Locals among favorites at state XC
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Last year was Trish Reilly’s first season as a cross country runner, so there was satisfaction in just making the Group III state meet.
She won’t settle for that in her senior year at West Windsor-Plainsboro High North.
”I think last year our team had a slightly different focus,” Reilly said. “We were happy just to make it. I was really nervous going into the group race. I think I’ll have a very different outlook on it this year.”
Both Reilly and the Knights are looking to improve on last week’s fourth-place finish in the Central Jersey Group III race that helped them advance to Saturday’s Group III meet at Holmdel Park.
”I’m definitely more confident this year since I know what to expect,” Reilly said. “The team is more excited too. Our team had success last year and we want to take that even further this year.”
It will help if the Knights get Kailee Andrucyk back in the lineup. Their regular fourth finisher has missed the last two meets due to injury. WW-P North still had a strong start to sectionals with Reilly fourth, Emily Scott sixth and Kelly Callahan 11th, but had hoped to do better.
”None of them were really pleased with their times,” said North coach Bill Mealy. “Considering we were missing our fourth runner, they ran well and did what they had to do to advance.”
Reilly bounced back from a cold that had slowed her at the Mercer County Championships to finish fourth, better than she did the year before, and though she finished 40 seconds ahead of her run last year, she wasn’t satisfied.
”It was faster than I ran last year at sectionals,” she acknowledged. “It was also slower than I ran at Thompson Park a couple weeks before that. At the end of the day, I was happy moving on and I want to focus on having a good race Saturday.”
Now the goal is to advance to the Meet of Champions. The top three teams in each group advance, along with the next two best teams by average time, as well as the top 10 individual finishers in each race plus the next 10 fastest individuals overall.
The West Windsor-Plainsboro South boys run at 12:05, the WW-P South girls and Montgomery’s Jillian Prentice race at 12:55 and the WW-P North boys run at 1:45. The Knight girls are in the final race of the day at 2:35 p.m. The wait is worth it.
”Emily and I are going to try to work together throughout the race and make sure we get off to a good start,” Reilly said. “We’ll look for the girls from Hopewell and take their lead. We’ll have each other by each other’s side for support.”
With a full season’s experience from last year, Reilly knows better what to expect at the group meet. She also feels differently about the famed Holmdel Park course.
”I actually noticed a huge difference from last year to this year,” she said. “I feel stronger on it this year. Even though I don’t have as many years of experience as some seniors, I feel more comfortable on it. I don’t view it out of my league or intimidating.”
Said Mealy: “She runs with a lot more confidence. Last year she held back and made sure she had enough at the end. Knowing the courses and where you go have to go hard and where you can maintain has helped. She didn’t have any problem with it this year.”
Reilly came into the year feeling stronger after her best year of running overall. Her first year of cross country improved her base for her favored track and field. Reilly came on in the spring to break five minutes in the mile for the first time. She has built on that success this season in her new sport.
”I definitely have a huge appreciation for cross country this year,” Reilly said. “Last year at the beginning of the season, I was probably second-guessing (coming out for it). I’ve grown to like it a lot. It definitely tests everyone’s limits. You have to appreciate it’s such a hard sport.”
Trish Reilly is hoping to add one more week of the challenging sport and a trip to the Meet of Champions as she and the Knights enter her second Group III state meet.
”We’ve talked with the team about just focusing,” Reilly said. “We achieved the goal of reaching groups and we’re focusing on having the best race we can on Saturday. Everyone is pretty excited.”