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NJ Girls Preview
The Star - Ledger's Rich Bevensee takes a look at the top girls teams and individuals in New Jersey
September 8, 2008 - New Jersey
Courtesy of The Star Ledger's Rich Bevensee
Star Ledger's Girls Cross Country news page
Individuals to watch
Teams to watch
Runners to watch
Joelle Amaral, Randolph, sophomore She ranked as the 10th fastest at Holmdel last fall with an 18:43, which she ran to place ninth at the Meet of Champions as a freshman, and posted a 5:06.57 mile last spring.
Clare Buck, Hopewell Valley, senior Ran a 17:49 at Veterans Park to win the Mercer County title and a personal best 19:09 at Holmdel while last spring she ran 10:44.72 to place second in Group 3 3,200.
Sarah Cariati, Pope John, senior Earned her first Sussex County Interscholastic League title last fall in 18:36 and ran the mile in 5:05 to place second in Non-Public A last spring.
Olivia Clyde, New Providence, junior Runner-up in Union County and in Group 1 last fall when she ran a Holmdel personal best 19:49 at the M of C for 44th place and then won the outdoor Group 1 mile state title in 5:12.93.
Casey Doyle, Shawnee, sophomore Doyle posted the fastest freshman time at Holmdel Park last season with an 18:39 to place sixth at the M of C while she ran a 5:01 mile to place fourth in Group 3 last spring.
Sophia Ginez, South Brunswick, junior Turned in a personal best 19:04 at Holmdel when she placed sixth in Group 4 as a sophomore and then she ran a 4:59.38 in the mile at the outdoor track M of C last spring.
Katherine Grimes, Chatham, junior Watch out for the this up-and-comer. Qualified for first cross-country M of C with a 19:51 in Group 2 and then ran a 5:08.86 mile at the outdoor M of C.
Dana Guglielmo, Ridge, senior Led her team to third place finish at M of C with a 19:05, the second fastest time for a Somerset County runner last season. Turned in outdoor season bests of 5:07.68 and 11:06.25.
Marielle Hall, Haddonfield, junior Won the Group 2 individual championship with a 19:30 and led her team to the group title as well. She ran a 2:18 800 and a 5:12 mile last spring at the Group 2 meet.
Briana Jackucewicz, Colts Neck, senior She was the sixth-fastest runner at Holmdel last fall with an 18:35 from the Shore Conference meet and she placed third in Group 4 (18:48). Her career has been riddled by injuries and illness and this fall she won't be on the course until late October.
Katie Kellner, West Windsor-Plainsboro South, senior Ran an 18:47 at Holmdel as a junior last fall to place 11th at the M of C and posted state's seventh-fastest 3,200 (10:45.08) last spring. Mile personal best of 5:05.28.
Chelsea Ley, Kingsway, junior She placed third at the M of C in 18:08 and chalked up three of the state's eight fastest Holmdel Park times last fall. She ran the 3,200 in 10:27.90, No. 3 in the state last spring.
Julia Mark, Delaware Valley, senior One of Hunterdon County's stars, she ran the 10th-fastest time at Thompson Park (19:07) last season and won the school's first outdoor track title with a 5:11.39 mile in Group 2.
Mary Migton, Roxbury, sophomore Her 19:07 at Holmdel was a big reason why Roxbury surged into second place in the M of C last fall. Ran 18:54 in the Group 3 meet and was the sixth-fastest runner at Garret Mountain (19:19).
Kearsley Olcott, Summit, junior Will be one of Union County's best runners this fall after posting a third-place finish in 19:46 in Group 2.
Sarah Pagano, Immaculate Heart, senior Earned school's first state title by winning the Non-Public A race in 19:20 and placed seventh at the M of C, the school's best finish ever, in 18:39, last fall. She turned in a 10:29.79 for the state's fourth-fastest 3,200 last spring.
Katie Petruzzellis, Voorhees, junior Found her groove at the end of her sophomore season last fall by turning in back-to-back sub-19 minute performances at Holmdel (18:50, 18:51). Vital cog for the Nike Team National finalist. Qualified for outdoor M of C with a 2:15.40 800 in the Group 3 meet.
Jill Prentice, Montgomery, senior Posted the 11th fastest Holmdel time last fall with an 18:43, a 16-second PR, then finished fifth in the outdoor track M of C 3,200 in 10:42.61, No. 5 in the state last season.
Jill Smith, Southern Regional, senior Placed second as a junior in the cross-country M of C in 18:03, No. 9 all-time at Holmdel, and in outdoor track she won the Nike National 800-meter title in 2:05.24, No. 2 in state history.
Ashley Smolinka, Hillsborough, junior Rising star was Somerset County's top finisher at the M of C last fall, placing 14th in 19:03, and then ran 10:49.19 in the 3,200 at the outdoor M of C.
Olivia Tarantino, Pingry, sophomore A big-time up-and-comer who placed second in the Non-Public B race in 19:12 last fall. She posted bests of 5:15.48 for the mile and 11:06.21 for the 3,200 in the spring.
Lanie Thompson, Voorhees, senior Earned her school's first cross-country M of C title in 18:02, No. 8 at Holmdel all-time, and won the outdoor track M of C 3,200 title in a meet-record 10:17.18, No. 3 in state history.
Kristen Traub, Eastern Christian, freshman Here's the freshman to watch this fall. This summer she ran a 4:47 1,500 meters and a 5:08 1,600. She also ran a pair of 5-Ks this past summer in the 19:40 range, while her best is 19:09.
Laura Vigilante, Mendham, junior She ran 19:18 at Holmdel to place 11th in Group 3 last fall, and turned in the eighth-fastest 3,200 in the state last spring with a 10:45.29.
Marie Walsh, Mater Dei, senior Suffered an off year in cross-country last fall -- ninth in Non-Public B after finishing first in 2005 and second in 2006 -- but rebounded to place second in Non-Public B mile in 4:59.84 last spring. She was one of only 12 girls to crack five minutes last spring.
Teams to watch
MEET OF CHAMPIONS FAVORITE
A load of experience and a wealth of talent are at coach Justina Cassavell's disposal as Voorhees begins its defense of the Glen Gardner school's second Meet of Champions title. Leading the way is the state's individual M of C champion, senior Lanie Thompson, who won in 18:02 and then last spring broke the outdoor track M of C 3,200 record with a 10:17.18. Voorhees also returns top runners in Colette Whitney, Katie Petruzzellis and Kari Shoolbraid. Four of the top six runners return from a 2007 campaign that included a runner-up finish at the Nike Northeast Regional meet and a berth in the Nike Team Nationals in Portland, Ore.
CONTENDERS Ridge, Toms River North, Immaculate Heart, Red Bank Catholic, Southern Regional
GROUP 4 FAVORITE
Toms River North made headlines last season by surging to the top of the Group 4 mountain for the first time in 30 years without a single senior in the lineup. Since Toms River North didn't lose any of its top seven, The Star-Ledger's 2007 Coach of the Year, Dave Ytreboe, will have his girls focused on another November run of success. But it must stave off the Group 4 runner-up, Southern Regional, which returns its entire top five and was one of the few teams to beat Toms River North last season when it won the Ocean County meet. Another threat is Ridge, which lost only one of its top seven after placing second in Group 3 and third in the M of C.
CONTENDERS Ridge, Colts Neck, Southern Regional, Randolph, Cherry Hill East
GROUP 3 FAVORITE
Voorhees, No. 18 in The Harrier magazine's national Top 25, may have gained a slight reprieve since the Group 3 runner-up, Ridge, moved up to Group 4 thanks to NJSIAA realignment. There are still teams lurking for an upset. Shawnee of Medford lost only one of its top six, Middletown South lost one of its top seven and Roxbury returns sophomore Mary Migton to a perennially strong program.
CONTENDERS Roxbury, Shawnee, Middletown South, Seneca, Holmdel
GROUP 2 FAVORITE
Haddonfield will open its defense of the Group 2 title with the state's individual group champion, junior Marielle Hall, and five its its top six from last season. This team is a slam dunk to repeat as state champion, especially because the Group 2 runner-up, Holmdel, moved up to Group 3 this fall.
CONTENDERS North Warren, Rumson, Delaware Valley, Johnson, Bernards
GROUP 1 FAVORITE
With the 2007 team champion, Haddon Heights, losing three of its top five to graduation, the favorite's role must be handed to Mountain Lakes, which brings back three of its top four, including front-running sophomores Kristen Landry and Kristen Bravante. Metuchen, led by the defending group champion, senior Elise Brevet, and New Providence, paced by the 2007 runner-up, junior Olivia Clyde, are the dark horses.
CONTENDERS Metuchen, Waldwick, Verona, Shore Regional, McNair
NON-PUBLIC A FAVORITE
Once again, this group meet will be the best of the bunch. Red Bank Catholic lost the season series to Msgr. Donovan last year, 3-2, but Red Bank Catholic returns four of its top five, while Msgr. Donovan graduated its top two runners. Red Bank Catholic should mix it up with Immaculate Heart, also with four of its top five back, and with Pope John, which returns its top six runners. Take Red Bank Catholic, but count on the pack to make it interesting.
CONTENDERS Immaculate Heart, Pope John, Msgr. Donovan, Paul VI, Bishop Ahr
NON-PUBLIC B FAVORITE
St. Rose, which last fall halted a title drought of nine years, appears prepared to make it two championships in a row in Non-Public B. The Belmar school returns every single runner, including its front-runners, sophomore Nicole Donahue and senior Taylor Shanley. It will be difficult, though, because the 2007 runner-up, Our Lady of Mercy in Gloucester County, returns five of its top six while the third-place finisher, Mater Dei in New Monmouth, returns four of its top five. First and third place were separated by just seven points last season.
CONTENDERS Our Lady of Mercy, Mater Dei, Villa Walsh, Wildwood Catholic, Pingry
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