championship, so she was a little bit nervous. But I was able to kind of remind her this is supposed to be fun. She’s worked so hard throughout the season.”

Mattituck senior Ruby Villani finished 114th with a time of 23:20.6.

Other local finishers included Mattituck sophomore Marlowe Collamore (91st, 18:26.8) and Logan Carr (103rd, 18:50.1) in Class C boys, and Southold sophomores Liam O’Neill (89th, 18:53.9) and William Sommo (99th, 19:14.2) in Class D boys.

“Everybody from Southold who went up there got a new PR, so that was great,” Duffy said. “They’re all pleased by their times.”