By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
The Robbinsville High School cross country teams enjoyed the rides at Six Flags Great Adventure following the Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational on Saturday.
The Ravens hope their seasons are just as thrilling after another encouraging day of racing.
Brian O’Toole won the Varsity D boys race in 16:02, 43 seconds better than runner-up Allen Walton of McNair Academic. Roberto Guiducci was sixth, Constantine Moraitis was eighth, David Holzbaur 13th and Alexander Hallmark 20th to round out the top five. Like O’Toole, Hallmark’s finish was one spot ahead of a McNair runner, and the Ravens won the D division by one point over McNair, 48-49.
”For the guys, winning was nice,” said Robbinsville head coach Mike Walker. “Brian O’Toole had one of the top times on the day. He was seventh fastest. They enjoyed going into the park and everything, but for me it was worth seeing the performances.”
The Raven girls finished third in the Varsity D girls division with 63 points, behind only Bernards’ 39 and Nanuet’s 51. Meagan Lesniak was Robbinsville’s top finisher in fourth overall in 19:31. Lisa Leszcynski was 10th, Juliann Swift was 14th and Jaclyn Lazzaro was 15th. Alexis Stringfellow was 26th to close the top five.
”The girls varsity came in third place in their division behind a New York school and Group II Bernards, which is one of the better teams in the state,” Walker said. “The girls ran well. Right now, I’m happy with where both teams are at.”
The girls are 5-0 in dual meets after sweeping Steinert and West Windsor-Plainsboro North. It’s a good start for a team that won the Central Jersey Group I title last year, then finished second to Mountain Lakes for the Group I state crown.
”We had some bad luck,” Walker said. “The previous year, we had five of the top seven return from that team that won states. With five of seven back, you’re in good shape and then we got a little deeper. We only lost the group meet by eight points. Our top runner got injured the week before at sectionals, so it shows you can do all the work and you still need a little luck.”
Megan Flynn has graduated from last year’s state title contending team, but Lesniak is back as part of a strong nucleus for a team that has already beaten Princeton in a dual meet.
”The core group, they’re in their junior year,” Walker said. “They’ve put in the work. They realize if you want to step up and win — and Mountain Lakes has five of their seven returning — they have to work. Our girls, we’re in good shape. We look like we can give them a run. The girls look pretty good.
”The mileage is up, and we’re just starting workouts,” he added. “And we’re starting longer, more strength workouts. Those are things I’m trying to do differently to keep them healthy for the end of the season, but at the same time, train hard and be aggressive. A lot of the races we’re doing now are off pure strength. Hopefully when we taper, it pays off when we want it most.”
The Raven boys also return with high expectations this season. They were sectional and state Group I champions a year ago to set the bar high.
”The guys, we have a lot of people to replace from last year,” Walker noted. “Out of the top 12, seven were seniors. I didn’t know how they were going to fill in those roles and develop. So far, we look to be as strong as last year’s team. It’s exciting and a good sign for us right now.”
The boys are 3-2 in dual meets, with their only losses coming to Group III Colonial Valley Conference schools Princeton and West Windsor-Plainsboro North. O’Toole is leading the way with a new pack behind him.
”Last year was his breakout year,” Walker said of the senior. “He’s stepped up. He was third last year at the group meet. There’s not much more he could do to help the team. It’s more the work ethic. Last year, he fell into the role. Now he’s working hard to keep improving himself.
”Behind him, we have a bunch of juniors, Constantine, David Holzbaur, Mike Michon, those are some guys I thought might take them another year to get to this level. They’re doing it at the right time. If we want to defend our title, we needed guys to do the work over the summer, and they look great right now.”
Good enough to take the Ravens on another exciting ride this season.

