The Metuchen High School girls cross country team got its first look at the new team that will try to defend its Central Jersey Group I title, the first in school history, at the Old Bridge Class Meet at Thompson Park over the weekend.
While its ace in the hole, Fiona Weeks, did not run Old Bridge’s inaugural event, Metuchen got plenty of noteworthy performances from returning runners and newcomers.
“Fiona will run her first race at the end of the month at the Stewart Memorial Invitational,” Metuchen head coach Kelli Redding said. “Because she will have such a long season, I decided to rest her. This gave us a chance to see the new or inexperienced runners on the team.”
Perhaps the surprise of the meet came from the performance of Metuchen’s Elise Brevet. In just her first cross country race, Brevet ran to a first-place finish among all junior girls in a time of 19:50.1. A former soccer player for Metuchen, Brevet made the switch this season and it appears to be a smart move.
“I didn’t know what to expect from her,” Redding said. “She took the lead from the beginning and looked great. She was pretty excited.”
Classmates Cristina Lombardi and Rachel Walton also turned in solid performances in the junior race. Lombardi’s time of 25:10 was good enough for 42nd place while Walton’s 24:07 earned her a 32nd-place finish in her first high school race.
“Cristina was a little disappointed in her race,” Redding said. “She had a good season last year, but she’s still coming back from an ankle injury. She will definitely improve with some more work.”
The team’s lone senior to race over the weekend was Michele Yip. Yip saved her best race of the 2006 season for the state championship and was a big reason for the team’s success. She seems to have picked up where she left off, with a 19thplace finish among all seniors. Yip’s time of 23:11 eclipsed her former personal best at Thompson Park by 30 seconds.
“It was a great start for her,” Redding said. “She was our No. 6 runner most of last year, but came on really strong in the states to run her best race. I think that should make her more confident this season.”
In the sophomore race, Maria Zullo was the lone Bulldog to participate, and she finished in 29th place in a time of 25:39.
The team also got looks at three freshmen, with Amber Michaliszyn cracking the top 10 in her race with an eighthplace finish in 15:56 on the 2.25 mile course. Amber’s twin, Lindsey, finished in 16:36 despite an illness. Her time put her across the finish line in 15th place. Micayla Bransfield rounded out the trio with a 24th-place finish in 17:16.
“I was very pleased with the finish of all three freshmen,” Redding said. “At this point they’re so unsure, so it was nice to get a quality race in for them.”
After a dual meet against Middlesex earlier this week, the Bulldogs will be off until Sept. 25, when they take on Spotswood.