The Rumson-Fair Haven High School girls cross country team may find it hard to remain anonymous.
The Bulldogs finished first in team scoring at the Bernie Magee Class Invitational held at Warinanco Park in Elizabeth on Sept. 17. RFH finished ahead of stateranked teams Summit (133) and Hunterdon Central (268). In merged scoring, the Bulldogs were third (86) behind Summit (78) and Hunterdon Central (84).
Co-head coach Tim McLoone pointed out that his team has been accustomed to sneaking up on people in the past.
“I prefer the underdog,” he said, adding that after the Magee meet, “I think that’s over.”
Leading the charge for the Bulldogs was Rachel Crist, who won the Junior Class race in 19:43.4. That time stood up as the second fastest of the day. Among RFH harriers, only the Bulldogs’ allstate standout Christy Planer has ever run faster on the venerable 5,250-meter course.
Teammate Isabella Maita was fifth (20:43.8) and Michaella Irvine was 13th (21:28.5). Their combined 19 points gave the Bulldogs first place in the team competition over Summit (28) and Hunterdon Central (30).
Shannon McCarthy, a 2:17 800- meter runner competing in cross country for the very first time, led the Bulldog seniors with her fourthplace finish (20:14.4). Molly Hellman was 11th (20:48.3) and Kate Kostecky was 28th (21:52.1). The seniors were third with 43 points.
In the Sophomore Class race, Courtney Howley (21:40.4), Jackie Gottuso (22:01.3) and Courtney Dunphy (22:15.0) were 13-17-18.
Rumson has freshmen as well. Hannah Anderson was third (13:54.7) and Fini Satzke was fifth (14:31.9) in the 3K frosh race. With Rachel Lehnert finishing 20th (15:121.3), the Rumson girls also won the team competition with 28 points.
Juniors Shannon Kirchner and Amanda Anderson are vying for a top-seven spot on the team. It was during the spring track season whenMcLoone realized that RFH might have something going for it, come the cross country season. He had a dozen girls run quick 1,600 meter races during the season and 10 more who ran quality times for 800.
“We had a terrific group of young girls,” McLoone remarked.
That quality, he figured, would translate to depth for the cross country team.
“I have depth I’ve never had before,” McCloone pointed out.
Molly Hellman and Maita have been the foundation of the Bulldogs, and now they are surrounded by talent.
It’s not talent alone that has made this RFH team so formidable this early in the season. This team has a “level of seriousness” that other teams haven’t had, McLoone noted. These girls are all hard workers.
McLoone, who cocoaches the Bulldogs with
Henry Mercer, will be taking the girls up to famed Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, N.Y., for the Manhattan Invitational on Oct. 9.
At this past Saturday’s Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational in Jackson, the Bulldog girls were fourth in the Varsity C race (131 points). Christ had another impressive race, taking third in 18:20. Hellman had a strong race in 15th (19:56).
This Saturday it’s the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park. It’s the first time this year that all of the state’s teams will be racing on the Holmdel course that will host the NJSIAA Meet of Champions on Nov. 19.
RFH’s boys are led by senior co-captains Sam Gottuso and Brian Corbett. They give the team a solid one-two.
At the Safari Invitational, Corbett (17:10) and Gottuso (17:30) were 22nd and 29th.
Junior Blake Goodwyn, senior Jack Maris and freshman Brendan Thorp have been the team’s third through fifth scorers, with John Gibney, Jake Albers, Michael Hall and Andrew Gaffney all vying for spots in the top-seven lineup.
Without the depth that the girls have, McLoone remarked, the boys have “no margin for error.”