South Brunswick High School cross country coach Wilfredo Rivera has identical goals for his boys and girls cross country teams. That goal is to advance out of the highly competitive NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV sectional and compete in the State Group championships.
Last fall both teams contended for the Greater Middlesex Conference Championship. The boys were second to Old Bridge, and the girls were third behind Metuchen and John P. Stevens High School.
At the CJ IV meet, where the first five teams advance, the boys and girls were both sixth. The girls were just two points away from fifth place.
The Lady Vikings, 4-2 in dual meets in 2010, have a veteran squad that could be ready to take that next step, led by senior Cayla Del Piano.
Del Piano won the GMC crown at Thompson Park in Jamesburg by more than 30 seconds and ran fourth at the CJ IV championships, qualifying individually for the State Group IV meet. She started her season off at the Cherokee Challenge, where she was fourth in the Senior race on Sept. 10
Behind Del Piano, the Vikings bring back Melanie Huen, Jenna Boyle, Emily Lane, Kristin Tran and Carly Till.
Senior Nicolette Matescu, junior Lindsay Del Piano and freshmen Zenzali Lael and Nicole Sendner, who infuse the veteran team with youthful exuberance, complete the 2011 Viking squad.
Rivera believes this experience and having DelPiano out front make his Viking girls GMC contenders. They also have the memory of coming within two points of the state championships to motivate them.
TheViking boys, while senior heavy, don’t have the returning experience the girls have, but they do have one of the GMC’s best harriers in Tyler Blackburn. The senior was sixth at the GMC meet in 2010.
Seniors Chris Barrood, Dan Boley, Brendan Dempsey, Hiten Doshi, Ashwin Kommajesula and Matthew Paradowski are the core of this year’s team. Doshi and Boley are the only harriers along with Blackburn who ran in last year’s GMC.
Completing the varsity are juniors Phil De- Froscia, Ishaan Goel and Shekar Muruganathan.
South Brunswick was 5-1 in dual meets in 2010.
This year’s GMC meet is scheduled for Oct. 29 at Thompson Park. The NJSIAA Central Jersey Championships are Nov. 5 back at Thompson Park, and the state Group IV Championships are Nov. 12 at Holmdel Park.
This weekend, the Vikings are headed to the Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational in Jackson Township on Saturday, Sept. 24.
North Brunswick also started off its season at the Thompson Park Class Meet, where sophomore Jennifer Salvatore took second place in her class race. She completed the 5K layout in 20:09. In the Junior class race, the Raiders’ Sanik Udyaver was 20th (22:35).
The Raiders are also competing in the Wild Safari Invitational.