By Justin Feil, Packet Media Group
Stephanie Mauer has seen some ups and downs in four years on the Hillsborough High School girls cross country team.
Mostly at the end of the season, she has seen the Raiders make a push for a big finish, and the senior helped them start on that path again Saturday. Mauer led the Raiders with a fourth-place individual finish as Hillsborough used strong balance to overcome some pre-race adversity to win the Central Jersey Group IV state championship at Thompson Park.
“It was really exciting,” said Mauer, who ran 19:12. “We had a rough week going into it because our third girl, Chloe Wong, came down with the flu. And then we had a couple people coming off injuries, so we were a little nervous going into it, but we knew that we were stronger than West Windsor so we went out there and gave it our all.
“We felt pretty good about our chances,” she added. “I think we were more determined this year because last year we lost and that was really upsetting. This year we kind of went in there with a lot more fears.”
Those fears were alleviated by a strong all-around showing. Paige Novak placed sixth in 19:22, Peri Bongiovanni made a big move up the Hillsborough to place third for them — 12th overall — in 19:48, Kelly Cianciola was 15th in 20:02 and Olivia DeLorenzo rounded out the team scoring in 21st in 20:13.
Wong fought through the race to place 30th in 20:48 and Courtney Skikus placed 33rd in 20:56.
“Most of us were pretty happy,” Mauer said. “I don’t think a lot of us PR’d, but we were just happy that we won. We weren’t really focused on the winnings of that race. We were already looking forward to the next weekend.”
The Raiders advance to the Group IV state championship that will be run Saturday at Holmdel Park. The girls’ top competition figures to be Ridge and North Hunterdon, both of whom finished ahead of them at the Skyland Conference Championships. Hillsborough, though, beat Ridge for the Somerset County Championship before the conferences.
“I think it’s going to be really difficult to conquer those teams,” Mauer said. “They want it just as bad as we do. They showed how much they wanted it through the conference meet where we came in third versus Ridge and North Hunterdon. We’re more of a team that peaks toward the end of the season so hopefully Holmdel is on our side. I think we know how to run Holmdel the best, so hopefully that will show in groups.”
The Hillsborough boys will also be at groups. They secured the final qualifying spot at the CJ IV meet Saturday. The Raiders scored 143 points, eight points ahead of sixth-place Trenton. Brandon Tubby led the way in second place in 15:56. Austin Raymond was 15th in 16:38, Jeremy Shipley was 22nd in 16:45, Owen Szabo was 48th in 17:19 and Sean Lynch closed out the scoring in 56th in 17:26. Justin Tubby was 63rd in 17:36 and Tyler Baum was 64th in 17:38.
The Raider boys have also enjoyed a solid season highlighted by their Somerset County Championship title.
The girls started to show their ability to finish seasons well when they made a strong statement at sectionals. Hillsborough got out quicker than usual, then positioned itself perfectly to take the victory with 58 points. West Windsor-Plainsboro South and South Brunswick both scored 90. The meet had been predicted virtually on-line to be a one-point edge.
“There were uncertainties going into Saturday, and we overcame all of them,” said Hillsborough head coach Rich Refi. “It was a big win.”
Even the Raider runners were surprised to win by that many, but they ran with determination. Hillsborough’s second, third and fourth finishers all beat WW-P South’s second finisher to create a lot of the separation.
“We knew going into the state meets it’s going to be a long ride, so we wanted to start it out right,” Mauer said. “We know we’ve put in a lot of hard work throughout October and September. We wanted to see what we could do with all our hard work under our belt.”
The Raiders have been even more fiercely determined after falling in the conference meet. While the county meet had given them confidence, the conference meet added motivation.
“I think every team needs a shocker like that,” Mauer said. “If we just go on and win all these meets, it doesn’t really affect us and we keep training the way we do. When we do lose, we realize there are other teams out there training just as hard and so we have to train even harder to perform better than they do.”
The Raiders have been working even harder to bring their pack tighter together since that loss. It paid off Saturday. They got out to a strong start together as a team and held off the competition.
“We went out very hard and took control of the race, which is a little uncharacteristic for us,” Refi said. “We just talked about matching up. They went out hard and held their position.”
The Raiders expect a tougher challenge at groups. But they have a strong history of doing well at the course and down the stretch.
“I think based on our past, that’s what gives us the most confidence,” Mauer said. “We know we do peak at the end of the season. For example, how we lost last year, we thought our season was over and we ran groups and had the best race of our lives. So it really showed that all our training really does come together when we come down the final weeks.”
Mauer is one of the Raiders who has been there plenty of times. She and Novak have been in the top seven since they were freshmen, and Hillsborough ran four seniors in its top seven in sectionals.
“They’ve been there before,” Refi said. “They get it.”
Finishing in the top three at groups – or earning one of two wild card spots – is the only way back to the Meet of Champions for the Raiders. It’s that goal that kept Hillsborough grounded after winning another sectional title.
“Winning at sectionals definitely does give us confidence, but we don’t treat it like winning MOCs,” Mauer said. “It’s one step to the main goal.”
The MOC title has narrowly eluded the Raiders in Mauer’s career. Hillsborough was second to Red Bank Catholic by seven points last year. Hillsborough is hoping to be in the mix again this year.
“We like being underdogs,” Mauer said. “Paige and I have been on the team and been in the top seven since freshman year. We came in second twice at MOCs, and that’s really frustrating for us. When we have this potential, we don’t want to get all caught up in these rankings and have it just collapse underneath us.”
The Raiders are keeping their focus on the group meet first. It’s their first time racing at Holmdel since the Shore Coaches Invitational.
“People get scared because of the hills,” Refi said. “We’re not scared of hills. We think hills are our strength. The hillier the course, the more positive we are going in.”
The Raiders can gain confidence from knowing how well they did on a course that didn’t suit their strength as much. Hillsborough handled Thompson Park well.
“Usually it isn’t that great of a course for us because we’re not a team that really gets out that hard,” Mauer said. “In the beginning it’s flat and that usually gives an advantage to teams like West Windsor-Plainsboro South, which goes out really hard so they get ahead of us. I think the hill at the end of the course really helps us out because I think our team has strong endurance. I think we can put forth our best effort toward the end.
“I think we got in a good position from the start,” she said. “I think we caught a few more girls in the last mile, but it wasn’t like last year where we were just chasing them the entire race.”Now they come to a course that they embrace. It will be one of the final times that Mauer and her classmates have the chance to compete at Holmdel, just as they are coming down the home stretch of their scholastic cross country careers.
“I don’t think it really hit any of the seniors yet so far,” said Mauer, a swimmer who expects to run in college. “Maybe when we’re at the line at MOCs, we’ll finally realize this is our final time at Holmdel, but I think I’m going to learn to appreciate it more when I’m not with the team. I’ll realize how great of a coach Refi is and what great teammates I had when they’re not around.”
Mauer is looking to finish her career with her best. She’s been a consistent leader throughout her time at Hillsborough, and is coming on strong.
“I think she’s moving in the right direction,” Refi said. “She just has to continue that move.”She will have plenty of help at the group meet as the Raiders look to answer a tough challenge. The Raiders are hoping the week gives them the chance to return to full strength. It’s been a battle all season, but Hillsborough is shaping up in time.
“I think we’re going to be the healthiest we’ve ever been all season going into groups,” Refi said. “We just talk about getting seven girls on the line healthy. For whatever sets of reasons, we’ve had trouble doing that this year. Even this weekend, we were not there. We just keep saying, if we can get all the girls on the line healthy, ready to run well, we’re going to be a very good team. The problem is, there are other good teams too.”
It makes for a great race Saturday in groups, which is just the next step as Stephanie Mauer and the Hillsborough girls gear up for another strong finish.
“I’m confident with our training,” Refi said. “I’m very confident with our training. And we’re getting healthy at the right point.”
