Lyndsey a Sample of South’s depth

By John Beisser, Sports Writer
   On most cross country teams in the area, Lyndsey Sample would undoubtedly be the star of the team and the No. 1 runner.
   But at South Brunswick High, head coach Wilfredo Rivera is blessed with the top cross country performer in the county in junior Sophia Ginez as well as freshman Cayla Del Piano, who appears bent on holding that title in a couple years.
   In the Vikings’ 15-50 win at East Brunswick on Sept. 16, Sample covered the requisite 3.2 miles in a fine 19:47, lowering her personal best by 11 seconds. On this day, it was good for third place on the team, behind Ginez and Del Piano. Being third fiddle is fine with the pleasant and easy going Sample whose goal each time out is a simple one – to do her very best.
   ”That was the time I’ve ever run so I have to be happy with that,” she said. “I really like the course. I’d say it’s a little tougher than our course. There was one part where it was really slanted and that was kind of a tough stretch to run. But I liked the course.”
   Sample credits her summer training regiment for preparing her for the season.
   ”I thought I had a good summer of training,” she said. “I went to most of the summer practices we had and based on that time, I’d say my training and preparation was good. I felt I trained just as hard as I had the summer before and that I got in the right amount of training.”
   Sample was a soccer player just a few short years ago but she gave up that sport to follow in her older brother’s footsteps, literally and figuratively. Stephen Sample was South Brunswick’s number one cross country performer a few years back and is now a sophomore on the Lehigh University team. Sample is hoping to run in college as well.
   ”I’d like to have the opportunity to run in college,” she said. “My brother is having a good experience. I remember watching him run in high school and it looked like a lot of fun.”
   Also a member of the winter indoor and spring outdoor track and field teams, Sample says she prefers cross country and spring track the most.
   ”I like to run the longer distances,” she said. “I think I’m better in the two-mile and 5K events. In the winter, I run the 800 and the mile but the longer distances I think are better for me.”
   The Vikings were slated to compete against Woodbridge on Tuesday and Sample would not mind another third-place finish, as long as there are two Vikings in front of her.
   ”My times and Cayla’s time are pretty close,” she noted. “She is going to be really, really good.”
   They say you are the company you keep, and Sample proves this adage to be true.
   ”As long as the team does well, I’m happy,” she said.