By John Beisser, Sports Writer
Sometimes making history requires a little bit of patience but in the end, it’s worth the wait.
The South Brunswick High girls cross country team was the history-maker last weekend, becoming the first Viking boy or girl team to qualify for the Meet of Champions.
But they didn’t know it until a day later and a few hours more.
The NJSIAA All-Group Meet, scheduled to be held at Holmdel Park last Saturday, was postponed until the following day due to nasty weather. Led by freshman sensation Cayla Del Piano’s 16th-place finish and a 19th-place performance by junior Sophia Ginez, the Vikings finished fifth in Group IV.
Only the top three teams from each of the state’s six groups automatically qualify for the MOC. The top two teams who do not qualify with a top-three finish in their group can punch a ticket to move on via the wildcard route. This is when the waiting began.
”We got done with our race early in the afternoon but the Group II and III races hadn’t even started by that point,” explained head coach Will Rivera.
And so, the Vikings packed up their belongings and bussed back to the high school not knowing their fate. By the time the call came with the good news, the girls had all scattered, heading to their respective homes and on with their days.
”It was a little anticlimactic,” said Rivera on Monday evening. “But when we all got to school today, I think it started sinking in.”
Del Piano ran a time of 19:46 while Ginez, still rounding into form after missing a month with a knee injury, came in at 19:51. A huge key to South Brunswick’s achievement was the 40th-place finish by senior Ashley Edwards, who hit the tape at 20:44. Edwards was a member of the team her sophomore year before sitting out last season. Rivera is sure pleased that she elected to run again this year.
”I’d say Ashley Edwards has been the biggest surprise of the season,” he said. “She’s just done a great job and we would not be in this position without her.”
”I’m just so proud of our team and what we’ve been able to accomplish,” said Edwards. “The season has gone by so fast. I trained really hard over the summer and am happy that I was able to help the team. In cross country, it’s a small team so we really bond. It’s a real sisterhood.”
Jennifer Smilgis placed 59th (21:13), followed by Kimberly McGrath in 57th (21:57) and Amanda Smilgis at 112 (22:41).
The Meet of Champions will take place on Saturday at Holmdel Park. Of the 20 teams competing, the top six earn medals and that’s South Brunswick’s goal entering the race.
”Hey, the pressure is off us so I just want the girls to relax, go out there, give it heir best,” said Rivera.
The Vikings are ranked ninth in the most recent New Jersey Top 20 rankings, so a top-six finish would appear to be feasible.
”We’ve already had great success,” said Rivera. “I just told the girls. “You’ve already had a great year, so we have nothing to lose. Let’s go out there and do it. This is our race.”
On the boys side, senior Matt Boley qualified for the NJSIAA All-Group Meet individually and finished in 54th place with a time of 17:28.

