Report #1 - Oct 23
Report #2 - Oct 28
Report #3 - Nov 6
Report #4 - Nov 12
Report #5 - Nov 20
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Ed Grant(left), John Dye (center) and The New York Times Bill Miller (right) at the Manhattan
(photo by John Nepolitan)
Report #5 - Nov 20
With rain the first week, cold and wind the next, New Jersey top cross-country runners will be looking for a break in the weather when they assemble at Holmdel County Park for the all-group championships this Saturday.
For the first time in its nine-decade history, the group meet was actually postponed last weekend because of the predicted (but never realized) thunderstorms for the scheduled Saturday session. There was a good deal of rain, however, that day in Central Jersey and the 24-hour postponement did result in a dry Sunday, but one which saw a very uneven distribution of conditions through the five and a half hours of competition/
The morning brought strong winds which definitely slowed the runners, best exemplified by the 16:13 record by Doug Smith of Gill-St. Bernard’s as he took his third consecutive Parochial B title, well behind the marks he recorded as a soph and junior. By days’ end, when the top individual races in Gr. III went off, the winds had died down to occasional as four boys went under 16:00 and two girls beat 18:00 in their respective competitions.
One result of the variance was to make it very difficult to use the group results to predict what might happen in what should be a pair of very close team races this weekend. Don Bosco, the defending boys’ champion, averaged 16:41 in an early morning race, while West Windsor-Plainsboro North hit 16:24 in that Gr. III event, quite a difference. And Voorhees, the 2007 girls’ champion hit 19:48 as compared to a 20:05 for its nearest rival, Immaculate Heart Academy, largely due to a 75-second difference between their leading runners, defending champion Melanie Thompson and Sarah Pagrno, both of whom were repeat winners, Thompson taking her third in a row.
As expected, the top individual matches came out of those Gr. III races. In a battle of undefeated stars, Thompson finished 15 yards ahead of Chelsea Ley of Kingsway in the girls’ event, clocking 17:56, her first time under 18:00 on the Holmdel course. The boys’ race saw outdoor 3200M champ Tyler Udland of Millburn reverse an earlier loss to Brett Johnson of Ocean City and soph Joseph Rosa of WW-Plainsboro North, clocking 15:36. Twin James had his best race of the season, placing 5th in 16:01.
The major surprise of the meet was the failure of Jillian Smith of Southern Ocean Regional to defend her Gr. IV title. Smith, who had suffered a slight ankle strain in the sectionals a week earlier, was running with the leaders when she turned her ankle again at the two-mile mark, gamely finishing in a futile attempt to lead her team to an all-group post.
As a result of these back-to-back injuries, Smith herself will not be in the field this weekend, leaving it to Thompson and Ley to battle it out again for the AG crown. Jillian had already decided to call it quits after the state meet to rest up as she prepares to defend her two national titles, the mile indoors and the 800M outdoors, just to name a few of the major events that lie ahead for her.
Katie Kellner of WW-Plainsboro South went on to win that Gr. IV event by 150 yards from Briana Jackucewicz of Colts Neck in 18:19. The first 22 finishers in that race beat 20:00, another indication of the improved conditions for the final race of the day. Her freshman sister Caroline were among them, finishing 10th in 19:19.
The other girls’ winners were Pagano, repeating in Parochial A at 19:11, Julia Mark of Delaware Valley in Gr. II at 19:12; Megan Flynn, leading Robbinsville to its first state title, in I at 19:39 and Marie Walsh of Mater Dei, taking back the title she won as a frosh, in Parochial B in 19:15. It was Marie who told reporters in a post-race interview how bad the wind conditions were in the hills at that time of day.
Ridge won its first Gr. IV title in a tightly-packed team race, 108-118, over Randolph, led by Dana Giglielmo in 6th at 19:12. Voorhees took its third straight title in III by a whopping 70 points over Hopewell Valley, Haddonfield made it four in a row in II, 73-93, over Chatham despite its worst performance of the year, signified by an 9th-place finish for defender Marielle Hall and Pingry easily regain the Parochial B crown, 53-102, over Mt. St. Mary’s with Olivia Tarantino 3rd in 19:46.
Robby Andrews of Manalapan, who will also skip the post-season races to prepare for his indoor and outdoor 1600M and mile battles with Johnson, took the boys’ Gr. IV race over Monmouth County rival Mark Leininger of Colts Neck in 16:10 with junior Daniel Rondon of North Bergen a solid 3rd in 16:10. Another junior, Jon Vitez, repeated in II by 30 yards over Thomas Bragen of Pt. Pleasant Boro, leading Haddonfield to its third straight title with a fourth certain to come next year from its all-underclass lineup. And still another junior, David Oster of Verona took the Gr. I title from Nick Lachman in 16:30 by the same narrow margin he had lost it a year ago.
The Parochial A race produced the fourth junior winner in Pat Schellberg of Delbarton who outraced Leighton Spencer of Don Bosco by 20 yards in 16:20 with five underclassmen trailing the top pair. Among them was soph Mike Mazzaccaro of CBA, who, like his teammates, was still in shock after learning of the death in a car accident earlier that day of a beloved member of the Colts’ faculty.
Old Bridge won a close Gr. IV race from Cherokee, 125-132. The Haddons got a third title when Township defeated Heights in I< 52-73, led Mike Dinerman in 12th place. Roselle Catholic topped Pingry, 57-74, in Parochial B, Vinny Nicastro finishing a distant 2nd to Smith in 16:13.
BOYS GIRLS
1. West Windsor-Plainsboro North 1. Voorhees
2. Don Bosco 2. Immaculate Ht. Acad.
3. Christian Brothers 3. Ridge
4. Morris Hills 4. Haddonfield
5. Haddonfield 5. Randolph
6. Mendham 6. Red Bank Catholic
7. Millburn 7. Pope John
8. Pope John 8. Toms River North
9. Old Bridge 9. Hillsboro
10. Cherokee 10. Holy Angels
Report #4 - Nov 12
The rains came, as they often have before, on the day of the New Jersey cross-country sectionals last Saturday, slowing everyone but producing few surprises as the individual and team favorites won in about two-thirds of the 32 meets around the state.
Several top individual stars were idle, either by compulsion (Doug Smith with no meet available) or choice (Bob Molke, Leighton Spencer, Sarah Pagano, all of whom skipped the New Jersey Catholic Conference meet held later the same day at Warinanco Park). Those that did compete won across the board, Joe Rosa of West Windsor-Plainsboro North, Robby Andrews of Manalapan, Jon Vitez of Haddonfield, Tyler Udland of Millburn Sean Pohorence of Morris Hills and Brett Johnson of Ocean City for the boys; Chelsea Ley of Kingsway, defending all-group champion Melanie Thompson of Voorhees and Jillian Smith of Southern Ocean for the girls.
Boys’ team winners included the state’s No. 2 and 3, West Windsor-Plainsboro North in Central Jersey Gr. III and Christian Brothers in the NJCTC meet, while top-ranked Haddonfield scored easily in the South Jersey girls’ affair and Ridge and Voorhees both won at the North Jersey 2 meet at Warinanco Park.
The rain plus the absence of full-scale efforts by three top Parochial A girls teams left some question marks about who might get the wild card slots for the all-group meet.
About half of the group winners seem easy to pick: Don Bosco (PA), WW-Plainsboro No. (Gr. III) and Haddonfield (Gr. II) for the boys; Voorhees (Gr. III), Haddonfield (II) and a surprising Robbinsville team (Gr. I) for the girls.
Both Gr. IV titles are up for grabs and, for the first time in memory, these divisions may not produce a single wild card entry. For the boys, the contenders are the four sectional champs: Randolph, Ridge, WW-Plainsboro South and Toms River North, but it would be no great shock if one of the second-place teams prevailed. It’s much the same lineup for the girls, since only WWPS failed to double, placing a close third behind South Brunswick and Hillsboro, which finished one point apart.
In Gr. I, North Warren, Robbinsville and Haddon Twp doubled with the North Jersey 2 titles split between Verona (boys) and McNair (girls). It looks like North Warren and the 1-2 CJ finishers, Robbinsville and Metuchen for the girls and Robbinsville and the 1-2 NJ 1 finishers, North Warren and Mt. Lakes for the girls.
Pingry could well double in Parochial B, but will face stiff opposition from Roselle Catholic in the boys’ race and Mt. St. Mary’s for the girls.
Individually, of course the big races of the day will be in Gr. III. The girls event matches Thompson and Ley with Smith just about a sure shot to repeat in Gr. IV. Julia Mark of Delaware Valley and Marielle Hall of Haddonfield will battle for the Gr. II crown, while Megan Flynn of Robbinsville should run away with Gr. I. Pagano heads a strong Parochial A field and frosh Kristen Traub of Eastern Christian is favored over Ines Simoes of Roselle Catholic and Caroline Williams of Mt. St. Mary’s in B.
For the boys, it will be Rosa, Udland, Pohorence and Johnson in III, with Robby Andrews of Manalapan is the pick over Taro Shigenobou of Ridgewood in the boys’ Gr. IV race. Vitez is a prohibitive favorite in Gr. II and Dave Oster of Verona should take the Gr. I title which barely eluded him last year. Molke and Spencer will have an intramural battle in Parochial A and Smith should romp to his third B title.
Other notable winners last Saturday among the girls included Katie Kellner of WW-Plainsboro South over Briana Jackucewicz of Colts Neck in the Central Jersey Gr. IV race at Thompson Park and Clare Buck of Hopewell Valley over teammate Julie Jablonski in the CJ III race there. Ley posted the fastest time of the day for the girls at 17:23 and Joe Rosa the best for the boys at 15:37, just a second quicker than Johnson in leading Ocean City to victory in the Gr. III event at Delsea.
The rain produced several bizarre finishes around the state. At Warinanco, Kat Grimes of Chatham and Mallory Anderson of Madison were battling for the Gr. II title when Grimes hit the wall off the final turn and had to crawl over the line. The same thing happened to Taylor Trombetti of Pascack Hills in the NJ 1 Gr. II race at Garret Mountain.
But the oddest of all was in the boys’ Gr. II race at Warinanco. Oster was leading Pat Rono of Lyndhurst as they made the turn into the track for the final 400M lap. Dave slipped on the muddy footing and fell back into Rono who had to shove him back into a standing position to avoid being buried under his larger rival. Once in position again, Oster took off for a 50 yard win over the son of the 1988 Olympic 1500M champ, Peter Rono.
BOYS GIRLS
1. Don Bosco 1. Haddonfield
2. West Windsor-Plainsboro North 2. Ridge
3. Christian Brothers 3. Voorhees
4. Morris Hills 4. Randolph
5. Haddonfield 5. Red Bank Catholic
6. Mendham 6. Toms River North
7. Millburn 7. South Brunswick
8. West WindsorPlainsboro South 8. Hillsboro
9. Toms River North 9. Pope John
10. Cherokee 10 Holy Angels
Report #3 - Nov 6, 2008
Coming off three record performances by its All-American trio of Chelsea Ley, Melanie Thompson and Jillian Smith, the New Jersey cross-country season moves into its three-stage state championship program this weekend with 32 sectional meets scheduled at four sites ranging from Garret Mountain in West Paterson to the Delsea High School campus in Gloucester County.
Ley led the way in action this past week as she became the first Garden State girl to go under 17:00 on a certified 3.1M course, winning the Tri-County Conference title by 300 yards from the state's top sophomore runner, Megan Venables of Highland last Thursday at the Cumberland High School course.
The same day, Thompson shattered her own record at Pleasant Valley Park in Basking Ridge, finishing 150 yards ahead of Ashley Smolinka of Hillsborough in 17:48 to win her fourth Skylands Conference title and Jillian Smith of Southern Ocean repeated in the Shore Conference meet at Ocean County Park, defeating Briana Jackucewicz of Colts Neck by 125 yards in 17:19, 13 seconds under a course record shared by Jen Clausen of Jackson and Ashley Higginson of Colts Neck.
Two ancient meet records fell in the return of the Mercer County meet to Washington Crossing Park on Friday, Joe Rosa of West Windsor-Plainsboro North taking the boys' race by 25 yards from Philip Wood of Pennington in 15:13 and Katie Kellner of West Windsor-Plainsboro South the girls' event by 150 yards from defender Clare Buck of Hopewell Valley in 17:51. Their respective schools also won the team titles.
It was a busy week for Wood, who also finished 2nd in this week's New Jersey Prep B meet on Wednesday at Blair Academy. There he lost by a slim yard or so to Doug Smith of Gill-St. Bernard's who won for the third year in a row in 15:30, a course record. The A race went to Matt Laforgia of Pingry over teammate Dan Schuchinsky in 16:35. St. Benedict's won its fourth A title I in a row, Newark Academy its first B crown since 1995.
Don Bosco's top-ranked team repeated team easily won its third Bergen Meet of Champions in a row, 22-74, on Saturday over Ridgewood at Darlington Park with a 1-2 finish from Robert Molke and Leighton Spencer in 15:17 and 15:19, two of the fastest times ever on that course. The girls' race saw Holy Angels upset rival Immaculate Heart Academy, 47-70, led by Kaleigh Kenny who started the season as No. 5 runner on the team. She finished 3rd behind Sarah Pagano of IHA who won the race for the third year in a row in 18:14.
The Shore Conference girls' team race was as close as could be, Monmouth County champ Red Bank Catholic and Ocean County titlist Toms River North tallying 107 points apiece with their first fives, the Caseys getting the nod on the comparison of their sixth finishers. No such problem in the boys' race where Christian Brothers scored its 25th win in 28 years, 68-157 over TRN, Robby Andrews of Manalapan taking individual honors by 35 yards over Mark Leininger of Colts Neck in 15:17.
Another Saturday meet saw "comeback" efforts by the Morris Hills team and by Laura Vigilante of Mendham in the Morris County affair at the Kratf/Nabisco course in East Hanover, rated the toughest in the state, Sean Pohorence led the Knights to a 42-61 victory over Mendham in the boys' event, reversing a recent loss in the Iron Hills Conference, defeating Mike Franklin of the Minutemen by 50 yards in 16:09.
Vigilante, who had been bothered by a sinus infection after an opening win in early September in the Roxbury class meet, took the lead from the gun in the girls' race and finished 200 yards ahead of Mallory Anderson of Madison in 19:13.
The top five teams and first 10 individuals in each of the sectional meets this weekend qualify for the group meet on Nov. 15 at Holmdel County Park. There are no sectionals for the two Parochial divisions, but six Top 10 teams---two boys and four girls---will be in action in the 52nd annual New Jersey Catholic Track Conference championships which followed the North Jersey 2 sectionals at Warinanco Park.
The North Jersey 1 meet at Garret Mountain will see Ridgewood attempt to stretch its Gr. IV winning streak to seven against a strong challenge from Randolph. Taro Shigenobou of Ridgewood, who missed this meet a year ago due to injuries, will contend with Hudson County champ Dan Rondon of North Bergen for individual honors.
Morris Hills will have no trouble taking a fifth Gr. III title in a row and Pohorence should just as easily repeat as individual champ, his main rival being teammate Liam Tansey. Indian Hills is also favored to repeat in Gr. II where Alan Zaccone of Mahwah and Rob Albano of Pequannock will contend for the gold. In Gr. I, 2007 Verona has moved to NJ 2, leaving Bogota and Leonia to battle for team honors and their respective stars, Pat Rochford and Victor Lopez for the individual crown.
Randolph's girls are a strong favorite in Gr. IV there with a possible 1-2-3 finish from Joelle Amaral, Molly Higgins and Natalie Anthony. Roxbury, the Gr. III winner last year, has also moved to NJ 2, leaving Wayne Hills and Northern Highlands to battle for the title. Tori Berard of Morris Knolls and Corinne Fitzgerald of Morris Hills head the individual field. North Warren, the Gr. II winner last year, is now in Gr. I and its match there with defenders Mt. Lakes could be a preview of the group race. Alex Clinton and Diane Bain should lead Ramsey to the II crown. Kristin Landry is favored in Gr. I over Theresa Gagliostro of Westwood and Kelsey Dunn of Waldwick.
Ridge, which doubled at the Skylands meet, could do the same in Gr. IV at Warinanco Park, led respectively by Anthony Bellitti and Dana Guglielmo, who might just add the individual honors as well. In Gr. III, outdoor 3200-meter Meet of Champions winner Tyler Udland will try to lead Millbun to a repeat title, but it will have to get by a very tough Mendham team to do so. Thompson will complete another four-year sweep in Group III as Voorhees takes its third title in a row in the girls' event.
Group II is a neighborhood battle there, with defending Summit favored over adjoining Chatham in the boys' race and those two being joined by Madison in the girls' affair. Chris Johnson of Gov. Livingston is a prohibitive favorite in the boys' race, Jessica Villars and Kat Grimes could go 1-2 for Chatham in the girls. Dave Oster of Verona, who won Gr. I in NJ 1 last fall, could complete his race before anyone else hits the track for the last 400M at Warinanco and lead the Hillbillies to a sort of repeat in the process, while McNair Academic might reclaim the Gr. I crown where Cassandra Lacorazza of Palisades Park is the indivdiual favorite after several Bergen County triumphs this fall.
Robby Andrews of Manalapan is the CJ Group IV boys favorite while Jackucewicz defends her Group IV title at Thompson Park against four strong rivals in Jill Prentice of Montgomery, Smolinka, Kellner and Sophia Ginez of South Brunswick, who came back from an injury to help the Vikings take the Middlesex County title there last Saturday. This may just be the top girls' race of the day. Jackson's boys and Colts Neck's girls each have a two-year string, but neither is favored this time, that role going to Hillsboro, Old Bridge and West Windsor-Plainsboro South in a tight boys' race and to South Brunsiwck and WWPSo in the girls.
The Rosa twins will no doubt lead West Windsor-Plainsboro North to a second straight win in Gr. III, while the WWPN girls try to repeat their one-point Mercer County win over two-time defender Hopewell Valley. Which could get a 1-2 finish from Clare Buck and Julie Jablonski. Holmdel doubled in Gr. II last year, but is now in Gr. III, leaving Cinnaminson the pick in the boys' race and Clark in the girls. Shore neighbors Max Sparshatt of Rumson and Matt Metlitz of Red Bank are the top boy entries, Julia Mark of Delaware Valley should have no problem repeating in the girls' race. Metuchen also doubled last year and will probably will again in Gr. I boys, but has its hands full with Pt. Pleasant Beach, led by frosh Brianna Feerst in the field. Robbinsville could take both golds with Nick Lachman and outdoor 3200M group champ Megan Flynn.
Surest bet of the day is the repeat double in South Jersey Gr. II for Haddonfield, the boys going for their fifth in a row and the girls for their fourth, led by individual defenders Jon Vitez and Marielle Hall who could be on her way to a four-year sweep. The girls will be shooting for a perfect score, having tallied 16 points with almost he same lineup last year. Megan McGlinchey of West Deptford, however, is a likely spoiler.
Toms River North is also aiming for a double at Delsea in Gr. IV< but will have its hands full with defending Cherokee in the boys; race. The Mariners, however, will have a good start with Joe Kotran and Aaron Lasker. Smith is, of course, a huge favorite to repeat in the girls' event with county champs Brooke Kott of Millville and Angela Rugino of TRN battling for the silver with Maria Ruiz of Williamstown who has been chasing Ley all season.
Chelsea may try for another sub-17:00 as she goes for a repeat win in Gr. III, while outdoor 1600M champ Brett Johnson is an equally heavy favorite in the boys' event. Ocean City and Seneca are favored to repeat their respective team victories, the Raiders having a tough row to hoe against Kingsway. Neighbors Haddon Heights and Haddon Twp are favored to win again in I, defenders Josh Black and Holly Gallagher leading the way in each case.
In the NJCTC meet, CBA goes for its 26th win in 27 years in the boys' race, its fate depending on how strong a team Don Bosco enters. Red Bank Catholic is also trying for a repeat in the girls event with Pope John its most likely rival. Either Molke or Spencer would be the individual favorite should they run; otherwise, D.J. Thornton of Union Catholic, Pat Schellberg of Delbarton and soph Mike Mazzaccaro of CBA would probably be the top three. Inez Simoes of Roselle Catholic and Sarah Cariati of Pope John would head the girls' field if Pagano stays on the sidelines.
BOYS GIRLS
1. Don Bosco 1. Haddonfield
2. West Windsor-Plainsboro North 2. Ridge
3. Christian Brothers 3. Voorhees
4. Mendham 4. Hillsboro
5. Morris Hills 5. Randolph
6. Haddonfield 6. Red Bank Catholic
7. West Windsor-Plainsboro South 7. Toms River North
8. Cherokee 8. Pope John
9. Millburn 9. Holy Angels
10. Ridge 10. Imm. Ht. Academy
Report #2 - Oct 28, 2008
New Jersey's three all-American girls will be making their final starts in the next few days before they head toward the state meet and their inevitable meeting in the all-group race at Holmdel County Park on Nov. 22.
Defending champ Melanie Thompson of Voorhees and Chelsea Ley of Kingsway will go to the line first on Thursday some 100 miles apart, Thompson seeking her fourth straight title in the Skylands Conference race at Pleasant Valley Park in Basking Ridge and Ley going for a repeat in the Tri-County meet at Cumberland. Jillian Smith of Southern Ocean will also be defending her title in the Shore Conference meet on Saturday at Ocean County Park.
Thompson, who completed a four-year run in the Hunterdon-Warren meet last Friday at Delaware Valley, faces a strong field, led by Jill Prentice of Montgomery who won the Somerset County meet last week in 18:09, just nine seconds off the course record Melanie set last year in her third Skylands' victory. Smith, who missed the Ocean County meet last Saturday due to a visit to Tennessee, will battle Ocean County champ Angelo Rugino of Toms River North and Monmouth County stars Marie Walsh of Mater Dei and Briana Jackucewicz of Colts Neck.
Ley, who was also idle last week, has only the clock to battle in the Tri-County meet. She has been under 18:00 in all three of her major wins to date this year, the most impressive race being the 17:44 at Holmdel in the Shore Coaches meet.
The top boys' race this weekend should be the Mercer County meet at Veterans Park in Hamilton where Eastern champ Joe Rosa of West Windsor-Plainsboro North goes against Philip Wood of Pennington, who will be making his penultimate bid for all-state recognition before going against Doug Smith of Gill-St. Bernard's in the state Prep B race next Wednesday at Blair Academy.
An unlikely win for Wood would produce an unusual situation as his Lacey namesake won the Ocean County meet last Saturday in 15:41, just edging Joseph Kotran of Toms River North, who led his team to a 50-81 win over the Lions. The Mariners swept team honors with Rugino leading 40-100 win over the Smith-less Southern Ocean team.
Chelsea Cox stepped into Smith's shoes in this one and her fourth-place finish in 18:47 was another indication that this 2:09 800M runner is more than ready to give Southern Ocean an outstanding 1200M leg at Penn this spring to go along with Jillian's 4:40 or so on the anchor leg, a combination which would be hard to beat.
Bergen County had its four-division group meet last Saturday at Darlington and two Parochial A girls teams stole the show. Immaculate Heart Academy repeated in A, 33-52, over Ridgewood with Sarah Pagano winning the race by 350 yards over Sarah Daly of the Maroon. The Blue Eagles are still missing their No. 2 runner Mary Kay Duff, whose return would make them a solid threat to Haddonfield in the all-group meet.
Holy Angels had its best race of the season as it took the B race from Mahwah, 21-73 with Suzana Markolovic, newcomer Kaleigh Kenny and Jen Molke going 1-2-3, Markolovic finishing 125 yards ahead of her teammates in 19:15. Alexandra Clinton and her Ramsey teammates repeated in C and Hasbrouck Heights won its first title ever in D with Cassandra Lacovara of Palisades Park the individual winner in 20:31.
Top-ranked Don Bosco held out its two top runners, Leighton Spencer and Bob Molke, and still repeated easily in the boys' A race over Ridgewood, 25-49, its junior stars Rafael Vargas, Michael Belgiovine and Howard Rosas going 2-3-4 behind Taro Shigenobou of the Maroon who ran the day's best of 15:56. This was three in a row for the Ironmen, a figure matched by Indian Hills in B and Bogota in D. Pascack Hills took the C race.
Voorhees had its 9th win in a row in the Hunterdon-Warren girls' race, 38-53, over Hunterdon Central with Colette Whitney backing up Thompson in second, a step or less ahead of Julia Mark of Delaware Valley, both clocked in 18:19, 250 yards behind Thompson's course record of 17:28. Hunterdon Central repeated in the boys' event, 32-54, over Phillipsburg with Matt McDonald of North Hunterdon the individual winner in 16:33.
The Olympic Conference meet that day at Gloucester County College saw Cherokee take the boys' race, 43-80, over Washington Twp with David Forward of Shawnee finishing 150 yards ahead of Ryan Garvin of Lenape in 15:47. Seneca added the girls' title to its recent Burlington County win with Caitlin Orr of Lenape also doubling the individual title in 18:27 over Nicole McGrainer of Seneca.
The Cape May meet saw Tara Wuko lead Wildwood Catholic to its second win in three years, finishing 150 yards ahead of teammate Chrissy Casiello in 19:02, while Ocean City continued its run in the boys' meet despite the absence of Brett Johnson, who, like Jillian Smith, was off on a college trip. Sophomore Miles Schoedler filled in with a 16:33 win.
On Thursday, Haddonfield totally dominated both halves of the non-scoring Colonial Conference meet at Pennypacker Park. Marielle Hall led the top-ranked girls' team as she made it three-for-three in 17:49, winning by 50 yards from Megan McGlinchey of West Deptford. Jon Vitez did the honors for the boys, finishing 100 yards ahead of teammate Colin Baker in 16:22.
BOYS GIRLS
1. Don Bosco 1. Haddonfield
2. West Windsor-Plainsboro North 2. Voorhees
3. Christian Brothers 3. Ridge
4. Mendham 4. Randolph
5. Morris Hills 5. Red Bank Catholic
6. Haddonfield 6. Immaculate Ht Acad
7 West Windsor-Plainsboro South 7. Toms River North
8. Cherokee 8. Pope John
9. Millburn 9. Southern Ocean
10. Kingsway 10. WW-Plainsboro So.
Report #1 - Oct 23, 2008
Say the name “Jillian” to New Jersey running circles and the immediate reaction is that you must be talking about Jillian Smith, the National indoor mile and outdoor 800-meter champion from Southern Ocean Regional. But there is another young lady with that name who has been cutting a wide swath during the current cross-country season.
After two early open victories at the Magee Memorial and Old Bridge class meets, Jillian Prentice of Montgomery suffered a slight setback when she lost the B race at the Shore Coaches Invitational to Katie Kellner of West Windsor-Plainsboro South, but she came back this past week to score two big wins within four days, taking the B class race on Saturday at the Brown Invitational in 17:54 and then scoring a repeat victory on Wednesday over a strong field at the Somerset County meet with a near-course record of 18:09.
Prentice and Kellner, whose last race was a 15:00 victory at the Manhattan Invitational, are part of New Jersey’s fine “second echelon” of distance stars who must take a back set to the state’s trio of nationally-ranked stars: Melanie Thompson of Voorhees, Chelsea Ley of Kingsway and the afore-mentioned Miss Smith.. Thompson and Prentice will meet head-on next Thursday in the Skylands Conference meet at Pleasant Valley Park, the same course Jillian traveled so quickly in the Somerset affair.
Ley was also active this past week, defending her title at the Gloucester County meet with a course record of 17:24 at Gloucester County College, a notable effort as the previous mark had been set 26 years ago by Michelle Rowen of Washington Twp, one of the legendary figures in New Jersey distance running. It was her third sub-18:00 race of the season; she had won at the South Jersey Open Oct, 11 in 17:35. Smith was due to defend her Ocean County title on Oct. 24 at Ocean County Park without any serious opposition.
After their big day at the Manhattan meet---both team titles and the boys’ individual crown as well---New Jersey runners had been occupied chiefly with county or conference competition, some of the latter perhaps being farewell affairs due to the planned reshaping of North Jersey leagues next year.
We say “perhaps,” because, the day before the Iron Hills Conference meet on Tuesday at Randolph’s Freedom Park, Morris County principals turned down the structure of the proposed Northwest “super-conference,” due to objections which have nothing to do with the running sports. It’s all about football, of course.
In any case, that meet said goodbye in style as Sean Pohorence of Morris Hills set a course record of 15:35
despite very windy conditions. His victory was not enough, however, to keep Mendham from ending a six-year winning streak for the Knights in the Hills division with a 31-35 victory. This, however, was only the first of four meetings scheduled for the teams who will also battle in the Nov. 1 county meet and then in two of the three rounds of the state meet which begins Nov. 8.
In the girls’ action there, Gr. IV hopeful Randolph had an easy win in the Iron division over Roxbury, 36-75, with Joelle Amaral leading the way with an 80-yard win over Mary Migton of Roxbury in 18:56, with Summit taking the Hills race, 51-66, over Chatham, which was missing its usual lead runner Jessica Villars. She should return for their next joust in the Nov. 8 sectional to team with Kat Grimes who won this one in 19:17.
The next day, in that Somerset County race, Ridge, which is Randolph’s main rival for state honors, had an easy win over Hillsboro, 46-66 with Dana Guglielmo finishing 75 yards behind Prentice in 18:24. The Red Devils had four in the first 10 and a team average 25 seconds faster than the Rams on the quicker Pleasant Valley course.
Doug Smith of Gill-St. Bernard’s repeated in the boys’ race there in 15:45, some 17 seconds above his course record set a year ago. What was expected to be a close team race between Ridge and Bridgewater fell apart when two Ridge regular were sidelined by recent injuries, the Panthers winning, 56-75.
The Northern Hills and Colonial Hills Conferences, which have the rest of the Morris County teams between then, held what could be their final meets on the two days after the Iron Hills. David Oster of Verona, a favorite for Gr. I honors, returned to action to win the CHC boys’ race in 16:21 and Olivia Tarantino of Pingry repeated in the girls’ event in 1930 with the Big Blue taking both team titles.
State outdoor 3200 champ Tyler Udland of Millburn led a 1-2-3 sweep in the Skyline division of the NHC with a record 16:11 in what could be the last race at Lewis Morris Park as the Millers easily defended their team title. The Suburban race went to Pat Schellberg of Delbarton in 17:04 (two days later. he would finish 4th at Brown in 15:36.) Mallory Anderson and her Madison team repeated in Suburban girls, while Millburn completed a sweep in the Skyline race.
Ley won her county race by 500 yards from Maria Ruiz of Williamstown who led a 61-77 win over Kingsway, which in turn defeated Washington Twp in the boys’ race, 31-40 behind a 1-2 finish from Ryan Culbreath and Dan Fitzgerald.
David Forward of Shawnee reversed his recent loss in the South Jersey Open to Michael Bowden of North Burlington as he took the Burlington Cty title Oct. 17 at Mill Creek Park, finishing 90 yards ahead in 16:04 with Cherokee taking team honors, 47-84, from Moorestown. Seneca won its first girls’ title with Nicole McGrainer and Lyndsy Horn finishing 2-3 behind a 19:35 win for Caitlin Orr of Lenape.
Haddonfield, as usual, skipped a sure double win in the Oct.16 Camden County meet, leaving the boys’ honors to Joah Black of Haddon Heights in a 15-yard win over Mike Gorczynski of Highland and the girls to Megan Venables of Highland who finished a minute ahead of Jenn Rawls of Highland in 18:16. The team titles went respectively to Cherry Hill East and Highland.
On Oct. 21, Christian Brothers Academy won the Monmouth County title for the 39th time in 47 years (the last seven in a row), 67-109, over Red Bank Catholic. Sophomore Mike Mazzaccaro led the way in 2nd place, 45 yards behind Robby Andrews of Manalapan, who repeated in 16:12. Marie Walsh of Mater Dei upset defender Briana Jackucewiicz of Colts Neck in the girls’ race in 19:09 with Red Bank Catholic also repeating, 75-121, over Holmdel.
Pat Rono, son of 1988 Olympic 1500-meter champ Peter, had his first major win in the Bergen County Scholastic League National race on Oct. 15, finishing 150 yards ahead of Art Freitas of Palisades Park, which took the team title. Another lad with a famous sports surname, Dayne Mosconi of Tenafly (think pocket billiards), took the BCSL American crown the day before in 17:45 to lead the Tigers to a 71-73 win over Fort Lee.
Sarah Pagano of Immaculate Heart Academy, the leader of the “second echelon,” had a 400-yard win over Charlene Boria of Passaic in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League meet on Oct. 14 at Garret Mountain, to lead her team to a 27-28 win over Holy Angels in the C division. The Blue Eagles are still awaiting the return of No. 2 runner Mary Kate Duff who could make them a serious contender for all-group honors. The boys’ race was missing all the major figures, including the entire Eastern champ Don Bosco squad; the Ironmen still won their division with their second team.
The Old Bridge Classic at Thompson Park last Saturday drew mostly teams that will be there for the Central Jersey sectionals on Nov. 8. Hillsboro had both individual winners in the A races, Jordan Magath taking the boys’ in 16:18 and Ashley Smolinka, later 2nd in that Somerset County race, the girls’ in 18:41. The B races went to Max Sparshatt of Rumson in 16:12 and Julia Mark of Delaware Valley in 18:50.
BOYS GIRLS
1. Don Bosco 1. Haddonfield
2. West Windsor-Plainsboro North 2. Voorhees
3. Christian Brothers 3. Ridge
4. Mendham 4. Randolph
5. Morris Hills 5. Red Bank Catholic
6. Haddonfield 6.IHA
7. West Windsor-Plainsboro South 7. Pope John
8. Millburn 8. Southern Ocean
9. Kingsway 9. WW-Plainsboro South
10. Bridgewater 10. Hopewell Valley
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