MHS cross country runners still shaping up

Team still hasn’t held a meet this fall

By: Rudy Brandl
   Most teams would be complaining about not competing until this week. Manville High cross country coach Tony Treonze feels it’s a blessing.
   Last week’s opening meet at North Plainfield was postponed because of Rosh Hashanah, giving the Mustangs an extra week to work into shape for the start of the season. Oak Knoll was also supposed to compete against the MHS girls, but Treonze doesn’t believe his all-freshman crew is ready for battle just yet.
   "I was sort of glad it was canceled because we needed the time," Treonze said. "Our girls definitely aren’t ready yet."
   The Mustangs are still very thin on numbers, with only six boys and four girls out for the program. One girl has already given up the sport, but Treonze expects the rest of his runners to stick it out.
   Manville was scheduled to open the season against Jonathan Dayton this week before hosting perennial Valley Division power New Providence next Tuesday. Treonze certainly isn’t expecting a victory against New Providence, but he’s hoping for a continuation of the early season progress.
   Sophomore Nghi Nguyen, who was running in front of the pack in the early workouts, has already shaved one minute off his time on the team’s home course. Senior Jason Zydallis is starting to hit the stride that made him the school’s top runner last fall. Freshman transfer Luis Martinez has looked impressive and could push the front of the pack.
   "Hopefully, those three guys will push each other," Treonze said. "I’ve seen a lot of improvement already."
   Junior Joe Zuza and sophomore Dan Volpi will challenge for the next two positions. Freshman Marc Cassamassina is still learning the ropes.
   "It’s a small group, so those guys all know they have to be there for us to have a chance," Treonze said. "We’re in a predicament because we need the top five guys to stay healthy."
   Treonze isn’t concerned about running the girls in official meets, especially now that there are only four on the roster. Five runners are needed to compete as a team, so MHS will continue to focus on individual improvement.
   Nelly Levitsky has surged to the front of the pack for the girls, who are still struggling to run the official distance. This will be a gradual process that may just help develop more solid track athletes for the spring season.
   "Nelly looks pretty good, she might be able to open it up a bit," Treonze said. "She’s probably going to help us more in track than cross country. These girls don’t quite understand what it takes to run long distance."
   Fellow freshmen Eileen Evans, Tami Perry and Jennifer Manderski are also still working on increasing their speed and stamina.
   Treonze has tried to keep the daily practice sessions interesting. In addition to running the course and taking some laps around the track, the MHS athletes have been hitting the weight room. They’re also doing some work on the treadmill, increasing the pace in the last 15-20 seconds to simulate a stretch run push during a race.
   The Mustangs finally got an opportunity to run a real race this week, but this season is about generating and maintaining interest in the sport. The extra preparation time certainly helped the athletes get ready for the challenge, but there’s plenty of work still to be done.
   "We’ve got a long way to go," Treonze said.