MHS rebuilding cross country program

Treonze starts over with five freshman girls

By: Rudy Brandl
   This wasn’t supposed to be a rebuilding year, but the Manville High cross country program once again finds itself in that difficult phase.
Veteran head coach Tony Treonze has dealt with low participation numbers in the past, but he wasn’t expecting a need for recruitment this fall. He figured on a solid returning nucleus of boys and some interest from the girls. Instead, four boys showed up the first day of practice.
   The combination of other sports and work conflicts hurts the cross country turnout every year. Some of the school’s better runners have often decided to play football or soccer, while others with potential have given up sports so they can earn money to buy cars.
   Treonze expected at least three more boys to compete on his team this fall. He wasn’t as surprised by the lack of girls, because there aren’t really any true female distance runners in the school.
   "It’s going to be one of those years where we struggle and rebuild," said Treonze, who recruited five girls out of a freshman World History class. "We’ve got enough to run as a full team but we’re going to go co-ed because a lot of the girls can’t finish the course right now."
   Treonze, who lost 40 pounds, has been running with the girls to provide extra motivation. He hopes to maintain their enthusiasm and build a girls’ program around this young nucleus.
   Two boys expect to challenge for the No. 1 spot on the team. Sophomore Nghi Nguyen, who made some late noise on the outdoor track scene last spring, worked on his running and improved over the summer. He’s currently a few paces ahead of senior Jason Zydallis, last year’s team leader.
   "Jason doesn’t really do much in the summer, but he works himself into shape," Treonze said. "He comes along as the year goes on."
   Treonze would like to see Nguyen and Zydallis battle, because both runners will benefit from the competition. Nguyen played soccer last fall but has taken running more seriously since last spring.
   "He’s done a decent job," Treonze said. "He ran over the summer and came back in pretty good shape. Right now, he’s our No. 1 runner."
   Junior Joe Zuza has decided to come out for cross country this fall. Zuza would like to improve his conditioning for wrestling season, but he’s done a solid job running in the pre-season. Treonze figures the first-year runner will chip in with some decent times.
   Sophomore Dan Volpi was the other member of the original foursome who started the season. Volpi showed some promise last year and needs to keep getting better to make a bigger impact.
   Freshmen Luis Martinez and Marc Casamassina joined the team late but will be pressed into action. Martinez, a transfer student from Somerville, has shown good ability in the early runs. He could be a pleasant surprise.
   "At least now we have five guys who can run the course," Treonze said. "We still consider ourselves a team."
   Manville could have been extremely effective if juniors Chris Wass, Bryan Knox and Jason Mancini decided to run. All three boys have the experience and ability to push the front of the pack.
   "Losing three guys is tough," Treonze said. "I counted on a lot of those guys returning, but they’ve all got other things to do."
   Zydallis is the only senior in the program, so Treonze is once again left with the task of keeping the runners together. He also feels strongly about keeping the girls interested enough to continue running, even in the off-season. He’s started them off with a mile or two, running around the school and the track until they can handle more mileage. They still have plenty of work to do until they’re ready for a competitive meet.
   "None of them can go three miles yet, but eventually I think they will," Treonze said. "Maybe we can develop a girls’ team if we get the same numbers."
   Freshmen Eileen Evans, Nelly Levitsky, Rebecca Rodriguez, Tami Perry and Jennifer Manderski — all World History recruits — could be the start of Manville’s first girls’ cross country team in over a decade. Unfortunately, Treonze can’t draw from any of his large spring track and field turnout.
   "They were all sprinters and jumpers," he said. "They don’t want to hear anything about distance running."
   Treonze isn’t overly concerned about wins and losses. He’ll measure this year’s success on the stop watch.
   "We’re looking for individual development," Treonze said. "I’d like to see Nghi and Jason fight for the No. 1 spot and push each other. We want to bring everyone’s times down."