Bernardo is lone runner with varsity experience
By: Rudy Brandl
Hillsborough High cross country coach Rich Refi never makes predictions of any kind going into a season.
The veteran head coach could have a loaded stable of runners like last year’s HHS boys’ team that advanced all the way to the NJSIAA Meet of Champions and finished fourth or a couple of young, inexperienced squads like he’s sending out to compete in 2006. Refi won’t go on record with any great expectations until he sees his boys and girls in competition.
That’s particularly true with this year’s HHS boys and girls, who have very little varsity experience between the two teams.
Senior Joe Bernardo, a fourth-year runner, is the only athlete with any real varsity experience on either squad. The rest of the teams are loaded with young athletes who haven’t competed against runners of this caliber.
To make matters more difficult, both teams, especially the Hillsborough girls, will be facing some of the state’s elite individual athletes and teams this fall.
"We don’t really have expectations," Refi said. "Everything is speculation at this point. I have no idea what to expect until they run a real 5K."
Bernardo was part of the HHS boys’ team that won the Somerset County and Skyland Conference titles last fall. He ran a 16:54 in the Meet of Champs at Holmdel last November and Refi is expecting him to set the pace for the Raiders this year.
Sophomore Jason Walton should be right up there with Bernardo once he learns how to run at this distance. Walton certainly has the toughness and leg speed to compete at this level. He showed that by running several 800 races under two minutes last spring as a freshman on the HHS track and field team.
Walton was the only Hillsborough male to qualify for the Meet of Champs last June. He’s got the ability to be a big-time cross country runner.
"He’s got a lot of talent but 800 meters is not the same as cross country," Refi said. "You can’t predict a 5K from that. He really worked hard over the summer. He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever had over the summer. He’s very determined."
Sophomore Jordan Magath posted some eye-popping times while earning a varsity letter last fall. Magath’s best performance was the 17:16 he ran at Deer Path Park. He and junior Alex Brown are battling for the 3-4 spots on the team.
Several boys will be competing for that all-important fifth man that sometimes decides a meet. That list includes seniors Mark Fineza, Justin Risso and Ken Taylor, juniors Rahul Doshi, Brian Keohane, Tony LaGreca, Michael Rath, Karan Raje and Alex Szela.
"On paper, we’ve never done anything," Refi said. "We only have two kids who have ever run under 18 minutes. But we have a plan for them and we’re going to give it a shot."
While the HHS boys are reloading, the girls are rebuilding. Everyone in the top seven will be new and only a handful of girls are back from last year’s varsity roster.
"We’re starting completely over with the girls," Refi said. "No one from the top seven returned. At this point, it’s completely rebuilding. They’ve been working very hard, but they haven’t run a race. Workouts are nice, but they still have to do it in a race."
Freshman Ashley Smolinka and junior Nicole Rocha are battling for the lead runner position. Smolinka was the top runner on her middle school team, but varsity athletics against this brand of competition will test her talents much more.
Meredith Mayes and Robyn Paterno, two sophomores who are back but never finished in the top seven last year, should occupy the 3-4 slots on the squad.
Refi has a group of seven girls in contention for the fifth runner spot. That list includes senior Alison Buerkle, juniors Beth Davin and Rebecca DeTeresa and sophomores Alyssa Ciccotelli, Michelle Dennis, Melissa Huereca and Stephanie Silleck.
"The nice thing about cross country is that you can see your numbers on the course and you can judge your progress," Refi said. "We’re going to keep dropping our times and see how we improve. The problem is that we’re facing some of the top teams in the state. We have five dual meets so our goal is to have a winning season."
The Raiders were set to begin the 2006 season with a tri-meet vs. Bridgewater-Raritan and Watchung Hills at Pleasant Valley Park this past Tuesday. Most of the team’s meets, including the Somerset County and Skyland Conference championship events, will be contested on the course in Bernards Township.

