Freehold Township High School’s Ciara Roche and Howell High School’s Niamh Hayes have credentials that put them among the state’s best girls high school distance runners.
A hip injury limited Roche’s 2014 crosscountry season to just a couple of races, while Hayes was felled by appendicitis one race into her fall campaign.
Both rebounded to produce championship runs and fast times during the indoor and outdoor track seasons. Now they look to carry that over to the cross-country season, when they are anxious to make up for lost time.
Cross-country has been a star-crossed sport for Roche, with injuries affecting her the last two seasons.
“I’ve set goals the last two years that I haven’t reached,” she said. “I want to break 19:00 at Holmdel Park and get back to the [NJSIAA Meet of Champions (MOC)].
“[The MOC] was an amazing experience.”
She comes off another outstanding track season, during which her 10:33.09 time in the 3,200 meters at the outdoor MOC (good for fourth) moved her up to No. 2 all-time in the Freehold Regional High School District. She turned in a time of 4:59.1 in the mile at the Penn Relays for fifth place. Her 1,600 best is 4:48.99.
Roche looks to use her speed differently this fall as she tries to put down a new personal best at Holmdel Park and establish herself as one of the state’s best in crosscounty. In her only championship race appearance last fall, Roche took second in Central jersey Group IV.
“In previous years I’ve had a good finish,” the Patriots standout said. “I have to use my speed to go out harder.”
Roche will be more aggressive at the start of races. To break 19:00 at Holmdel Park and to be in the hunt for championships, she needs to be closer to the front for the first mile or so of the 5K race. She’s also focusing on running the hills more efficiently.
This summer, Roche said her training has been more consistent than at this time last year and that she is stronger.
“My mileage has gone up,” Roche said.
With just one more chance to achieve her cross-country goals, Roche has that sense of urgency that accompanies being a senior.
“I don’t want have regrets,” she said.
No matter what happens this fall, Roche added a full season of cross-country can only help her out when it comes time for the track season.
Hayes’ season was interrupted after her first race. She felt very sick after running in the Cherokee Challenge. It turned out she had appendicitis and surgery followed. She missed a full three weeks of training and was not race-sharp when she returned. However, she was still able to achieve her goal of qualifying for the MOC. An eighth-place finish at the Group IV championships helped her fulfill her goal of running in the MOC, where she lowered her Holmdel Park personal best to 19:11.
“I didn’t get much of a season in,” she said looking back on last year. “I felt I started to peak in my last race.”
The experience and confidence she gained from the track season has made her a stronger runner.
“I’m far more comfortable with my running, and I have something to prove this year,” she said.
Hayes has not only added mileage to her training in the summer, but she said she has also gone to the gym more to get stronger.
Past experience has taught Hayes what it takes to compete at Holmdel Park. The tennis courts — just over a half-mile from the finish and just before the runners head into the backwoods for the final downhills of the race — is where the race really begins, she noted. “The tennis courts are the most crucial part of the race,” she said. “It’s where everyone tries to go.”
That’s why Hayes said she has built up her stamina over the summer and hopes that her track speed will help her finish faster this fall.
Now a junior, Hayes admits she has learned a lot about running and racing.
“When you’re a freshman, you don’t think about racing, you just go and run,” she said. “Experience has taught me how to race.”
Experience has also helped her avoid over-training.
“You learn to listen to your body,” she said.
Along with a pursuit of championships, Hayes looks to break the Holmdel Park school record held by the Rebels great Lindsey Gallo, who posted 18:55 in 1999. With personal bests of 5:01.15 (1,600) and 10:44.84 (3,200), it seems well within her range.
Colts Neck’s boys look to repeat
Colts Neck High School’s boys have a chance to be one of the state’s best teams in 2015. They were the Central Jersey Group III champions last fall and were fifth at the group championships. Head coach Jim Schlentz has his top seven back from that championship team (the Cougars also won the Shore Conference B North Division dual meet title) as well as some key additions. The Cougars have 10 runners who have run 10:15 or faster for the 3,200 meters on the track.
“This is the deepest team we’ve had,” Schlentz said. “My jayvee team is better than most of my varsity teams [in the past].”
Brad D’Antuono, Jordan Brannen and Zach Csipkay — who went third, fourth and seventh at the state sectionals — are the Cougars top three.
Anthony Russo, who has run 9:41 in the 3,200, is one of the key newcomers.
Alexander Megerle, Andrew Imbesi, Kevin Berry and Liam Hoagland were all part of the core seven for the Cougars.
Gavin McDonnell is challenging for one of the top seven positions.
What has pleased Schlentz the most is everyone on the team reported to workouts in better shape than they were last year.
“We’re really race-fit,” he said, adding that the in-team competition for a top-seven spot is making everyone better.
“They’re pushing each other.”
Colts Neck’s girls have a solid trio of Stephanie O’Horo, Kayleigh Hoagland and Raeann Giannastasio returning from the team that was third in Central Jersey Group III last fall. With Dominique Masia having improved over last year, Schlentz believes the Cougars’ girls have a chance to win the state sectional championship.
Among the boys to look out for this fall are Ethan Seltzer of Manalapan High School and Bill Bajohr of Howell.
Other harriers to watch out for this year among the girls are Manalapan’s Kiara Nealon, Freehold Township’s Rose Barrett and Ashley Sibilia, Howell’s Julia Wiemken and Freehold High School’s Jaclyn Loftus.
With Roche and Hayes at the front, Freehold Township and Howell have a chance of having very good seasons.
The Oct. 3 New Balance Shore Coaches Invitational kicks off the championship season for the harriers. This meet is the first time that teams from throughout the state will race at Holmdel Park. It serves as an early barometer for the state meets.
The Reebok Manhattan Invitational on the historic 2.5-mile Van Cortlandt Park course in the Bronx, New York, is Oct. 10.
It’s back to Holmdel Park for the Monmouth County Championships Oct. 20. Lakewood’s Ocean County Park is hosting the Shore Conference meet Oct. 29.
The run to the MOC starts with the NJSIAA Central Jersey Championships Nov. 7 at Thompson Park in Jamesburg.
The group championships are at Holmdel Nov. 14, and it’s back to Holmdel for the MOC Nov. 21.
The Foot Locker Northeast Regional is Nov. 28, and the Nike Cross National Northeast Regional is Nov. 29 at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, New York.
These are the qualifying races for the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon, Dec. 5 and the Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego, California, Dec. 12.