Greg Bull
After a typically fine 6-1 season last fall, the East Brunswick High School boys cross-country team has another deep squad ready to race this season.
"We have a good mix of experienced and new runners and some good talent coming back," said Coach Rick Murray, whose Bears finished second in their division and in the county meet, and eighth in Group IV.
Leading the way is senior Greg Bull, who was the No. 2 man last year but recorded the best time on the club, a 16:06 at the home course, while clocking a 16:35 at challenging Holmdel Park.
Behind Bull is junior Danny Gilbert, the No. 3 harrier last year for the most part. He ran a 16:10 at Thompson Park and a 17:00 flat at Holmdel.
"The three and four runners are fairly even," said Murray. "Junior Yannick Wood and sophomore Eric Sorkin both ran in the 17:20 to 17:30 range last year, and Sorkin was the GMC freshman champ."
A senior trio of Neil Rebele, Keith Kesten and Dan Mulcahy has solid experience.
"Dan had a very strong spring track team and has really improved," said Murray. "All these kids are capable of running in the 17:20s."
The Bears open on Sept. 10 against Edison and John F. Kennedy of Iselin.
"I don’t want to put pressure on them by shooting for a certain record or championship," Murray said. "I just want to see them individually reach their potential. The kids have worked hard, attending running camps, and they’re in excellent shape. They have a great chemistry and pull for each other, and if we stay healthy we should be one of the better teams in Middlesex County."