By: Sean Moylan
The best never stay down for long.
After slipping and falling at last week’s Prep Championships, Peddie’s senior superstar cross country runner Rachel Provost came back and dominated the field in this past Wednesday’s Mid-Atlantic Prep League Championships at Hightstown.
Provost ran a 19:24 time to win the gold medal and finish 15 seconds ahead of the next fastest runner, Emily Liggett. As a team Peddie placed third overall in the competition with an average time of 22 minutes flat.
Peddie’s Melissa Provost ran a 20:59 time to place eighth while teammate Sinead O’Dwyer posted a 21:29 mark, which earned her ninth place.
The Falcons’ Emma Cottone ran 23:57 to take 23rd place, Emma Cottone finished in 26th place with a 24:11 mark and Amber Scott placed 30th overall by running the rain-drenched course in 25 minutes flat. Considering the fact that it rained all day long, the times in the race were surprisingly good.
Charles Schlager also medalled for the Falcons’ as he ran a 17:37 time, which earned him fourth place in the boys’ race race.
Mercersburg Academy’s James Finucane won the race with a 16:55 time. Jarrett Kunze posted an impressive 18:13 time for the Falcons to finish 13th overall. But Peddie head coach Jerry Hart always expected him to be that good.
Peddie’s Robert Warfield (19:04) and Brian Hayes (19:07) placed 21st and 22nd, respectively in Wednesday’s MAPL Championship race. Peddie’s Kristopher Kalas (19:19 for 25th place) and Dylan Cardoza (20:44 for 35th place) also recorded solid times in the 5K event.
Peddie took fourth place as a team on the boys’ side, but it’s not over yet. Both Peddie cross country squads would love to defeat Blair this Saturday.
HHS
Before anyone writes off 2006 as a lost season for the Hightstown High girls’ varsity cross country team, think again.
The Rams’ top five runners at Saturday’s Central Jersey Group III Sectional Championships at Thompson Park were all underclassmen. Hightstown’s best runner in the race, Emily Schemelia, is just a sophomore. Her 23:47 time placed her 61st overall. Junior Kerry Perchaluk, who finished two places behind Schemelia, also ran a solid 23:57 time. With those two, the Rams have a strong foundation to build around for next year.
Junior Ivonne Saquicela (26:18), sophomore Hannah Cullen (26:27), sophomore Kalgi Pandya (26:43), senior Kristen Lew (26:58) and freshman Priya Amin (27:13) all placed from 81st to 87th in the race. Hightstown could have all of those runners back next year other than Lew. As a team Hightstown finished in 13th place.
The Rams’ boys’ cross country team is a bit more senior-laden. Frank CiFuentes ran Hightstown’s best time with a 19:01 mark, which was good enough for 76th place. Rams’ freshman Cameron McCready could be a runner to watch in the future. His 19:14 time earned him 78th place at the Central Jersey Group III Sectional race and distance runners often make great strides from their freshman to sophomore years. Senior Austin Pinkney ran a 19:15 time to place 80th overall while his classmate Darrin Maconi finished two seconds behind him in 82nd place.
Senior Gabe Laverty (a 19:28 87th place time) and freshman Bryan Sheehan (a 19:30 88th place time) also ran for the Rams, who finished 12th overall with an average speed in the race of 19:11. While no one on Hightstown qualified for the State Tournament, competing at Sectionals is always a good, positive way for runners to see where they stack up against the area’s best runners.

