Princeton residents hope XC experience pays off in future
By: Justin Feil
In the fall, Carlos Espichan, Jon Haddad and Kyle Steinnagel ran for different schools.
With the end of the scholastic cross country season, the three young Princeton residents have been training together three times a week under the guidance of Princeton Charter School cross country head coach and athletics director Christian Lynch.
Lynch is helping some of the future stars of Mercer County cross country. Not only have the three been training, but also they have continued to compete – not at the local level, but at the state, regional and soon, the national level.
Espichan, Haddad and Steinnagel all qualified for the Junior Olympic National Championships for the 13-to 14-year-olds youth division that will be held Dec. 9 in Reno, Nevada, by finishing in the Top 20 of the JO Regionals held Nov. 19 in Buffalo, N.Y.
"It snowed about 15 inches before we went up there," said Lynch, a 1997 Princeton University graduate. "The competition was good. In Jersey, out of 30 people who qualified, 18 of them showed up. Jersey’s usually the top area. In looking at how the guys competed against Jersey guys at the state meet and then in the regionals, they did very well."
At the regional meet, Espichan led the way for the other two with a fourth-place finish overall. He covered the 2.5-mile course that snaked through the wintry woods and snow-filled fields in 14 minutes, 31 seconds, a pace of 5:48 per mile. Steinnagel finished 12th overall in 14:55, while Haddad was 17th in 15:07. All three are 14 years old.
"I thought I could have run faster," said Espichan, an eighth-grader at Princeton Charter. "I thought I had a shot to win. I should have made the move halfway through the woods. I waited too long."
That racing experience is something that Lynch hopes Espichan will remember when he’s in a similar situation in the future. Espichan could attend Princeton High School next year, while Haddad is an eighth grader who plans on staying with the Panthers next year. High school racing brings a whole different level, as Steinnagel found out this fall.
"High school was tougher than these meets," said the PHS freshman, who competed Sunday in the Footlocker Northeast Region Championships in New York. "It’s hard to get Top 10 in high school meets. This made me feel stronger."
While Steinnagel was consistently the Little Tigers’ top runner this fall, it was a struggle to place well against some of the teams with older, more experienced runners. State and national level races could help give Espichan and Haddad an edge when they make the move up next season. The two were largely unchallenged in middle school meets this fall.
"This helps us see there are other people out there who are as fast," Haddad said. "If we think we’re good for where we are, this shows us there are other people out there."
"I think it helps," Espichan added. "It helps me be more mentally prepared. I have more confidence in myself."
Those are some of the things that Lynch was looking for when he organized a small group of select runners to compete at the JO state meet. The three who ran at the regional meet plus Paul Castellana, an eighth grader at Princeton Charter, and Matt McInerney, a freshman at PHS, ran as the newly formed Princeton Charter Club team and finished first overall in the team category. McInerney also qualified for the regional meet as a Top 30 finisher at the state meet but did not run.
Two other runners, Pablo Espichan and Pete McInerney, competed in the state meet midget division for 11- and 12-year-olds, but did not run at the regional meet. Lynch took the three who had qualified as individuals to give them a different sort of experience.
"There were a couple goals for the eighth graders," he noted. "First, it was a chance to get in another big race. There was an opportunity also for them to continue the success they had in their school year. For our ninth grader, it was an opportunity to get back together with his Charter friends. And it was a chance to taste some success against guys his own age."
Once at the regional meet, the three runners’ goal was the same – qualify for the national championships. The Top 25 finishers Dec. 9 will claim All-America status. It is not an easy task, however, as the winning time for last year’s youth division was 13:09. In addition, the race is held at an elevation of nearly 5,000 feet, where the air is thinner and breathing more difficult.
"In looking at last year’s results and this year’s regional results," Lynch began, "I think we have an outside shot of getting All-American. But it will take huge improvements across the board."
The three plan on continuing their training with the Princeton Charter Club after the national championships right through the winter and into the spring. Though they have other athletic interests, namely basketball and soccer for Espichan and lacrosse for Haddad, but running remains their top priority.
Their dedication has paid off already as the three will be among a select group to compete in the national race. Motivating themselves to get to the Dec. 9 race wasn’t difficult.
"I knew I didn’t want to be the only one to not qualify," said Haddad, who was the 30th of 30 qualifiers at the state meet. "I was pretty sure they would both qualify. I tried to stay with Kyle the whole time after Carlos just got too far ahead."
"They were definitely motivated," Lynch said. "It wasn’t about their times. It was about trying to compete and race well.
"These guys are going to make an impact in the future. That’s the goal. We want to fortify the running program in the town."
And though Carlos Espichan, Jon Haddad and Kyle Steinnagel could all end up at different schools again next year, they’re providing a speedy start to the future of Princeton running.
The Princeton Charter Club is looking for donations to help defer the cost of going to the Junior Olympic National Championships in Reno, Nevada. Anyone interested in helping can call head coach Christian Lynch during the day at 924-0575.