GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY: With senior Hailey Reinbold and junior Katie Lawler, head coach Ray Britton feels he has a nucleus to build a team around.
By: Neil Hay
After last season’s 11-2 record, can the Hightstown High School girls’ cross country team do it again?
Coach Ray Britton begins with two solid veterans back from that squad, senior Hailey Reinbold and junior Katie Lawler. Those two give Britton a nucleus he can build with.
How well the rest of the roster performs, though, will determine how far this team goes this fall.
Rounding out the squad are freshmen Tory Schemelia and Erica Ross, seniors Michelle Glaser, Kristen Lalka, Kim Lippman, and Brielle Welzer, and juniors Danielle Klapper, Tse-Shuen Ku, and Stephanie Joseph.
With the season still nearly two weeks off (the Rams open September 20th against Steinert and Hamilton at Washington Crossing State Park), Britton is high on his squad.
"I like them. We had an off-campus practice (last Friday) at Mercer County Park. It’s a nice group of girls, different from last year. Reinbold is doing a nice job as a leader. They socialize together, they get along very well. It doesn’t take long to get them geared up and ready to go."
Last year the team qualified for the state group meet for the first time ever. Said Britton, "It’s nice to see the program bounce back."
Britton is leery of the competition in the CVC Valley Division ("With Hopewell Valley it is a powerhouse"), but looking forward to the upcoming season.
"But you never know. I like what I see with the kids. They are so energetic. The chemistry is good. Tory, Brielle, and Stephanie are all looking really good. I think they’ll move up and close the gap with the top two. Numbers one through five will be closer than last year."

