By Rudy Brandl Sports Editor
What will Ashley Smolinka do for an encore?
Hillsborough High cross country fans may have to wait a few weeks to find out, but the sophomore standout is primed to follow her record setting freshman campaign with another big season. HHS head coach Rich Refi doesn’t want to burn out his athletes during the regular season, so he’s not sure how many times the top runners will race before the middle of October.
The Raiders were scheduled to open the 2007 season with a tri-meet vs. Bridgewater-Raritan and Watchung Hills this past Tuesday. Last year, Refi used a variety of lineups in dual meets and several boys scored points during a 5-0 season that produced the team’s third straight Delaware Division title.
Smolinka set the school record on the state championship course at Holmdel Park at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions last November as a freshman. She enjoyed a successful campaign as a distance runner on the outdoor track and field team in the spring and worked out hard over the summer.
”Ashley is very proven,” Refi said. “She trained more than ever this summer and she’s got it all in front of her. Right now, she’s probably being held back a little.”
Smolinka figures to contend for the county and conference titles at Pleasant Valley Park and make another big move at Holmdel in November.
”She posted some really big numbers last year,” Refi said. “If she repeats them, she’ll have a great year. If she can move up by 30 seconds on each course, that’s a big move.”
Three HHS boys were running together in the top training group entering the 2007 season. Senior Alex Brown and juniors Jordan Magath and Jason Walton give the Raiders a nice pack of runners to set the pace. Walton has recovered from his foot injury from track and field season but has been hampered by illness in the preseason.
”They look pretty solid and we’re hoping all three can go under 17 (minutes) at Holmdel,” Refi said. “We’re not going to race a lot until the end.”
That means more athletes will need to step up and produce in September and early October. The boys’ team, which should be in contention for titles in the local meets, is not as deep as in recent years. The HHS boys would love to continue their tradition of dual meet dominance but they’ll need contributions from new people.
A good mix of upperclassmen and younger runners were running in the second group in last week’s preseason workouts. That group included seniors Kevin Brower, Rahul Doshi and Michael Rath and sophomores Raphael Bernardo, Corey Katzelnick and Kevin Thorp.
The HHS girls return all but one runner from last year’s 3-2 squad that should continue to improve this fall. The local competition in the girls’ ranks is brutal with many of the state’s best teams. Refi expects Montgomery, Ridge and Bridgewater-Raritan to be very strong this year.
Senior Nicole Rocha and juniors Meredith Mayes and Robyn Paterno will battle for the next three slots behind Smolinka in the girls’ pack. The HHS girls are still a very young team with several sophomores and juniors expected to make up the top seven. Others who will contribute for the girls include juniors Alyssa Ciccotelli, Michelle Dennis, Melissa Huereca, senior Rebecca Deteresa and sophomores Caitlyn Kozlowski and Nicole Rittman.
”Our girls are very nice to coach,” Refi said. “They’ve been working hard and they’re very disciplined. The girls are a good team. Our goal is to get the school record on each course.”
As usual, Refi wouldn’t offer any predictions but had one message for his athletes:
”Training runs are nice, but you have to do it in a race,” he said. “You can’t chicken out when it gets tough.”
