Vinci was determined to win Mercer title
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
Tom Vinci didn’t make his Mercer County Championship race strategy a secret last Friday.
The West Windsor-Plainsboro High South senior told boys cross country teammates Nikhil Pulimood and Karn Setya exactly what he wanted to do.
”I told them my game plan,” Vinci said. “I’m going out fast like last time. I told them I was going to do it. It wouldn’t have been a surprise if either had beaten me.”
It might have surprised Kurt Wayton. The WW-P South head coach had never seen Vinci so determined. Vinci had told Wayton before the race that he was nervous. When Wayton asked why, Vinci replied, “I want to win it.”
”That blew me back on my heels,” Wayton said. “He’s such a Type B personality, he’s never spoken up like that. I thought something was special today. Then he did the first mile in 4:30.”
Mercer coaches had Vinci through the first mile in 4:29, a blazing pace for the 5-kilometer course at Washington Crossing Park.
”On the cool down, I was saying, I went out way too fast,” Vinci said. “It’s 10 seconds off my PR for the mile. I’m definitely not doing it for the rest of the season. Thankfully it worked out well, but it went from 4:29 to a 5:10. It ended up working out.”
Vinci had run nearly that fast to win the Pirates’ last dual meet at Washington Crossing. Last Friday, in his final appearance at Washington Crossing, he kept his early lead on the field, and one year after finishing second to another Pirates teammate, Jake Riff, he made Mercer history. Vinci won in a meet- and course-record 15:34 to keep the Pirate boys a perfect 4-for-4 in Mercer championships in his four years of high school.
”I did want to win this,” Vinci said. “It’s the way I wanted to end my senior year at Mercer County Championships. I felt like I had the ability and the chance was there for me.”
Tom Vinci is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
”I hope to hear that same reaction a couple more times down the stretch,” Wayton said. “He has the potential to win a sectional title, a state title and be in the mix for the Meet of Champions.”
Vinci has progressed quickly through the fall after a less than ideal summer. Vinci suffered a stress fracture in the spring track season, and it cost him some summer training. He was behind Pulimood and Setya as pre-season training picked up.
”I’ve been able to work my way into it,” Vinci said. “I’m sure I’d be able to have a slightly better season if I didn’t have that hiatus for my injury. I’m happy where I am. I had some doubts about how my season would go coming off my injury.”
Vinci gained confidence with his performance in the final dual meet. He went through the first mile in 4:33 and ran 15:48.
”He just needed last week,” Wayton said. “I didn’t tell him to go that hard in the dual meet. We worked really hard the day before and really hard the day after. I think he just felt like he needed a confidence builder going into these races. It worked.”
Vinci feels much better than he did earlier in October.
”I think it goes back to Shore Coaches,” Vinci said. “I don’t think I was there. I didn’t race really well. Karn and Nikhil both finished ahead of me. I believed I had the fitness to run well, but I didn’t. The meet where I ran 15:48, it gave me the confidence that I could win this.”
In the nights leading up to the county meet, Vinci spent more time than usual thinking about the race. He knew how much it meant to him and to his future.
”I know I’ve had my problems with doubting myself,” Vinci said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, it hasn’t affected me. The key is being confident in myself and believing I can do it. I proved it at counties. I think I’ll be able to keep myself confident.”
Vinci is where he needs to be physically and mentally as he heads into the state meets. Sectionals are Nov. 9 in Thompson Park, with the Group IV championship that the Pirates won last year scheduled for Nov. 16 and the Meet of Champions on Nov. 23.
”He’s in awesome shape,” Wayton said. “He had a stress fracture at the end of outdoors, and he didn’t have quite the summer. It reinforced what we know about Tom. He is incredibly talented. He’s become tough. He got really good really early as a sophomore. That’s tough on kids. He kind of reminds me of Sam Macaluso. He wasn’t as tough as he needed to be to become an elite runner, which he did — he’s a 4:10 miler.
”Tom taught it to himself. It’s really important. You have to be careful and patient with young athletes. If you give them enough opportunities, they’ll find their spot and they’ll learn. You never want to give up on a kid.”
Vinci had to stick with it himself. He missed the Cherokee Challenge to start the season due to illness, then was bothered by shin splints as he upped his training intensity. It didn’t start to click until the last two weeks.
”After Shore Coaches, it started to change,” Vinci said. “I attribute a lot to the team. It’s like a family. To go there after school and practice and hang out, it’s really fun.”
Winning together with a largely new team — five of last year’s final top seven graduated — made it more special.
”I think it’s a good indication of where the team is headed,” Vinci said. “I know this week, we have three workouts. I know we’re training hard this week. I know we’ll taper before sectionals. I definitely think this is the best team I’ve been on at South. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do at sectionals, Groups and Meet of Champions hopefully.”
Vinci is running with a new confidence. He had always shown promise. He was sixth in the county as a sophomore, quite an achievement in a traditionally talented county. Then he moved up to second last year. On Friday, his main target was Brian Leung’s 15:38 school record. When Vinci crossed the line, he pumped his fists in joy.
”It’s really awesome,” Vinci said. “I’ve been looking forward to it since freshman year. I came in second last year. I was looking to get out there and do it. I knew it would be tough. Karn and Nikhil are tough. All four years of high school, we were undefeated, and that was special to be a part of.”
And to add the individual title to the team title in his final season made last Friday’s county meet all the more memorable. It took determination and desire that hadn’t necessarily been there to win it, one that the Pirates are hoping translates to more big efforts down the stretch from Tom Vinci.
”When you win, you’re a winner, and not everyone can do it,” Wayton said. “He goes into the championship round as a championship winner. That can be exciting, that can be compelling. At the same time, we never talk about winning unless we get in a scenario that the team really needs it. The emphasis is always on the team doing well.
”Down the stretch, if he sees the opportunity, he’ll seize it. We need our three to run like they’re capable of. It gives him confidence. That’s another tool in his belt going down the stretch, but I don’t think it changes much.”