Teams set for CJ 4 race
By: Rudy Brandl
BERNARDS Hillsborough High’s cross country runners knew that last Thursday’s Skyland Conference Championships would be loaded with talented athletes so it wasn’t surprising that faster times didn’t produce higher placements when the teams ran their second race in an eight-day span at Pleasant Valley Park in Bernards Township.
The Raiders improved their times, by wide margins in some cases, but didn’t place as high individually or as teams. Plain and simple, the Skyland is a power cross country conference, especially on the girls’ side.
"There’s a lot of good runners in this conference," HHS head coach Rich Refi said after congratulating his runners on their efforts.
For example, Hillsborough freshman Ashley Smolinka ran four seconds faster than her county time but finished seven notches lower. Smolinka ran her best Pleasant Valley Park time (19:42) but finished 11th in the conference race.
"I beat my other times, so that’s good," Smolinka said. "There are different people here so it’s not the same thing as last week. I just wanted to beat my time."
Hillsborough senior Joe Bernardo made a dramatic improvement in his county time but also managed to move up a few places. Bernardo, who was sore from excess training in his previous Pleasant Valley race, established a new personal best (16:42.58) to finish 11th in the conference.
Bernardo and the HHS boys were considered outside contenders in both the county and conference events. The Raiders took the county race out very hard and that didn’t help them beat Ridge. Refi instructed them to go out a little slower in the Skyland meet and while that strategy didn’t produce a team title, it had much better individual results.
"Our strategy was to go out a little slower and pick it up as the race went on," said Bernardo, who improved on his county time by over a minute. "I liked it better because it was more comfortable."
Hillsborough finished third in the boys’ race with 104 points, behind Ridge (70) and Phillipsburg (92). The boys’ five-runner average (17:06.46) was almost 30 seconds faster than at the county meet.
"Everyone ran their personal-best time," Refi said. "We just want to keep getting better and better."
The first five HHS boys ran faster than the team’s county average. Jordan Magath (13th, 16:52), Jason Walton (16th, 17:01), Alex Brown (29th, 17:23) and Justin Risso (35th, 17:32) rounded out the top five, while Michael Rath (39th, 17:41) and Brian Keohane (55th, 18:04) also competed.
Bernardo hopes to lead the HHS boys to the CJ 4 team title. If they continue peaking, the Raiders will be in the mix.
"Our team has a good chance," Bernardo said. "A lot of our guys are stepping up. We’re working hard."
The HHS girls also ran faster at the conference meet but finished seventh in the team standings. Their five-runner average (21:07.47) was 27 seconds faster than at the county meet.
Smolinka tried to stay with the lead pack but Voorhees sophomore Melanie Thompson got away from everyone and won the race in a meet-record time of 18:11.72. Smolinka was hampered by a cramp in the third mile or she would have finished higher and faster.
"It was right at the start of the third mile," Smolinka said. "I wanted to get in the top 10, but she (Ridge’s Dana Guglielmo) beat me right at the end."
Smolinka’s teammates also ran well. Nicole Rocha (46th, 21:17) and Meredith Mayes (47th, 21:19) led the next wave of HHS girls. Alyssa Ciccotelli (53rd, 21:33), Alison Buerkle (59th, 21:44), Rebecca Deteresa (60th, 21:45) and Michelle Dennis (63rd, 21:50) weren’t far behind.
Voorhees won the team title in a tie-breaker over Bridgewater-Raritan, while Somerset County champ Ridge finished third. The Hillsborough girls will join the boys in Saturday’s Central Jerey Group 4 Championships at Thompson Park in Jamesburg, where the competition certainly won’t be any more difficult than at the conference level.

