BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
Mary Banks and the Red Bank Catholic girls cross country team have every reason to expect big things this fall.
The Caseys return five of their seven runners from the team that finished ninth at the Meet of Champions and went undefeated during the dual-meet season.
Erin Lunny, Caitlin Dorgan, Janine Louie, Marta Laskowski and Michelle Savarese will form the nucleus of the 2006 team, which like last fall will rely on its team strength. At the season-ending MOC, just 43 seconds separated RBC’s top finisher with its fifth.
“We have a very solid pack,” said Banks. “We’re hoping to bring their times down. I’m extremely pleased with the way things are going. We have a very nice, solid team.”
Laskowski, a junior, finished first among the Caseys at the MOC, clocking 20:04 and finishing 53rd overall. Lunny, a senior, has been the sharpest in early-season workouts.
Last year’s team was seven deep (seventh runner at the MOC, senior Meghan McGrath, was 53 seconds in back of Laskowski), and this year’s team has the potential to be that tight as well. Junior Annie Rooney and freshman Michelle Capozzi have been running with the varsity returnees, adding the prospect that the team will be so close in time that it can afford an off day from one of its first five without being hurt.
Over the summer, the Caseys maintained the philosophy of Banks, a multiple state champion when she competed at Raritan.
“You have to work hard to race hard,” said Banks.
RBC is in Class A Central of the Shore Conference. The Caseys went 6-0 in their dual-meet season in 2005.
The first invitational up for RBC will be the St. Dominic’s Class Meet in Jersey City on Saturday.
Another team to watch this fall is the Ocean Township Spartans led by senior Kristin Enderly (who was seventh in Central Jersey Group III). Coach Paul Looney has a lot of experience returning from the team that was second in CJ III last year. Jacquelyn La Russo, Kayla Hanke, Sabina Parigian and Christie Gallant formed a solid pack last fall with Enderly. The Spartans have moved to Class B North in the Shore Conference where they will be the team to beat.
On Sept. 23, the invitational season begins at Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan with the Shore Coaches Battle of Monmouth Class Meet.
The first big statewide test will be the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park on Oct. 7. It’s the first time that teams from throughout the state will run at Holmdel, which hosts the MOC.
The Monmouth County Championships are Oct. 17 at Holmdel Park with the Shore Conference meet on Oct. 28 at Ocean County Park in Lakewood.
The county and conference meets will be on the same level as a state race. In Monmouth County alone, you have Colts Neck, last year’s county and conference champions and No. 2 at the MOC, Howell, which was eighth at the MOC, RBC and Freehold Township, which ranked in the Top 20 in the state.
Then, at the SC in addition to the Monmouth County powers there are Jackson, fifth in the MOC and Monsignor Donovan, 11th, which makes the Shore Conference home to the best in girls cross country in the state.
RBC will look to win the Non-Public A state title on Nov. 11 at Holmdel Park with the MOC on Nov. 18.
For public schools, the Central Jersey state sectional is Nov, 4 at Thompson Park in Jamesburg.