Three teams move on in girls’ XC

MHS joins South, PHS

By: Justin Feil
   In one of the fastest years in New Jersey high school history, improvement was vital to having any chance of advancing beyond the girls’ sectional cross country championships Saturday.
   To their credit, three Packet-area teams — Montgomery, Princeton, and West Windsor-Plainsboro South — extended their season by one week with Top-5 sectional finishes. They’ll compete in the state group meets Saturday at Holmdel Park, where the Top 3 from each group plus the next two at-large teams from all groups will move on to the Meet of Champions. West Windsor-Plainsboro North, led by Julia Xu’s 41st place finish, was 14th in Central Jersey Group III.
   WW-P South, which reached the Meet of Champions the last two years, moved on for a third straight time with a fourth-place finish in the Central Jersey Group IV meet Saturday. The Pirates have a much different lineup from two years ago, led by Katie Kellner. The freshman covered the 5k course at Holmdel in 19 minutes, 20 seconds to finish second overall and lead the Pirates back to the Group IV state meet.
   "That was a goal we set way back in August as a wish and dream," said Pirates head coach Melinda Neff. "The girls worked really hard. Katie had an astonishing race (Saturday). I was pushing her to go out and make sure she was in the Top 5. She felt strong and she kept going. I was running down street as she was coming into the finish. It was so great to see her running into the chute with no one near here. She broke the school record."
   Last year’s top Pirate runner and a current member of the University of Pennsylvania cross country team, Allison Warner held the record of 19:22 from last year’s Group IV state meet. Kellner will try to lower her own record and move on to the Meet of Champions out of what is a deep and talented Group IV team section.
   "I think it was a really great accomplishment to make it all the way to groups this particular year," Neff said. "This is the most competitive year I can ever remember for cross country. Our total team time (20:31) was faster than last year’s (20:42) and last year they were second. This year, they were fourth. So there’s and incredibly strong group of runners this year. It’s really an honor to run with them."
   While WW-P South made it four out of five years, the PHS girls kept themselves perfect over the last five years by advancing from the CJ III meet to the Group III state meet. The Little Tigers, led by Susanne Hansen’s 12th-place finish, came in fifth Saturday at Holmdel.
   "We kind of expected or hoped we’d make it to states," said Lena Frey, the Little Tigers’ second finisher Saturday. "It was tough. At the county championships, we placed third. This year, it was a lot tougher. We were worried we might place sixth instead of fifth."
   But the Little Tigers continued to show improvement, led by the likes of Frey. The sophomore had a breakthrough race at the county championships and rode that momentum to a 30th-place showing in the CJ III meet. Sparked by her county finish, she ran 1:40 faster than last year when she was 42nd, fifth for the Little Tigers, in her first sectional.
   "Counties helped me realize I really can run that well," Frey said. "Even though this is a much tougher course and my time isn’t as fast, I knew I could keep up with the same sort of group. Last year as a freshman I felt like I didn’t have to keep up with the seniors and juniors. This year, I realize I can and can just go with that."
   Frey pointed to a tune-up race at County Meadows State Park on Long Island, N.Y., as something that helped the Little Tigers prepare for the hilly Holmdel course. PHS is looking for improvement again as it tackles Holmdel again Saturday in the Group III state meet.
   "I think we’ll do pretty well," Frey said. "Last year, I think we were (15th). Last year, we were also fourth in our section. But I think we can do as well as last year, maybe even better. There’s always room to improve."
   Joining PHS for the Group III state meet for the first time is Montgomery, which last year missed by one spot moving on to the Group III state meet. The Cougars, led by Eleonora Spinazzi’s third-place finish, were fifth in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group III meet at Warinanco Park on Saturday. Spinazzi ran the sixth-fastest time in course’s history when she covered the 3¼-mile course in 19:10.
   "Eleonora didn’t feel good, but she still ran a PR," said MHS head coach Jim Goodfriend. "She ran the fifth fastest time there. (Amanda) Herrmann was sick. But she made sure she was in the Top 10. That’s not where we did good. Rachel Holt did good, but the girl Nora Heck ran the race of her life. She ran incredible. She beat Holt. And she PR’d be two minutes.
   "She’s a freshman. She ran incredible. (Ali) Barton ran 22:11 before and (Saturday) she ran 21:47 so she PR’d. But Heck PR’d off the chart. Holt PR’d for this year. Heck just ran faster."
   It’s been quite a jump for the Cougars over the last two years. Two years ago, MHS was 10th in its first time in the NJ 2 III sectional. The Cougars last made the state group meet in 2002, when they were fourth in Central Jersey Group II. Goodfriend was thrilled by last year’s performances despite just missing the state groups. Making it this year confirms one thing.
   "This is the best team I’ve ever had," Goodfriend said. "I know I say it every year, but it’s true. Last year, Nikki (Sciotto, MHS’ No. 5 runner last year) ran 22:23. Six girls beat that yesterday. Nikki and Tara (Gorka) were good runners. That team was good. This team is better."
   Goodfriend has been impressed by the improvement his Cougars have shown. Saturday continued the mind-boggling strides, from the top of the lineup down.
   "Eleonora ran 19:10," he said. "She ran 19:12 earlier. I’ve said, you can’t continually PR every race you run. But the girls have PR’d every race they’ve run. It’s got to stop at some point. People that break world records don’t break them every time they run.
   "I was really pleased. It’s going to be so tough at groups. If we make it in the Top 10, I’d be happy. I’d be overjoyed. I want Eleonora to go on and I want Amanda to go on."
   And, it wouldn’t be so bad if the whole team continued it’s incredible improvement. It’s one reason the Cougars are moving on to the Group III state meet in one of the most competitive years ever.